up to 450 supermarkets in "urban population centres" (roughly equating the number of Beer Store locations) to be authorized to sell beer subject to conditions, require The Beer Store to improve the placement and marketing of Ontario craft brews, and allow LCBO locations to trial carrying 12-packs. Wynne stated that The Beer Store had become a "de-facto monopoly controlled by a small number of companies". The new regulations took effect on December 15, 2015 with 58 designated supermarkets, and additional locations to be added in the future; all products must be below 7.1% alcohol by volume, and at least 20% of a store's stock must be Ontario craft brews. Loblaw Companies elected to go beyond the minimum quota and committed to stock 50% Ontario craft brews at its participating stores, in an effort to provide a wider array of options. Current premier Doug Ford is a supporter of private liquor sales. On May 27, 2019, Minister of Finance Vic Fedeli tabled legislation proposing the unwinding of the Master Framework Agreement. Fedeli described the MFA as a "sweetheart deal by the previous government" for "three global giants" who were "more interested in protecting profits than providing convenience or choice for average people." In popular culture In the film Strange Brew the McKenzie Brothers visit a Brewers Retail store demanding a refund after they attempt to return a bottle of beer that contained a mouse (the mouse was however placed in the bottle by the brothers). Due to the nature of the scene, Brewers Retail refused to allow the use of one of their actual stores for the filming, and also refused to allow the use of the name "Brewers Retail". In response, the filmmakers built their own replica store, and called it "The Beer Store". Coincidentally, several years later, Brewers Retail changed the name of its stores to "The Beer Store", and they continue to operate under this name. The Beer Store was also showcased in episodes of Late Night with Conan O'Brien during O'Brien's week-long tenure in Toronto during the week of February 10, 2004. Related companies Brewers' Distributor Ltd. (BDL) operates in Western Canada and is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev and Molson-Coors (Sleeman has its own distribution operation in the West). Unlike BRI, BDL only warehouses and distributes beer and is not in the retail business. Footnotes References External links Alcohol in Ontario Retail companies established in 1927 Alcohol