Accept empties or stop selling alcohol, finance minister tells Ontario grocers

Ontario’s finance minister is hitting back at grocery stores that have complained they are not set up to collect empty alcohol containers, telling them to get on board or give up the right to sell booze.
As the deadline for grocery stores to accept and recycle empty bottles and cans draws nearer, concern has grown. The new policy, which was made public when the Ford administration liberalized alcohol sales last year, will soon require grocery stores to provide the same deposit return options as the Beer Store does now. Groups representing the grocery industry have complained that they will not be able to handle the switch, predicting some may relinquish their alcohol licences rather than accept empties.
Asked about the grumblings at an unrelated event on Friday, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said grocery stores “are doing extremely well” as a result of being able to sell alcohol.He said the terms — which involved a phased-in requirement to accept empties — were clearly laid out when grocery stores applied for alcohol licences in the first place.“ They all signed up when we launched the modernization. They signed up, benefitting from increased choice in their stores, and we fully expect them, through their signed agreement, that said they would, (to) put recycling in place,” Bethlenfalvy replied to a question.
“Compliance or return the license is your choice, my message to the grocers.” The concerns grocers have raised with collecting empty bottles and cans include the risk to food safety, finding space for the containers and the staffing challenges that come with having to clean and organize empties for pick up.
The requirement for grocery stores to collect empties stems from an early 2024 decision by the provincial government to end the Beer Store’s monopoly in Ontario and allow convenience, corner and big box stores to sell some alcoholic drinks.
The Beer Store was given $225 million at the time by Ontario to try to stop the loss of jobs and limit the number of stores it could close until January. 1, 2026.
That meant a network of returns and recycling spaces was guaranteed to stay open until next year, at which point the plan required grocery stores to, at least partially, take over that responsibility.