Booze now for sale in Costco, more grocery stores in Ottawa

All five Costco stores in Ottawa will be able to start selling beer and wine today, as Ontario expands alcohol sales to more grocery stores across the province.

As of Oct. 31, all eligible grocery and big-box stores are able to buy beer, cider, wine and ready-to-drink beverages, including large pack sizes.  The Ontario government says an additional 400 grocery stores will be selling alcohol across the province.

"This is a big move. This is 100 years of a monopoly system we're opening up, catching up with the rest of the world," Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy told reporters on Tuesday.

This is the final step in Ontario's expansion of alcohol sales, after convenience stores were allowed to start selling beer cider, wine and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages in September. On Aug. 1, previously licensed grocery stores were allowed to sell ready-to-drink beverages and large-pack sizes of beer.

In Ottawa, five Costco stores and four Walmart stores have approval to sell alcohol after receiving a licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Several independent grocery stores will also be eligible to now sell alcohol.

More than 180 gas stations and convenience stores in Ottawa are licensed to sell alcoholic beverages.

“We promised to give the people of Ontario choice and convenience when buying and selling alcoholic beverages and with today’s expansion, we got it done,” Premier Doug Ford said in a media release on Thursday. “This last phase of expansion will create new opportunities for retailers of all sizes and for Ontario producers of beer, wine, cider and ready-to-drink beverages. I hope everyone gets the chance to pick up one of these fantastic Ontario-made products and enjoy responsibly!”

The Ontario government says approximately 4,700 convenience stores and 850 grocery stores, including big box retailers, are licensed to sell beer, cider, wine and ready-to-drink beverages across Ontario.

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Here are the rules for grocery stores and big box retailers to sell alcohol:

• Retailers can only sell alcohol between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
• Deliveries of alcohol will be permitted between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m.
• Stores permitted to open on holidays can sell alcohol between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
• The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) says selling or allowing for pickup or delivery outside of the hours could result in a fine of up to $50,000.

The AGCO notes there are restrictions on single containers, meaning big box retailers can't sell anymore more than any other convenience or grocery store.  The licence obligation guide notes a single container of beer, wine, or ready-to-drink beverages must not be bigger than 5 litres and cannot exceed 18 per cent alcohol.

Here is the list of the grocery stores and big-box stores permitted to sell alcohol as of Oct. 31:

• Costco – 770 Silver Seven Road
• Costco – 1849 Merivale Road
• Costco – 1900 Cyrville Road
• Costco – 4315 Strandherd Drive
• Costco – 1405 Blair Road
• Walmart – 3900 Innes Road
• Walmart – 2210 Bank Street
• Walmart – 1375 Baseline Road
• Walmart – 5357 Fernbank Road
• Farm Boy – 2950 Bank Street
• Farm Boy – 2030 Tenth Line Road
• Farm Boy – 1642 Merivale Road
• Farm Boy – 3035 St. Joseph Boulevard
• Food Basics – 5703 Hazeldean Road
• Loblaws Carlingwood – 2085 Carling Avenue
• Marsha's YIG – 200 Grant Carman Drive
• Brierley's YIG - 685 River Road
• Sobeys – 840 March Road
• Sobeys – 5150 Innes Road
• Sobeys – 700 Terry Fox Drive
• Metro – 1675 Tenth Line Road
• Metro – 1811 Robertson Road
• Metro – 2261 Walkley Road
• Metro – 6509 Jeanne d'Arc Boulevard
• Metro – 2515 Bank Street
• Metro – 1930 Montreal Road
• Food Basics – 1465 Merivale Road
• Food Basics – 900 Greenbank Road
• Food Basics – 1021 Cyrville Road
• Food Basics – 1670 Heron Road
• Food Basics – 150 Katimavik Road
• Food Basics – 3712 Innes Road
• Food Basics – 667 Kirkwood Avenue
• Metro – 255 Rideau Street
• Hess Your Independent Grocer – 596 Montreal Road
• Riley's Your Independent Grocer – 2269 Riverside Drive
• Metro – 3201 Strandherd Drive
• Real Canadian Superstore – 760 Eagleson Road
• Brown's Your Independent Grocer – 1251 Stittsville Main Street
• Loblaws – 200 Earl Gray Drive
• Loblaws – 1980 Baseline Road
• Metro – 4510 Innes Road
• Loblaws – 3201 Greenbank Road
• Loblaws – 2210 Bank Street
• Loblaws – 363 Rideau Street
• Loblaws – 1460 Merivale Road
• Loblaws – 100 McArthur Avenue  
• Real Canadian Superstore – 190 Richmond Road
• Real Canadian Superstore – 4270 Innes Road

The Ontario government has launched an interactive map to allow residents to search for retailers. 

With files from CTV News Toronto's Phil Tsekouras