Test Your A.Q. (Alcohol Quotient)
Answers: Quiz #2 - Controls on Alcohol Distribution
LCBO facts, sources of alcohol problems, alcohol sales
1.
Ontario's beverage alcohol retail market was estimated to be worth $8.0 billion in 2005-06.
True. In 2005-06 Ontario's alcohol retail market was worth $8.0 billion. The LCBO held approximately 50.5% of the dollar value of the market.
Source:
LCBO Annual Report 2005-06, p.28.
2. The Liquor Licence Board of Ontario (LLBO) is a quasi-judicial government agency with broad powers to regulate alcohol sale, service, and consumption.
Trick Question. The LLBO ceased to exist in 1998 when it was amalgamated
with the Gaming Control Commission. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO), as the new agency is called, does have broad powers to regulate alcohol sale, service and consumption. Among other things it is responsible for administering the Liquor Licence Act (see APN's Liquor Licensing Action Pack for background information, publications, policies, and more). Source: AGCO.
3. There are over 2,000 liquor, beer and wine stores and brew-on-premise
outlets across the province.
True. As of March 31, 2001 there were: 601 LCBO outlets, 107 LCBO-affiliated
agency stores operating in communities too small to support a regular LCBO
store, 847 Beer Stores, Ontario Winery Stores, onsite distillery and brewery
outlets and privately held duty-free stores. In addition, there are
approximately 622 u-brew and u-vint facilities. In September 2001, the
Ontario Minister of Consumer and Business Services announced an expansion to
the LCBO network, with up to 150 affiliated outlets opening in rural and
tourist communities across Ontario in the coming year. Sources: LCBO Annual
Report 2000-1 [PDF], p. 56; Ministry of Consumer and Business Services News Release; and, AGCO's Licence Line [PDF].
4. In addition to retail alcohol outlets, there are some 16,000 licensed establishments and 60,000 licensed special events held annually in Ontario.
True. Last year, there were 16,827 licensed establishments an 63,681 special occasion permit events across Ontario.
Source: AGCO Annual Report [PDF], 2006-2007.
5. Heavy drinkers are responsible for most alcohol problems.
False. Although heavy drinkers may experience and be responsible for a large
number of problems, collectively they comprise a relatively small proportion
of the population.
Moderate drinkers who occasionally drink too much may experience fewer problems individually but because they make
up a larger proportion of the population, collectively account for a larger
share of our society's alcohol problems. This is known as the prevention
paradox and provides a rationale for many population-based policies
including those that restrict access to alcohol.
Reducing access to alcohol,
however, is not enough. Equally important are measures that reduce the harm
associated with drinking, particularly chronic or episodic heavy drinking.
Examples include: higher taxes on higher alcohol products, serving alcohol
in shatter-proof glass, server intervention training, designated driver
initiatives and controlled drinking programs for those for whom reducing
alcohol intake is an acceptable goal.
6. Educating people about responsible drinking is the most effective way to
reduce alcohol problems.
False. Educating people about the risks of alcohol consumption is likely to
have little impact in environments that don't support — and sometimes even
discourage — healthy choices. Education can be effective, however, when
used to support policies that limit alcohol advertising and availability and
try to reduce the harm associated with drinking. For research on the
efficacy of policy versus education, please browse through the ETOH database
or visit the Best Practices section of APN's website.
7. Most alcohol in Ontario is sold by the private sector.
True. Beer stores operated by the privately-held Brewers Retail Inc. sold
twice as much alcohol by volume as the publicly-owned LCBO in 2001. Source:
LCBO Annual Report, p. 42.
8. Last year, Ontario alcohol retailers transferred $2.5 billion in grants,
taxes, fees and profits to federal, provincial and municipal governments.
True. According to the LCBO Annual Report 2000-1, the Ontario government
received $1.8 billion, the federal government got $722 million and Ontario
municipalities received $2.5 billion. Source: LCBO Annual Report 2000-2001,
p. 41.
9. Ontario's liquor laws are enforced by 42 liquor inspectors.
Trick Question. Liquor inspectors do enforce the law, but they work
alongside Ontario Provincial Police officers as well as municipal police
forces. As of March 2002, there were 80 liquor inspection staff at the
Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, including 42 liquor
inspectors and 31 OPP officers. For more information on how the AGCO
fulfills its enforcement mandate, click here. Sources:
Presentation made by Detective Inspector Robert Shaw to the APN Coordinating Committee, March 15, 2002, and AGCO [PDF].
10. Two in three Ontarians oppose alcohol sales in corner stores.
True. Seventy-nine percent of Ontario adults surveyed by the Institute for
Social Research (ISR) at York University in 1999 opposed sales of alcohol in
corner stores. Source: CAMH.
Bonus Questions
11. When was the LCBO established?
The LCBO was established in 1927 to control the production, import, distribution and sale of beverage alcohol in Ontario. Source: LCBO.
12. What proportion of Ontario residents live within 10 minutes of a liquor
store?
According to the 1995 Ontario Alcohol and Other Drugs Opinion Survey,
79% of Ontarians live within 10 minutes of a beer or liquor store. Source: CAMH.