Ready-to-drink beverages can be sold in grocery stores starting Thursday

Consumers will now be able to get ready-to-drink cocktails and larger packs of beer at the grocery store starting Thursday.

It’s part of the Ford government’s fast-track plan to expand alcohol sales across the province.

Ford’s previous pledge was to get beer, wine and ready-to-drink cocktails in convenience stores and all grocery stores by 2026, but in May the premier announced that would instead happen on August 1.

Then on Monday, amid a worker’s strike at the LCBO, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy announced that the 450 grocery stores already licensed to sell beer and wine could also begin selling pre-mixed cocktails as well as larger packages of beer, such as cases of 24, on July 18.

However, it’s unlikely you’ll find many of those stores selling coolers and seltzers as early as today as there are “many moving parts and complexities in order to get this up and running,” according to the Retail Council of Canada.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents approximately 10,000 workers, walked off the job on July 5 citing the expanded sale of ready-to-drink cocktails outside the LCBO as a main sticking point in negotiations.

Talks resumed on Wednesday with the Finance Minister making it clear that ready-to-drink cocktails was not up for discussion.

Ford last week firmly ruled out a reversal on the ready-to-drink expansion, saying the ship had sailed “halfway across Lake Ontario.”

Ford has also tried to allay fears he is trying to dismantle or privatize the LCBO while government officials have noted that LCBO revenues have increased through previous rounds of alcohol sales expansions.

Wine Rack shelves are getting empty

Meanwhile, Wine Rack, which sells Ontario wine, spritzers and ciders, said they have seen a significant increase in traffic and demand over the past two weeks

To respond to this increased demand, the Wine Rack has enlisted more hands-on deck to support around the clock and replenish inventory as needed to ensure customer needs are met,” said Mark Wasserman, marketing manager at Wine Rack.