Beer & wine in corner stores

[observer]

A local - from Vanessa - presented a petition to Ontario parliament asking that beer & wine be allowed to be sold in corner stores. Popular opinion in the newspapers is that this will go nowhere - as it has gone nowhere for the last 30 years or so.

Is this a "morality" issue? - or a "financial" issue - not wanting to have the LCBO lose any of their cherished revenue?

[Slowfood]

Financial cloaked in the morality issue.
LCBO makes a LOT of money.
What I don't understand is that the Ontario Government will still assign a stiff tax to whatever is being sold so not a complete loss of revenue from alcohol.
In either New Hampshire or Vermont not sure which, the liquor stores are state run and are renowned for their low prices.
I think in our case it is just greed fueling the debate, or really the lack of it by any sitting government here in Ontario.

[observer]

I have been wont to blame the attitude of "Ontario the Good" - a take off on "Toronto the Good" the title ascribed to that city many years ago, which I feel/felt was transferred to our whole province! (what isn't, after all? As goes Toronto, so goes the province!)

At this point, I'm more inclined to think it's become Ontario the Greedy - since we've obviously been able to loose ourselves from the strains of anti-gambling - and now promote it to all our fellow Ontarians - so it must be too much revenue possibly being lost to government coffers to allow corner stores to sell alcoholic products.

[retired2]

I don't think it would drop the prices one bit

[observer]

I don't believe it has anything to do with dropping prices. It's just that Mom & Pop stores in small hamlets are wanting to have the ability to stock beer & wine - theoretically for the convenience of customers who then wouldn't have to drive another 20 minutes to a "town" with an LCBO - but, clearly, also to try to gain a bit more revenue for themselves.

[growler]

it is them needing to make up for the revenue they have lost on tobacco products they so zealolasly killed (or tried to kill)!
they never gave it a thourough cost/income analysis but took the cancer society's word that if tobacco was eliminated, cancer would also be eliminated (plus other disease's)thereby lowering health care costs !
but it didn't turn out quite like they thought so liquor taxes are to be kept !

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