The provincial government wants to make a major move towards privatization of liquor stores, but it is holding off on the plans until after next April’s provincial election.
Liquor and gaming minister Don McMorris laid out the plans on Wednesday morning. They involve selling 40 government liquor stores to the private sector and allowing 12 more private liquor stores in underserved communities, which would leave the government with 35 stores.
About 200 employees will be affected by the government’s decision, but McMorris says they will be given first option to buy.
“Employees can bid and they will be given preferential treatment,” he says. “Those employees know that business in that community as well, if not better than, anyone else.”
The recommendations follow feedback from stakeholders, customers and the general public during consultation hearings that began a year ago. The NDP does not believe there is a big appetite for privatizing that many stores. Liquor and gaming critic Kathy Sproule says the move will cost the province jobs and revenue while providing no real benefit to the consumer
“Well what we see right now is that 99% per cent of the prices are likely not going to change, so that does not help me as a consumer,” she says. “We see hundreds of millions of dollars that are coming to provincial coffers that are going to disappear likely out of the province and I think what it tells me is we have a premier whose priority is no longer the people of Saskatchewan.
The government maintains the changes will be revenue-neutral, with the provincial government bringing in about the same amount of money.