tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post8947057429486760005..comments2023-09-11T17:58:13.764-04:00Comments on The Rebbetzin's Husband: Canadian Beer RantThe Rebbetzin's Husbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-59964824327174668662011-07-25T00:35:54.556-04:002011-07-25T00:35:54.556-04:00How the times have changed.
I remember when buyi...How the times have changed. <br /><br />I remember when buying liquor at the LCBO involved filling out a paper form, handing it to the clerk who called the back stock room to bring it out in a brown wrapper. You felt like you were involved in some sort of illegal/immoral activity. And it was like that because the government only begrudgingly allowed you to buy the hooch (attitudes hadn't changed much since temperance days in Ontario).<br /><br />But then - about 30 years ago - the government realized that they were making piles and piles of money from taxes from selling booze (colloquially called a "sin tax"). But there was so much more to be made! So let's do some marketing! Let's make the stores appealing with the stock right there in front of you! Let's run glossy ads in the papers! (Note that LCBO paid $1.4 billion in dividends to the Ontario government last year and had a 49% profit margin). They try to justify the monopoly by claiming that it's more responsible in it's liquor sales, screening out minors, for example, than a for profit private store would be. There have been some cracks over the years, such as allowing private wine stores (eg. Simcha Wines, Grafsteins). These weren't allowed before.<br /><br />Exactly the same happened with Lotteries. When my father grew up in Toronto in the 1930s, lotteries were illegal. Buying and selling Irish sweepstakes tickets could get you into a whole lot of trouble with the law. And if you won, claiming the money would put today's money laundering schemes to shame. But the government needed to pay for the huge 1976 Olympic deficit. So they ran the first legal lottery, and hey, it made lots of money. So the government jumped into it with both feet and now we have lotteries galore.<br /><br />What I'm getting at is the initially the governments took moralistic approaches to liquor and lotteries - "booze and gambling is immoral". But once they saw they could make huge dollars from it - the sky's the limit.<br /><br />So I agree that there should be competition in liquor sales and that would drive prices down, but the government will easily not turn it's back on $1.4b. They flirted with selling the LCBO a few times, but realized that they'd make more more continuing to tax us.<br /><br />And that's my "liquor rant".Michael Mirskynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-30533968663335787622011-07-24T22:14:50.312-04:002011-07-24T22:14:50.312-04:00Garnel-
I have a hard time telling good beer from ...Garnel-<br />I have a hard time telling good beer from bad, for the most part. I had HeBrew several years ago, and it didn't seem any worse than Bud Lite.<br /><br />Shmuel-<br />I'm told The Beer Store has a better selection, which would avoid having to go through declaring alcohol at the border...The Rebbetzin's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-19728880448902049492011-07-24T20:46:23.824-04:002011-07-24T20:46:23.824-04:00when I visit my in-laws in Canada for sukkot, I ha...when I visit my in-laws in Canada for sukkot, I have sometimes gone to the LCBO to purchase some beer and been appalled at the (lack of) selection. So I started bringing my own beer from home to enjoy after dinner in the sukka. against the stereotype for me to have to bring beer from the US to Canada, but that's what happens.Shmuelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-44140060997551453652011-07-24T16:37:20.384-04:002011-07-24T16:37:20.384-04:00First of all, anything the government can make mon...First of all, anything the government can make money off of it will. That's why Premier Dad in Ontario has introduced sooooo many safety laws but hasn't removed cigarettes from the market.<br />Secondly, the LCBO's new beer jingle is catchy, you gotta admit.<br />Remember that each type of alcohol has its imgage and beer's image is "fun". As opposed to wine snobs sipping on a chianti or two lovers quaffing brandy slowly, beer is associated with bars, rock music, dancing and ourdoor parties. This campaign is simply trying to ride that image and get people interested in the various beers at the LCBO they may not be aware of.<br />Word of warning: Avoid the "kosher beer" called HeBrew (I kid you not). Nasty stuff.Garnel Ironhearthttp://garnelironheart.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com