January 27, 2025 – Toronto

Today, the Convenience Industry Council of Canada (which represents corner store distributors, manufacturers, and retailers across Ontario) provided the following statement in response to the Financial Accountability Officer’s report. The statement is attributable to Anne Kothawala, President & CEO of the Convenience Industry Council of Canada:

“The Ontario government’s modernization of the beverage alcohol market gives consumers what they’ve demanded for years — increased choice, and convenience. It has been a game changer for our stores. Year-over-year comparisons of December 2023 and December 2024 suggest average sales increases of 15%, with many of our members crediting beverage alcohol expansion in Ontario for this needed boost to be competitive. Our store operators are excited to finally offer this product to customers and see the increased foot traffic from this move.

The report ignores the research about the impact of expansion on job creation and additional taxation into the provincial coffers. According to economic research conducted by Cascadia Partners for CICC, up to 7,900 new jobs will be created, amounting to $193M annually in new wages. An additional $200 million annually will go to provincial coffers in tax revenues related to direct consumer purchases, employment taxes and taxes related to the $173M in capital expenditures our stores are making. Beverage alcohol expansion has benefitted consumers, corner stores, and provincial coffers.

There remains room for improvement to ensure that local corner stores see the full benefit of this policy. While we actively work with government partners to ensure Ontario’s alcohol regime is working for everyone, expanded sales have been critically important for local businesses across the province, and we’re optimistic about what is to come.”

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact: Anne Kothawala, President and CEO, Convenience Industry Council of Canada at (647) 242-3560 orakothawala@convenienceindustry.ca