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<\/p>\nOntario\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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Concern from grocery stores has been growing for months as the requirement to accept and recycle empty cans and bottles approaches.<\/p>\n
The change, which was announced when the Ford government<\/a> liberalized alcohol sales last year, will mean grocery stores must soon offer the same deposit return options the Beer Store currently handles.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Asked about the grumblings at an unrelated event on Friday, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said grocery stores \u201care doing extremely well\u201d as a result of being able to sell alcohol.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n He said the terms \u2014 which involved a phased-in requirement to accept empties \u2014 were clearly laid out when grocery stores applied for alcohol licences in the first place.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tGet daily National news<\/p>\n Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we launched the modernization, they all signed up. 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,\u201d Bethlenfalvy replied to a question.<\/p>\n \u201cMy message to the grocers is: comply or give the licence back, your choice.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore on Politics 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.<\/p>\n The requirement for grocery stores to collect empties stems from an early 2024 decision by the provincial government to end the Beer Store\u2019s monopoly in Ontario and allow convenience, corner and big box stores to sell some alcoholic drinks.<\/p>\n At the time, Ontario set aside $225 million for the Beer Store to try and stem the flow of job losses<\/a>, limiting the number of stores it could close until Jan. 1, 2026.<\/p>\n \n\t\tTrending Now\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tRenowned ICU doctor Darren Markland dies in Alberta mountain biking accident\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tTrump sets 100% tariffs on pharmaceuticals, 25% on heavy trucks for Oct. 1\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Get](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758298209_554_national.jpg\")
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