Doctors Nova Scotia joins voices opposed to expanding booze sales in N.S.

Carolyn Ray · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 2:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 3

The Nova Scotia authorities has wrapped up consultations that volition assistance find if it volition let intoxicant to beryllium sold successful much places, including market and country stores.

It's a determination that Doctors Nova Scotia fears volition origin importantly much harm than good.

In June, 14 physicians who specialize successful addiction medicine wrote an unfastened missive to Finance Minister John Lohr, whose section is overseeing the process, saying intoxicant already causes much than 500 deaths a twelvemonth successful Nova Scotia. Now, those doctors person the backing of the provincial enactment that advocates for physicians.

Dr. Shelly McNeil, president of Doctors Nova Scotia, sent an email to members this week saying they are unequivocally opposed to expanding the availability of alcohol.

"We are imploring determination makers to deliberation astir it not conscionable successful the contiguous summation successful revenues, but besides successful the semipermanent costs successful the system," she told CBC News.

"There's tons of grounds of the harms that travel from this benignant of argumentation shift."

Representatives from breweries and wineries accidental they participated successful the consultations.

There were submissions from organizations who enactment the move, including the Retail Council of Canada, which argues that the income volition assistance stores that are losing concern to online shopping.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is besides for the change. It initially recommended allowing the merchantability of beverages that bash not transcend 7.1 per cent intoxicant by volume in convenience and market stores and opening those rules to each tiny businesses, not conscionable ample retailers. But it has since changed its stance to marque certain any limits would not exclude section wines.

Ontario expanded intoxicant sales to smaller stores past twelvemonth portion setting limits on the measurement of alcohol.

But McNeil said Ontario's health-care strategy is already seeing the downside to greater access, referring to a 17 per cent summation successful infirmary visits connected to alcohol.

A akin summation successful Nova Scotia would mean 7,600 other visits to the exigency section a year, she said.

"In an already overburdened system, we can't spend to person our exigency volumes spell up that overmuch and we can't spend the harms that travel to radical that pb them to the exigency department."

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

McNeil said 1 of her concerns lies with expansion to locations with little regulation, wherever teens would beryllium much apt to beryllium capable to find a mode to bargain booze.

She said probe shows intoxicant tin pb to accrued rates of 9 cancers, cardiovascular illness and chronic illnesses.

She is also disquieted astir societal issues, pointing to intimate spouse violence, which politicians successful the provincial legislature declared successful September 2024 to be an epidemic successful Nova Scotia, and drinking and driving.

She said Doctors Nova Scotia has been blessed with the Progressive Conservative government's enactment connected wellness attraction to day but fears a determination successful favour of expanding intoxicant income could undermine that work.

"We truly interest that this volition instrumentality a wound retired of the advancement that has been made."

McNeil said Doctors Nova Scotia made its submission successful penning arsenic portion of the consultations, but she's urging policymakers to scope retired and talk to physicians directly. 

The Finance Department said successful a connection that it is reviewing input from the consultations and it volition find the adjacent steps. It won't accidental erstwhile Nova Scotians mightiness perceive an update.