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“There is nothing convenient about having almost 200 government liquor stores closed on Sunday when almost all other retailers are open. That makes no sense. The public stores offer the best selection and the lowest prices.” - Darryl Walker, BCGEU President.
Vancouver (30 Oct. 2013) - The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) was surprised to learn that the provincial government intends to study the sale of liquor in grocery stores rather than wait for the report of Parliamentary Secretary John Yap who has yet to complete his review of liquor policy in the province.
Publicly run government liquor stores protect public safety and social responsibility
“Selling alcohol is not just about convenience,” says BCGEU President Darryl Walker. “Social responsibility is important too. Publicly run government stores have the best record of preventing liquor sales to minors, and are long time supporters of the Dry Grad program.“
“We already have more than one thousand liquor stores in the province. We hear from people that they want the public stores open on Sundays, open longer hours and selling refrigerated products,” says Walker. “There is nothing convenient about having almost 200 government liquor stores closed on Sunday when almost all other retailers are open. That makes no sense. The public stores offer the best selection and the lowest prices.”
Public liquor store revenues help pay for public services which serve all communities
“We believe the current mix of government liquor stores, private liquor stores and rural agency stores works well for consumers and works well for B.C.,” says Walker. “In the last five years, the liquor distribution and retail system contributed a net income of $4.3 billion to help pay for public services such as health, education and highways.”
The BCGEU/NUPGE submission focused on five recommendations:
- take advantage of the strengths of the LDB and enhance public control of the management, distribution and sale of alcohol
- make an explicit commitment to social responsibility in any new liquor legislation
- protect the public interest with simplified, modern regulations
- provide resources for monitoring and enforcement
- provide greater operational flexibility for the LDB
Read the BCGEU submission to Parliamentary Secretary John Yap’s Liquor Policy Review.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE