Opening up alcohol sales not having the expected result

When Doug Ford opened up Ontario corner stores and gas stations to alcohol sales back in 2024, there was talk of a potential dangerous spike in alcohol consumption, as it became much more convenient and more poorly regulated. I confess I was part of that talk.

What actually happened, though, was that a whole load of Beer Store outlets closed down as a result of the increased competition, and fewer convenience stores than expected took up the offer of booze trading. The upshot, in retrospect? Alcohol sales are actually down significantly, by about 3% in volume and 3.4% in dollar terms. A graphical representation makes this very clear.

This perhaps surprising outcome - almost certinly not what Mr. Ford was looking for - is ppartly a result of fewer and less convenient Beer Store outlets, but also partly a demographic result of a greater preponderance of Gen Z youngsters in the population, a cohort that is notoriously (if that is the right word) shunning alcohol consumption.