Union that represents liquor store employees concerned about PC promise

The union that represents staff at provincial liquor stores is speaking out against the P.E.I. Progressive Conservative election campaign promise to expand beer and wine sales to convenience stores.

The PCs made the promise last week, and the Atlantic Convenience Stores Association is urging all parties to make the same commitment.

But the P.E.I. Union of Public Sector Employees worries expanding to convenience stores could negatively affect P.E.I. Liquor Control Commission staff.

"Our members in rural P.E.I., these jobs are well-paid jobs with benefits and any kind of loss of profits could mean loss of jobs in rural P.E.I., and that's one of our stances on that," said P.E.I. U.P.S.E. president Karen Jackson. 

Public health concerns

Jackson said she is concerned not only about jobs, but also about possible increased access to alcohol and consequences of that including impaired driving.

"In the public system the L.C.C. has done a really good job in training our members in responsibly serving our customers — doing proper IDing, and ... refusing people that are intoxicated," Jackson said.  

Research recently published in Ontario, which began allowing beer, wine and cider in select grocery stores, indicates areas that had more access to alcohol also had more alcohol-related emergency room visits. 

CEO of MADD Canada Andrew Murie said he also worries about increased access leading to more drunk driving.

And he doesn't like hearing about alcohol sales as part of election campaign promises.

"These type of promises, election promises, pertain to certain people, and certain voting people, like young males [who] want cheaper liquor," said Murie.

"And at the end of the day that's not a good thing.  Because you know potentially they consume more, and potentially they cause more harms to themselves and others."

PCs push 'convenience factor'

PC Leader Dennis King said preventing impaired driving and other risky behaviour is a concern regardless of where people purchase alcohol.

"I think what it comes down to for me is that these locations are very, very closely monitored and regulated. We have to continue with our educational aspects to make sure that people are making the proper decisions," King said.

He also said jobs at provincially-run stores would not be affected.

"I think actually what we've seen in other jurisdictions is that it actually increases the need for those outlets to be viable. Most of these outlets in P.E.I. through the convenience stores are offering very limited amounts of products in a very limited space. So it's more of a convenience factor."

'We do really well with accessibility'

King said the plan is about fairness for store owners, as well as convenience for customers. 

Jackson thinks P.E.I.'s 17 public stores and eight agency stores already provide good convenience for people throughout the Island.

"When you're looking at other provinces that have introduced privatization of liquor, they're much larger geographically, and I think for us on the Island here, we do really well with accessibility to alcohol," Jackson said. 

Other parties respond

P.E.I. NDP Leader Joe Byrne has said he would be interested in discussing the expansion of beer and wine sales to convenience stores, but that he would want to include U.P.S.E. in those discussions.

The Green Party of P.E.I. said it has no plans to makes changes to where wine and beer can be sold. 

The P.E.I. Liberal Party said the idea of expanding sales to convenience stores is a consideration as part of a review to modernize the province's liquor legislation. 

If the new government does want to make changes to where alcohol is sold, Jackson said she hopes U.P.S.E. can be part of the discussion.

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