ERIN – The town’s only Beer Store will soon be among 28 Ontario locations that have closed since last June.
Beer Store officials have cited rising costs for rent and repairs as reasons for the closures.
However, the union that represents Beer Store workers has attributed them to Premier Doug Ford’s decision to allow beer to be sold in convenience and grocery stores across the province.
John Nock, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Canada Local 12R24, confirmed the Erin Beer Store closure in an interview with the Advertiser.
“It’s part of the yearly implementation agreement that [the Beer Store is] allowed to close down 200 stores,” he explained.
“They can close 105 stores this year and unlimited stores next year.”
Eight Ontario locations were closed on Feb. 28 and on April 27, Beer Stores in Erin, London, Kitchener, Corunna and Hearst will close.
Employees not surprised
Employees of the Erin store will either be transferred to another location or given a severance.
For now, Nock said, “The impact on workers is minimal, but if they do close 100 stores this year then there will be a larger impact.
“According to our collector agreement people can transfer to neighbouring locations, but if that’s saturated eventually there will be no opportunities to move.”
Erin Beer Store associate Patrick Mathisem told the Advertiser the news didn’t come as a shock.
“We hoped we wouldn’t be one of the ones closing down, but we were and that’s just how it turned out,” he said.
He noted customer traffic took a hit during the lengthy construction along Main Street, where the Beer Store is located, for the town’s wastewater treatment plant project.
“Most people don’t know where the store is located,” he said.
“It’s more hoops than people passing through Erin are willing to go through.”
Mathisem also placed blame on Ford’s decision to sell alcoholic beverages in convenience and grocery stores.
“It’s all downstream of him (Ford),” he said.
According to Mathisem, Erin customers have had mixed reactions to the news.
Some have expressed anger at having to drive to Beer Stores in Acton or Orangeville, while others plainly stated, “it sucks.”
‘With convenience comes cost’
With fewer Beer Stores, prices will rise, Nock said, noting convenience stores can set their own prices.
Consumers will also have reduced access to the Ontario Deposit Return Program, a recycling program that encourages the return of empty alcohol containers for a refund.
“What happens to the recycling program and what happens to the blue boxes in communities when people have nowhere to take them back?” Nock asked.
“The Beer Store takes back over a billion empties … we’re a world-renowned source of recycling,” he said.
“It’s a shame the way it is, I guess convenience is what people wanted but with convenience comes cost.”
Beer Store officials have stated that as part of agreements signed last year, grocery stores selling beer will be required to accept empty returns starting Jan. 1, 2026, if the grocery store is more than 5km from the nearest Beer Store.
In the short term, consumers can take empties to the closest Beer Store or find alternative empty return locations on a provincial map.
More closures?
Asked if more closures are on the horizon, Nock stated, “Absolutely … they are allowed to go down another 90 and I’m sure they will.
“Business wise, I don’t know why they wouldn’t.”
As for other Beer Stores located in Wellington County, he said he doesn’t know what to expect.
“It’s terrible, everybody’s on edge wondering if they are next,” Nock said.
