Beer in corner stores? N.S. considers expanding where alcohol is sold, say sources

Michael Gorman · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The Nova Scotia authorities appears poised to denote changes to wherever intoxicant tin beryllium sold successful the province.

Multiple sources archer CBC News that determination person been ongoing conversations astir expanding income to convenience stores.

Andrew Tanner, co-founder of Saltbox Brewing Company successful Mahone Bay and president of the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia, said members person heard from "some precise credible resources" that an announcement could travel arsenic soon arsenic the extremity of the period and changes could acceptable for sometime successful the fall.

Tanner said the relation has not been consulted, but he's hoping that changes soon.

"We're conscionable awaiting with bated enactment the telephone from the premier to say, 'Hey, we'd similar to invitation you to a gathering to speech astir this idea,'" he said successful an interview.

Gov't 'always unfastened to proposals'

Karl Coutinho, seat of the committee for Wine Growers Nova Scotia, said successful an email that members of his enactment person not been a portion of immoderate discussions nor person they heard anything, but they invited the thought and would expect to beryllium consulted if merchantability channels are to beryllium expanded.

In a little interview, Mike Hammoud, Atlantic vice-president of the Convenience Industry Council of Canada, said he's heard rumours but has not been progressive successful immoderate ceremonial meetings. He declined further comment.

"There's conscionable excessively galore uncertainties that are happening close now," helium said.

A spokesperson for the province's Finance Department said galore radical person expressed an involvement successful seeing beverage intoxicant sold successful much locations, peculiarly successful agrarian areas, and successful supporting Nova Scotia products.

"We are ever unfastened to proposals and we're ever listening to Nova Scotians," Rachel Boomer said successful the statement.

"We don't presently person immoderate changes planned, but we'll fto Nova Scotians cognize if and erstwhile we do."

A spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation referred questions to the provincial government.

Ontario announced changes past year

In Nova Scotia, intoxicant is chiefly sold astatine NSLC stores, bureau stores successful agrarian communities, astatine 4 backstage stores successful the Halifax country and astatine sites owned by breweries, distilleries and wineries.

The income exemplary is antithetic successful immoderate different provinces, specified arsenic Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, wherever certain products are disposable successful convenience stores. Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced plans past twelvemonth to velocity up the merchantability of beer, vino and ready-made cocktails in corner stores and further supermarkets.

Tanner said if income are to beryllium expected in convenience stores successful Nova Scotia, his relation would expect to beryllium consulted.

He said trade brewers would similar to spot centralized organisation truthful companies of each sizes person an casual mechanics to get connected store shelves. He'd besides similar to spot a request that support abstraction indispensable beryllium filled with astatine slightest 50 per cent section trade products.

Being capable to grow income options would make greater marketplace scope passim the state and summation the promotion of locally produced products, said Tanner.

Public 'keen' to enactment section products

Colin Macdonald is simply a manager of Micco Companies. One of the group's companies is Harvest Beer Wine Spirits, which sells and distributes nonstop to customers. Micco also has a absorption declaration for the 4 backstage liquor stores successful the Halifax area.

Macdonald said determination were talks astir expanded income entree successful the state a fewer years ago, though he's not acquainted with thing much recent. The authorities has not approached Harvest arsenic a imaginable organisation enactment for expanded access, but Macdonald said they'd beryllium unfastened to it if the accidental presented itself.

"At this point, no, we haven't had immoderate conversations with the authorities oregon NSLC," helium said successful an interview.

The backstage stores Micco manages person a ample enactment of section products and Macdonald said that's proved fashionable with customers.

"We've got immoderate astonishing producers of beer, vino and spirits successful Nova Scotia," helium said.

"Especially present with each the things that are going connected successful the world, a batch of radical are keen to effort and enactment the section producers."