[amscanne]

You’re missing the point.

Alberta has many kinds of liquor stores that optimize for different things, such as price, convenience or selection, all based on market demand. Last time I checked, they had far more SKUs overall (distribution is still centralized by the government for taxation and regulation).

Your experience at the LCBO might be great, but this is coming from less efficient operation. Would the private market support a “Vintages” section in every store and unionized cashiers at $30/hr? Probably not. Why should Ontario taxpayers be effectively subsidizing the alcohol retail experience in Ontario? It’s a ridiculous proposition.

The LCBO brings in a lot of revenue, but with a monopoly on most alcohol sales this is inevitable. Every privatization study (including the Liberals’ own study which they ignored) says that privatization would have no impact on revenues, which improving almost everything for the consumer (more convenience, more selection albeit via specialized stores, etc.)