Walker responds to Vancouver Sun op-ed on liquor stores

Letter to Editor, Vancouver Sun, posted in response to beverage licensees' oped criticizing public liquor stores - Dec. 24, 2009

Dear editor,
Alliance of Beverage Licensees president Al McCreary provides no facts to support his claim that the BCGEU is wrong to insist that shopping at public liquor stores provides better value and keeps revenues in public coffers (‘Union's liquor store advertising campaign distorts the facts', Dec. 24).

The BCGEU's advice to shop public is supported by two independent studies from the Consumers Association of Canada which confirm that private BC liquor outlets charge up to 35 per cent more than public stores for a wide range of popular liquor products, and provide less selection. Recent price surveys in Victoria and Cranbrook back this claim - in at least one case, private outlet prices went up after the public stores closed for the day.

The B.C. Liberal government has deliberately reduced its public retail presence across the province and allowed massive growth in private outlets. Public liquor stores are not allowed to compete on a level playing field with private stores - Sunday openings and extended hours are rare and there are no product coolers in public stores.

What McCreary doesn't tell your readers is, that private liquor stores receive a 16 per cent discount from the B.C. government - lost revenue that should be used to reduce the deficit and support public services in these difficult economic times.

Sincerely,

Darryl Walker
President, B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union