Steve Beauchesne is delighted at the prospect of getting his brewery’s flagship Lugtread Lagered Ale onto the shelves of 8,000 more stores.But that delight isn’t completely unreserved.As Ontario looks to open up beer and wine sales to corner stores, the president of Beau’s All-Natural Brewing — and others in the wine and beer industry — say the devil is very much in the details. Some of those details could be coming in this week’s provincial budget.Expensive shelving fees, tiny fridge space and the costs of a more complex distribution system are just some of the concerns for brewery and winery owners.“Opening up more access is really exciting. Without any sense of the details, it’s hard to be completely confident,” said Beauchesne, who’s also the vice-chairman of the Ontario Craft Brewers, a trade association representing most of the province’s independent breweries.“We’re excited and scared at the same time,” said Paul Speck, president of Henry of Pelham winery.Last month, Ontario finance minister Vic Fedeli announced the provincial government would be expanding alcohol sales dramatically. Currently about 3,000 stores sell alcohol in Ontario, including more than 660 LCBO outlets and 450 Beer Store locations. There are more than 8,000 convenience stores across the province.“Our government is actively working to expand the sale of beer and wine to corner stores, box stores and even more grocery stores,” Fedeli told an audience of business leaders March 28. Former Alberta cabinet minister Ken Hughes has been appointed to advise Premier Doug Ford on bringing alcohol into corner stores. Ripping up the province’s existing 10-year agreement with The Beer Store — reached in 2015 when the Kathleen Wynne administration expanded beer and wine sales to grocery stores — could cost the government up to $100 million in penalties.One of the biggest concerns Beauche ...
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