New SAQ zones are now on display at supermarkets like Maxi across Quebec, making spirits like vodka more accessible than before. It is one of a few pilot projects that the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) launched over the past year to try to boost waning sales, which the Crown corporation attributed to changes in consumer purchasing habits. But public health officials are raising concerns about the availability of alcoholic products — the zones will carry 30 to 40 hard liquors — and how that could increase consumers’ alcohol intake. “And what the scientific data show us is that the more we increase availability and variety, the more likely it is that the amount of alcohol consumed will increase, as well as the issues related to alcohol consumption,” said Laurence Ruel, a project manager at the Quebec Public Health Association. “The data shows there needs to be a balance between availability and the omnipresence of those products. And right now, what worries us is that we don’t have that balance with the arrival of the SAQ zones.” And it’s not just grocery stores: a Costco in Montreal’s Southwest borough also features a new SAQ zone. “We go to buy our fruits and vegetables for the week, and now we also have access to hard alcohol. There’s a greater risk of buying some, even if it wasn’t planned, what we call more impulsive purchases,” Ruel noted. “That ends up normalizing alcohol consumption. We start seeing it as an everyday, ordinary product, when it’s not. Alcohol is linked to more than 200 diseases and injuries. The associations are strong, and collectively, it costs us a lot, more than $3.2 billion a year.” In January, Quebec’s alcohol corporation sent out a call for tender to open 92 SAQ zones in urban retail outlets that already offered alcoholic beverages. The SAQ said it hoped the zones would be in place by summer 2026. In a statement, the SAQ said the Costco in the Southwest was the only business in that market gap capable of ensuring the required foot traffic, commercial viability and full compliance with the corporation’s framework. “The zone opened this week. This location is particular and unique: this Costco is not in a “destination place” surrounded by other retailers (as is the case for all other Costcos in Quebec),” the SAQ said. “It is therefore a destination in itself, where all the foot traffic is generated by the store alone. This is the only location where Costco will be identified as a partner, given the specific nature of the area.” The SAQ store and office employees’ union, affiliated with the CSN, said it has always been against this pilot project and called it a move toward privatizing the SAQ. Union president Martin Lachance added that the union is also concerned about the impact on the public’s health. “By allowing 40 per cent alcohol in convenience stores and in grocery stores until 11 p.m., we see that as a very big danger. Alcohol is a dangerous product. It’s a product that can create dependence. So at that point, we need to be careful. We can’t allow just anyone to be able to sell it,” Lachance said. With files from CTV News’ Olivia O’Malley and Max Harrold
