Ontario: Ready-to-Drink Beverages and Large Beer Pack Sizes Available in Grocery Stores Sooner Than Planned

Ontario also making regulatory changes to cut red tape for alcohol sales in bars, restaurants and grocery stores

The Voice of Canada : As the next step in the government’s plan to give people in Ontario more choice and convenience, licensed grocery stores will be able to order ready-to-drink beverages and large beer pack sizes starting Thursday, July 18, 2024, and begin selling them immediately upon arrival. This new timeline accelerates the first phase of the government’s plan to expand alcohol sales to grocery, convenience and big-box stores by allowing the 450 grocery stores that are currently licensed to sell beer, cider or wine to sell them once they arrive in store, rather than August 1.

“Our government is keeping our promise to give people in Ontario choice and convenience while supporting Ontario-made beverage producers across the province, including the Ontario businesses that produce more than 80 per cent of the ready-to-drink beverages sold here in our province,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance. “This is an important milestone for grocery retailers and consumers alike as we continue our work modernizing Ontario’s alcohol marketplace.”

By the end of October 2024, as part of the government’s plan to expand alcohol sales that was originally announced in May 2024, every convenience, grocery and big-box store in Ontario will be able to sell beer, cider, wine and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages if they choose to do so. Over time, this new, more open marketplace will introduce up to an estimated 8,500 new stores where these products can be sold, the largest expansion of consumer choice and convenience since the end of prohibition almost 100 years ago. As the province implements its plan, the government will continue to constantly evaluate how it can deliver choice and convenience.

In addition to beginning the sale of ready-to-drink beverages and large pack-sizes of beer in the existing licensed grocery stores later this month, the government is also creating temporary flexibility to allow licensed grocery stores to display alcohol in multiple areas of a store, with some limits. To help bars and restaurants manage inventory and to help ensure consistent supply of products, the government is also temporarily allowing the transfer of wine and spirits between locations with the same owner and/or affiliated licensees.

To help consumers connect with local retailers and producers close to home, the province has also launched a new searchable and interactive map of retailers that remain open and ready to serve. These retailers include more than 1,000 local Ontario breweries, wineries, wine shops and distilleries, in addition to other retailers such as LCBO Convenience Outlets, The Beer Store and licenced grocery stores that sell a range of Ontario-made and imported products. As new retailers are licenced to sell alcoholic beverages, they will be added to the map.

Quick Facts

• There are thousands of alcohol retailers open across Ontario, including more than 1,000 local wineries and winery retail stores, distillery retail stores, breweries, approximately 1,200 grocery stores, LCBO Convenience Outlets and The Beer Store locations, and many bars and restaurants that sell takeaway alcohol.
• The government is working closely with the LCBO, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and The Beer Store, while consulting and meeting with industry partners, local beverage alcohol producers and other stakeholders as it prepares to launch this new marketplace.