With an Edmonton 7-11 getting a liquor license to sell alcohol, The Alberta Liquor Store Association says more gas stations and convenience stores around Alberta, including Airdrie, might start to sell alcohol.  

Ivonne Martinez, President of the Alberta Liquor Store Association, is very worried about what will happen to liquor stores and restaurants if gas stations and convenience stores are able to sell alcohol. 

“The members of the Alberta Liquor Store Association are very concerned about this new move. When the pandemic started, restaurants were allowed to sell liquor without food to allow for restaurants that survived the pandemic to dictate their stock and hopefully help them get through the shutdown. I'm not quite sure that rule was meant for a gas station that can just put a few chairs up, a cooler, and call themselves a restaurant.” 

An Edmonton 7-11 has recently been approved for a liquor license. With this license, they are allowed to put up chairs so the alcohol can be consumed in the 7-11. The cooler that contains the alcohol must be locked and the only way to open it is by asking an employee. From there, the employee is supposed to make sure the customer is of age before selling the alcohol. 

Martinez went on to say that Alberta has the worst record for selling tobacco products to minors in gas stations and convenience stores and she worries about what will happen when they start selling alcohol. 

“It's a concern that minors might get access to the alcohol. I know the coolers are locked, but nowadays, that doesn't really stop a lot of kids."

“While independent liquor stores have to spend anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000 just to set up their store, all 7-11 has to do is create space in a cooler and place a couple of chairs and they can call it good,” says Martinez. 

Smaller mom-and-pop stores don’t make as much money as the larger stores do, so this would end up affecting their sales.  

“Their margins are extremely tight, and believe it or not, even taking away say 1% of their sales will make a difference for them.” 

It is up to each independent gas station or convenience store to apply for a license. Martinez hopes the government will rethink this rule that has allowed convenience stores to use it as a loophole to be able to sell liquor. 

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