TORONTO – The Ontario government has decided not to allow convenience stores to stock beer and wine, despite a grassroots campaign by the Ontario Convenience Stores Association, the Canadian Press reports. The Liberals will allow Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) outlets in some supermarkets, but rejected the idea to let corner stores sell beer and wine.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa said that the government will not part from current plans, pointing out that the LCBO and Beer Stores have a good track record in keeping alcohol sales out of the hands of minors. “You look at LCBO stores you have great choice of products, you’ve got affordability and it’s really a service that’s responsible in regards to how you sell alcohol,” said NDP house leader Gilles Bisson. “We have to take our responsibility when it comes to alcohol to make sure that only those people of age are able to buy it.”

The OCSA also pushed for Beer Stores to stop selling products unrelated to alcohol. “The fact that The Beer Store was granted a monopoly in this province to sell beer products, rightly or wrongly, should be reason enough to limit them from competing with businesses that currently do not have the same government granted ability,” the association told the Ontario Alcohol and Gaming Commission. “In not prescribing a set list that is considered fair by our sector, The Beer Store will always have the potential to become ‘convenience stores that sell beer’ and put legitimate family run stores out of business.”