It took only a day for the provincial government to quash a planned pilot project that would have required customers to show identification to enter certain LCBO stores.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) announced the year-long pilot project late in the day on Monday. It would have been rolled out in the spring at six stores in the northern part of the province - four in Thunder Bay, one in Kenora, and one in Sioux Lookout.
Billed as a way to combat theft, customers who appeared to be 17 years or older would have had to present photo ID to security personnel at the entrance of the stores. The ID would have then been scanned to make sure it was valid, the customer was of legal drinking age, and had not been involved in any prior in-store incidents. If all of those requirements had been met, the customer would have then been permitted inside the stores.
But as word of the so-called "controlled entrances" spread, outrage from the public began flooding in. This quickly led the provincial government to cancel the pilot project.
"Over the past 24 hours, I have heard serious concerns about the LCBO’s newly announced pilot program. I’ve directed the LCBO to cancel it immediately,” Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon.
The LCBO has said theft has become a serious issue that poses a safety risk to both employees and customers at its stores. It cited figures from the Retail Council of Canada that show theft involving some form of violence at retail outlets has increased by 300 per cent over the last four years. The six pilot locations were reportedly selected because their "contained geography from other LCBO stores" would make it easier to measure the effectiveness of controlled entrances on theft.
In a statement of its own, also issued Wednesday, the LCBO said it would follow the direction of the Ontario government and look for other ways to stop shoplifters.
"We remain committed to working collaboratively on additional measures to reduce shop theft and violent incidents in our stores and to ensure safe experiences for our customers and employees” the LCBO said.
The Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries has had a similar entrance system at its Liquor Mart locations since 2020. It states on its website that the ID policy has resulted in a "major reduction" in thefts and robberies.