The Beer Store: Political Reasons to Keep/Kill It

[diminutive]

pman, that "Stalinist collective" is for the most part the reason why our dairy products don't degrade into the type of toxic sludge available just south of the border. Trust me, the Americans would love to see the milk marketing board dismantled so that Canadian bellies are nice and open to their brand of free market competition. I'm 100% sure that consumers would benefit, no doubt.

There's no health difference between Canadian and American milk...

Moreover, even if there were, the supply management system would have absolutely nothing to do with it. All governments can and do pass regulations on product safety, in 99% of cases without creating cartels.

The current system has absolutely nothing to do with consumer safety whatsoever. It's purely a way of transferring money to the dairy industry.

If the Canadian govt permitted growth hormones, the dairy industry in Canada would use them. We don't, so they don't. It has nothing to do with the cartel they have. It's not like Canadian dairy producers are for some reason less profit oriented because they have a cartel...

 

[Tewder]

Let's not legislate the existing booze outlets out of business, allow anyone else to sell booze too, with proper regulation of course.

That's just the problem, how do we get 'proper' regulation when the regulators (i.e. the government) are also the purveyors? No, call me jaded but i do not like our government involved in this, they've lost my confidence. They should only be creating and enforcing the regulations.

 

[Burton Realty]

Out with the beer store. I like to drink beer around 12:00, long after the beer store is closed. Dang it, back in alberta I could find brews at 2 am.

 

[TOareaFan]

Out with the beer store. I like to drink beer around 12:00, long after the beer store is closed. Dang it, back in alberta I could find brews at 2 am.

Someone should invent a device that stores beer in the home so that the time of consumption does not have to match the time of purchase.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Someone should invent a device that stores beer in the home so that the time of consumption does not have to match the time of purchase.

At this time of year, one can store beer on your porch or balcony. Be careful, just don't let it stay outside below 0°C too long, it will eventually freeze.

 

[gabe]

Out with the beer store. I like to drink beer around 12:00, long after the beer store is closed. Dang it, back in alberta I could find brews at 2 am.

Beer Stores in the smaller cities around Ontario, still close at 6:00!!!

 

[W. K. Lis]

Wonder if the government or close friends in the private sector will be ones who will be selling marijuana, without a prescription. That is should marijuana laws end up that way.

 

[pman]

pman, that "stalinist collective" is for the most part the reason why our dairy products don't degrade into the type of toxic sludge available just south of the border. Trust me, the americans would love to see the milk marketing board dismantled so that canadian bellies are nice and open to their brand of free market competition. I'm 100% sure that consumers would benefit, no doubt.

wtf?

 

[gabe]

Kathleen Wynne warns ‘change’ looms for The Beer Store

Premier Kathleen Wynne is “impatient†to get on with modernizing booze sales in Ontario, including revisiting the government’s long-secret deal with the foreign-owned Beer Store.


http://www.thestar.com/news/queensp...ne_warns_change_looms_for_the_beer_store.html

 

[TOareaFan]

Kathleen Wynne warns ‘change’ looms for The Beer Store

Premier Kathleen Wynne is “impatient” to get on with modernizing booze sales in Ontario, including revisiting the government’s long-secret deal with the foreign-owned Beer Store.


http://www.thestar.com/news/queensp...ne_warns_change_looms_for_the_beer_store.html

It seems the "secret" deal between LCBO and Beer Store was so secret that even the Premier did not know about it......and it took a memo from her key policy advisors (sometimes called an article in the Star) for her to become angry about it and promise action.

 

[The Golem]

The Star is keeping the pressure on, with an article today.

Big brewers provide beer salons for MPPs’ fundraisers: Cohnhttp://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...de_beer_salons_for_mpps_fundraisers_cohn.html
The Beer Store doesn’t so much buy influence as it hires influencers — lobbyists who can open doors and get their phone calls returned.

To comprehend the unrivalled influence of The Beer Store, it’s not enough to follow the money — although there’s plenty of that.
One must also connect the dots that link the best-connected lobbyists.
The Beer Store doesn’t so much buy influence as it hires influencers — people who often play key roles for the party machines at campaign time, and then open doors for their big beer clients between elections.
The giant foreign-owned brewers that control The Beer Store also provide their private beer salons in downtown Toronto for campaign fundraisers — typically at no cost to selected politicians for the venue or beer.
What follows is a snapshot of how politicians interact with big beer and a survey of who’s who among industry influencers...

and what follows is a list of names and details on who's influencing whom.

Long article well worth reading.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Once ANY political party gets into power in Ontario, beer (and alcohol) becomes their "precious". Must not lose their "precious".

Any policitical may say they may "reform" alcohol sales in Ontario, but once they get their hands on their "precious". It is "mine".

 

[Tewder]

Kathleen Wynne warns ‘change’ looms for The Beer Store

Premier Kathleen Wynne is “impatient” to get on with modernizing booze sales in Ontario, including revisiting the government’s long-secret deal with the foreign-owned Beer Store.


http://www.thestar.com/news/queensp...ne_warns_change_looms_for_the_beer_store.html

I respect that Wynne is doing something about this but i get the sense it is merely damage control, the equivalent of patting Ontarians on the head to placate us until the next hockey game distracts us from the issues. The only right thing to do is break up the monopoly and privatize. I grant that revenue streams will be an issue, but ill-gotten revenue streams are not justifiable in any way. Period.

 

[wopchop]

I agree with Ed Clark and the report. If we are keep the monopoly in place, then the Beer Store owners should pay for that privilege. The advantages of a monopoly are obvious to everyone, and these private businesses shouldn't be given that privilege for free. They say that they can't absorb any more taxes or fees without raising prices, which I suspect is bullshit, but they are basically saying that they don't think that paying to maintain the advantages of the monopoly is a worthwhile cost. So if they feel that way, then the market should be opened up to competition.

 

[Tewder]

I agree with Ed Clark and the report. If we are keep the monopoly in place, then the Beer Store owners should pay for that privilege. The advantages of a monopoly are obvious to everyone, and these private businesses shouldn't be given that privilege for free. They say that they can't absorb any more taxes or fees without raising prices, which I suspect is bullshit, but they are basically saying that they don't think that paying to maintain the advantages of the monopoly is a worthwhile cost. So if they feel that way, then the market should be opened up to competition.

^It should be opened up to competition regardless! Why are people in Ontario so willing to turn a blind eye to ethics? Why do we trust government so blindly?? Here we have direct proof that our government deliberately screwed us over and most could care less.