NDP, Liberals in booze brawl

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This article was published 08/04/2016 (3444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The NDP is promising to keep some of Winnipeg’s busiest liquor marts open later, establish five new Liquor Mart Express outlets in grocery stores and offer a direct delivery alcohol service.

The direct delivery would be for socials, with a charge of about $10.

In addition, the plan, to be announced Saturday, will support the opening of a brewmaster program at Red River College and adding resources to help local breweries get started.

“Manitobans are looking for more convenience when it comes to hosting socials and other events, and our plan to directly deliver large purchases will do just that,” Seine River NDP candidate Lise Pinkos said in a statement. “We’ll also make sure our most popular Liquor Marts will have longer hours so that Manitobans looking to buy wine and liquor have more options.”

However, a spokesman for the provincial Liberals accused the NDP of attempting to parrot their plan — announced last August — to a privatized system to supply wine, beer and spirits.

That plan would allow certain retailers — from Costco to grocery stores — to apply for the right to sell beer and wine beverages. Hard liquor would only be available in vendors that didn’t allow access to minors.

Liberal spokesman Mike Brown said the NDP plan was “trying to have their cake and eat it, too,” since expanded Liquor Mart hours would mean they would be competing with existing beer vendors and wine stores.

“We don’t think the government should be in the liquor business,” Brown added. “They should allow private enterprise. The government should be there as a service, not a primary competition to whoever they allow to sell. They seem intent on running them (existing vendors) out of business half the time.”

Under the NDP proposal:

a) the liquor stores allowed to remain open longer would be based on volume of sales and how busy they were at closing time. For example, “locations like River and Osborne are quite busy and could be a candidate for extended hours,” one party spokesman said.

Selected stores would be open until at least midnight. (Most liquor outlets are currently open until 11 p.m. at the latest. All products would be available until the new closing time.

b) at least five more Manitoba Liquor Mart Express stores would be opened in grocery stores where leases could be negotiated.

c) direct delivery will be available for people planning large events such as socials. There would be a nominal delivery cost, as well as a minimum purchase amount before delivery would be available.

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d) help upgrade the Food Development Centre to support brewing and distilling so local startups have a place to perfect their products.

“Manitobans called on us to modernize the way liquor is sold in Manitoba, and we listened,” Pinkos said. “Going forward, we will build even more growler bars and open at least five more Liquor Mart expresses in grocery stores, all to make service more convenient while enhancing social responsibility.”

A spokesperson for the provincial Conservative party could not be reached Friday.

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @randyturner15

Randy Turner
Reporter

Randy Turner spent much of his journalistic career on the road. A lot of roads. Dirt roads, snow-packed roads, U.S. interstates and foreign highways. In other words, he got a lot of kilometres on the odometer, if you know what we mean.

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