[Newsbot]

Title: Ontario to sell beer in up to 450 supermarkets - among other reforms
Category: Provincial Politics
Posted By: BeaverFever
Date: 2015-04-16 12:57:42
Canadian

[Regina]

All of a sudden grocery shopping just got interesting.

[martin14]

Keep the people drunk, that way they won't notice the ass raping the Liberals are going to give.

[Regina]

martin14 martin14:

Keep the people drunk, that way they won't notice the ass raping the Liberals are going to give.

KY will now be available in the coolers.

[PluggyRug]

martin14 martin14:

Keep the people drunk, that way they won't notice the ass raping the Liberals giving

Fixed for accuracy.

[raydan]

I can't even remember when we couldn't get beer in supermarkets.

[Jabberwalker]

It's about flippin' time! Methodist Ontario only exists back in the mists of time but remnants of prohibition linger on, still.

[Thanos]

Yeah, it's weird. We didn't have nationwide prohibition the way the US did but we're so lame on beer sales compared to the Americans that it makes parts of Canada look like the place is still run by Bible Bill. Oh well, one step at a time, even in a place as backwards as Ontario. As Good Ol' Scottish Gramps would say,

[PublicAnimalNo9]

Oh this is just a brilliant idea. Yeah, it's not like grocery stores are easy to shoplift from or anything. Just change the rules so the craft brewers have more access to the Beer Store to help level the playing field.

What next? Dredging up McGuinty's old idea of letting people bring their own wine when they dine out?

[OnTheIce]

And Ontario gave these losers a majority government.

Good luck with the sale of Hydro One. Brilliant move!

[BeaverFever]

I don't get it OTI and PA9....you're OPPOSED to ending The Beer Store monopoly?? You guys better check with the conservative mothership, I'm pretty sure you're off script. The official conservative complaint is that this doesn't go far enough, they want it available in convenience stores too. And not just beer but all booze including hard liquor.

Oh, and Bring Your Own Wine restaurants have been around since it was first made legal 10 years ago. Just so you know,

[OnTheIce]

BeaverFever BeaverFever:

I don't get it OTI and PA9....you're OPPOSED to ending The Beer Store monopoly?? You guys better check with the conservative mothership, I'm pretty sure you're off script. The official conservative complaint is that this doesn't go far enough, they want it available in convenience stores too. And not just beer but all booze including hard liquor.

Oh, and Bring Your Own Wine restaurants have been around since it was first made legal 10 years ago. Just so you know,

Because I'm not blind to the reason why this was done.

The ONLY reason this change was made was to change the channel. Mere months ago, this idea was off the table.

While it's a good first step, the reason this came out now is because of the poor budget numbers, the sell-off of Hydro One and the 'good news' behind a new 100 million dollar tax. It's a great political move.

Lost in all of this was the increased tax on beer which will end up coming from consumers despite them saying the beer companies will swallow the increase themselves.

[BeaverFever]

$1:

The ONLY reason this change was made was to change the channel.

Probably, that doesn't mean you should reject it and force us to deal with the Beer Store

$1:

Mere months ago, this idea was off the table.

True that it hasn't been on the active agenda, but the government has been threatening it for a long time and it's been a recurring news story for the better part of a decade now. The government is slowly moving in that direction - see for example the decision to open mini-LCBO's inside supermarkets, and The Beer Store's failed attempt stave off government intervention earlier this year by offering to sell ownership stakes to micro-breweries.

The $1-per-24 tax is nothing, we'll still have one of the lowest beer prices in the country, even with the tax it's still much lower than Conserva-topian Alberta and its privatized alcohol retail market ($34 vs $40 on average). So I think it's still a net gain.

Also, since when are the conservatives against selling off Hydro One? This has been in the conservative spank bank since Harris started the work 20 years ago. And IIRC it was part of Hudak's platform in the last election. Or are you just upset that this government won't let any one buyer own more than 10% and it won't be the corporate give-away with a 99-year lock-in like your Harrisites are so fond of doing?

[OnTheIce]

BeaverFever BeaverFever:

Also, since when are the conservatives against selling off Hydro One? This has been in the conservative spank bank since Harris started the work 20 years ago. And IIRC it was part of Hudak's platform in the last election. Or are you just upset that this government won't let any one buyer own more than 10% and it won't be the corporate give-away with a 99-year lock-in like your Harrisites are so fond of doing?

Amazingly, not all people who are 'conservative' follow the ideals, word for word of the Progressive/Conservative Party.

It's pretty ignorant of you, and others, to keep spouting off the same garbage anytime someone who's doesn't share the same political views doesn't agree with you.

Selling off portions of the company and diverting some of the money away from their legal obligations is just silly. They have to change the law to be able to take the 4 billion from the sale because they aren't paying down the debt.

Might have been just easier to borrow another 4 billion.

BeaverFever BeaverFever:

The $1-per-24 tax is nothing, we'll still have one of the lowest beer prices in the country, even with the tax it's still much lower than Conserva-topian Alberta and its privatized alcohol retail market ($34 vs $40 on average). So I think it's still a net gain.

Spoken like a true left-winger. It doesn't matter if the prices of booze are completely outrageous in Canada, we're still not as bad as other Provinces so we might as well add another tax.

Beaver, step back and look at all the extra taxes and fees this government has come up with. All these increased taxes and fees and we're still no better off.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

BeaverFever BeaverFever:

I don't get it OTI and PA9....you're OPPOSED to ending The Beer Store monopoly?? You guys better check with the conservative mothership, I'm pretty sure you're off script. The official conservative complaint is that this doesn't go far enough, they want it available in convenience stores too. And not just beer but all booze including hard liquor.

Why would I check with anything Conservative? I'm not a Conservative. But, in typical partisan fashion, you just assume that anyone who doesn't go along with some idiotic Liberal idea must therefore be a Conservative.

BeaverFever BeaverFever:

Oh, and Bring Your Own Wine restaurants have been around since it was first made legal 10 years ago. Just so you know,

Figures. Good to see the Liberals had/have their priorities straight, enacting legislation for pretentious little fops. Ya know, cuz in the greater scheme of things in Ontario, being able to bring your own wine to a restaurant was an obvious priority.
And why do I say this was done for a bunch of pretentious fops? Because I notice it doesn't allow for people to bring their own beer or liquor, just wine.