Manitoba government reintroduces bill to ease liquor rules, aims to change pot tax
The Manitoba government is making another attempt at loosening restrictions on liquor sales and is changing the way it taxes cannabis.
The Progressive Conservative government introduced a bill in the legislature Monday that would allow private wine stores and beer vendors to offer a full range of alcohol. The move would put them on equal footing with government-run stores, which offer one-stop shopping for wine, beer and hard liquor.
"We know it's going to give retailers more choice but it also gives Manitoba customers more choice," said Andrew Smith, the minister responsible for the province's Crown liquor corporation.
The bill is similar to one introduced in the spring that died when it failed to pass before the last session ended. Like its predecessor, the new bill would also allow the Crown corporation to make enhanced security a condition of any expanded sales licence.
But unlike the one in the spring, the new bill does not pave the way for a pilot project where alcohol would be sold in some grocery and convenience stores. Smith said the idea requires more consultation.
The Manitoba Hotel Association, which represents private beer vendors, welcomed the right to sell a broader range of alcohol but raised concerns about the cost of enhanced security.
"A big question we have is 'what margins are we going to be working under?"' association president Scott Jocelyn said.
"If the margins are what we're making now and there's security requirements put on top of that, then more and more of my operators will look at it and (ask) 'is this something I want to jump into or not?"'
The Opposition New Democrats said having more sales at private outlets could lead to fewer sales and jobs at government-run stores.
"Those are good family-supporting jobs. I think Manitobans feel well served in our current system," NDP legislature member Adrien Sala said.
The government also introduced a bill Monday to eliminate the social responsibility fee on cannabis. The fee, which charged retailers six per cent of their annual revenue, will be eliminated by Jan. 1 if the bill passes.
In its place, the government is aiming to tack on a percentage to the federal excise tax on cannabis, a move Finance Minister Cameron Friesen said would be revenue neutral.
All other provinces currently piggyback on the federal excise tax and Manitoba has come to realize it's the better way, Friesen said.
The change would also likely save the provincial government from a legal dispute.
Long Plain First Nation has been fighting the social responsibility fee in court. It has said the fee amounts to a provincial tax that is not allowed on reserve land.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2022
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Radioactive capsule that fell off truck found in Australia
Authorities in Western Australia on Wednesday recovered a tiny but dangerous radioactive capsule that fell off a truck while being transported along a 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) Outback highway last month in what an official said was like finding the needle in the haystack.

Systemic inequities are putting women's health and lives at risk: Heart and Stroke report
A new report from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is highlighting 'significant inequities' in women's health care that is disproportionately affecting racialized and Indigenous women, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community and those living with low socioeconomic status.
'Legitimately flabbergasting': MP raises concerns over government's quarantine hotel spending
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner is raising concerns over the federal government's spending on so-called COVID-19 quarantine hotels, calling the total spent on a Calgary-area hotel in 2022 'legitimately flabbergasting.'
Oregon kidnapping suspect dies of self-inflicted gunshot
A suspect in a violent kidnapping in Oregon died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday night after being taken into custody following a standoff with law enforcement, a police spokesman said.
Andrew Tate to appeal second 30-day detention
Andrew Tate, the divisive influencer and former professional kickboxer who is detained in Romania on suspicion of organized crime and human trafficking appeared at a court in Bucharest on Wednesday to appeal against a second 30-day extension of his detention.
Discovery in Canadian lab could help laptop, phone and car batteries last longer
A chance discovery in a Canadian laboratory could help extend the life of laptop, phone and electric car batteries.
Jeopardy! dedicates entire category to Ontario but one question stumps every contestant
Jeopardy! turned the spotlight on Ontario on Monday night with a category entirely dedicated to the province. One question stumped every contestant.
5 things to know for Wednesday, February 1, 2023
The backlog of airline complaints to the Canadian Transportation Agency since December's travel chaos balloons by thousands, a Conservative MP raises concerns over the government's quarantine hotel spending, and a Toronto man raises money for charity after spending 24 hours in a diner due to a lost bet. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
Woman detained in Syria says Ottawa is forcing her to make agonizing choice in order to get her kids to Canada
A woman held in a detention camp in Syria, along with her three Canadian children, says the federal government is forcing her to make an agonizing choice: relinquish custody of her kids so they can be repatriated to Canada, or keep them in the camp where the conditions are dire. Her children are eligible for repatriation but she is not a Canadian citizen.