Ottawa residents, retailers prepare for alcohol sales in convenience stores

A major shake up is coming to the alcohol retail marketplace in Ontario.

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Starting Sept. 5, booze will be available for purchase at dozens of corner stores and gas stations across Ottawa.

More than 4,000 convenience stores across the province have applied for a license to be able to sell alcohol and the changes will provide more options for consumers.

"We're from Quebec, so we already have alcohol in our convenience stores. So I think it's normal," said George Tremoulis, who was visiting Ottawa over the weekend.

"I never thought otherwise, so I think it's a great idea."

Some worry about how the new policy will affect public safety.

"There's a lot of homelessness and drug addiction in this neighborhood so having alcohol sold in convenience stores like right here might, make that problem a little bit worse,” said Brendan Baumken, an Ottawa resident.

"At the same time, maybe it'll bring prices down for people who like to consume responsibly."

Many retail analysts will be watching the roll-out of the policy closely.

"People are wondering how they're going to price the product. So are they going to be the same price as the LCBO and the Beer Store? Are they going to be five per cent higher, 10 per cent higher or 15 per cent higher?" said Bruce Winder, a retail analyst.

The market will also become more saturated, leading to sales adjustments for retailers.

"I think that, stores will have to adjust, right? They're going to have to adjust their inventory. The convenience stores may go deep and realize that they've bought too much," said Winder.

In May, the province announced that there would be an "interim wholesale discount" of 10 per cent from the LCBO basic retail price for other retailers. This discount would apply until 2026, the Ford government said. The LCBO is currently the wholesaler for both convenience and grocery stores.

A full list of the convenience stores and gas stations in Ottawa who will be able to sell liquor can be found here.

According to the AGCO, licensed convenience stores will be permitted to sell alcohol between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. seven days a week. Licensed convenience stores that are open on holidays will also be permitted to sell alcohol on those days.

Both the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have spoken out about the possible harms associated with expanding access points to alcohol.

The province says it is pledging ten million to support public health efforts related to the consumption of alcohol as part of a decade long $3.8 billion mental health plan.

With files from CTV News Toronto