Group wants SAQ to include public health in its business model

American whiskey is seen on the shelves of a SAQ liquor store in Montreal on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Christinne Muschi / The Canadian Press)

The SAQ is facing calls to rethink its plans to open “micro” stores inside corner stores and grocery stores as it scales down the number of standalone retail locations in Quebec.

The Association pour la santé publique du Québec (ASPQ) published an open letter in La Presse on Thursday, raising concerns about the impact of the Crown corporation’s new strategy.

Earlier this year, the SAQ also announced it was closing some branches across the province and launching a home delivery pilot project due to changing consumption habits among consumers.

“What we’re seeing, and what’s worrying, is that the SAQ is breaking the social pact. Let’s be clear: we’re in favor of a public monopoly for the sale of these products. But it must come with responsibilities,” reads the op-ed, signed by 19 signatories, including public health workers, union members, researchers, and Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, the MNA for Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne, whose borough is affected by some of the closures.

“That’s why we’re calling for a moratorium on branch closures and the roll-out of the new branch strategy, pending the adoption of a policy of territorial responsibility.”

• As in-person sales decline, SAQ prepares to close stores, change opening hours
• Quebec mayors want finance minister to cancel SAQ closures

Marianne Dessureault, a spokesperson for the ASPQ, said she’s worried about the potential to attract non-consumers, particularly younger people, with the SAQ’s new strategy. The mini-SAQs offer a more robust selection of alcohol products than what the typical depanneur offers, providing more choice among consumers.

“At the end of the day, if they are changing and if they are aiming to create needs that don’t exist or attract more people, that will lead to an increase in consumption and it will even increase the cost and harms of alcohol consumption,” she said in an interview with CTV News.

Her group also wants the Crown corporation to adopt a more pro-public health mission, instead of focusing solely on profit, due to the harmful effects associated with alcohol consumption.

With more convenience stores selling items like wine, beer, and spirits-based coolers, the ASPQ also has issues with employees properly checking customers’ IDs, especially when the clerk behind the counter is a teenager themselves.

“If they are delegating this verification of age, are all the verifications being done the right way?” she asked.

We have to evolve, SAQ says

SAQ spokesperson Linda Bouchard said Friday that the state-owned company has to evolve its business model and that it is sensitive to the concerns of all stakeholders.

“The SAQ is not seeking to reverse the downward trend in alcohol consumption. With one-third of the alcohol market sold outside the SAQ network, we are seeking to attract alcohol consumers who do not frequent the SAQ to do so, for the benefit of Quebec, in an environment where sales ethics and responsibility are priorities,” Bouchard wrote in an email.

Back in March, the SAQ noted that if its pilot project turns out to be a success, it will open 100 “micro” stores across Quebec in the coming year.

The company pointed out that “many Quebecers now have a different relationship to alcohol, and demographic changes in Quebec also mean our stores are no longer an automatic stop on their outings.”

“To maintain our long-term performance, we have to evolve how we do business, be more in sync with all our customers,” said Jacques Farcy, president and chief executive officer of the SAQ. “It is crucial if we are to continue contributing to Quebec.”

In June, the Crown corporation started home deliveries in Montreal as part of the pilot.

With files from CTV News Montreal’s Max Harrold