Ontario Premier Doug Ford is planning to allow beer, wine and canned cocktails to be sold by big-box stores by 2026, according to multiple media reports.
On Tuesday, the Toronto Star reported that Ford has agreed to a new provisional deal that will protect Beer Store outlets from closing its 440 locations and prevent some 6,000 unionized jobs from being lost.
The deal reportedly states the Beer Store will retain control of the distribution and recycling process until 2031 and its stand-alone stores will continue to operate until 2033.
As a result, the deal will provide supermarkets, corner stores and gas stations the opportunity to apply for licences to sell beer, wine and canned cocktails, according to The Star.
However, this won’t come into effect until Jan. 1, 2026 due to an existing contract called the Master Framework Agreement (MFA) between the provincial government and the multinational brewing companies that own The Beer Store.
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The agreement is expected to expire at the end of 2025, but sources speculate the government plans to part with the agreement sometime this week.
Progressive Conservatives attribute Ford’s 2018 campaign promise to allow “beer in corner stores” as the reasoning behind this move. The party promised its supporters this initiative by the time of the June 2026 election.
The MFA was signed by former Liberal premier Kathleen Wynne eight years ago. The agreement expanded six-pack beer and wine sales to 450 grocery stores. Back in 2019, Ford tabled a bill to scrap the MFA and though it was passed, no action has been taken from the government.
In response to this, the United States Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to Ford warning him of the dire consequences of cancelling the contract.
“Our strong concern is that terminating an existing contract, and doing so without compensation, something we understand is proposed in the case of the ‘Bringing Choice and Fairness to the People Act’, risks sending a negative signal to U.S. and other international investors about the business and investment climate in Ontario,” the chamber’s Senior Vice-President for the Americas Neil Herrington wrote.
Ford and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy are set to announce an update on this plan on Thursday in Toronto.
Sources say talks with the brewing companies will continue into the new year in hopes of speeding up the timeline for retailers to sell beer, wine and canned cocktails.
Following word of the expansion, many users took to Twitter to share their mixed reactions to the plan.
