Chair's Message
This year saw further expansion of consumer choice for Ontarians through the growth of the legal online gaming market and the announcement that beer, wine and ready-to-drink beverages would be sold in convenience and grocery stores across the province. Our mandate is to ensure that consumers have safe access to our regulated sectors – alcohol, cannabis, and gaming – with the freedom to make choices for themselves. And the team of talented, creative and hard-working employees at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is delivering this for Ontarians.
The Government of Ontario set the following priorities for the Agency this year:
Safe and responsible sale of alcohol in convenience and grocery stores across Ontario. At the time of writing, we will have issued over 3,500 licences to grocery store and convenience store owners, representing an 11% increase1 in the options to purchase alcohol for Ontarians. We require robust training to ensure alcohol is not sold to minors or people who are intoxicated. The AGCO will be taking strong measures with respect to social responsibility infractions and may inspect a location at any time. Licence holders will be required to let AGCO inspectors access the business and conduct their inspections.
Keeping our communities safe and protecting youth by combatting illegal cannabis sales. We have worked with the Ontario Cannabis Store and the government to support legal cannabis retailers in our robust and open market retail system, while cracking down on illegal cannabis stores. We will continue to work with the police and government to keep communities safe.
This Annual Report provides details on how the AGCO has delivered on these priorities and others over the past fiscal year. As an agency that’s firmly committed to accountability and transparency, the Board has continued its oversight of the AGCO’s response to recommendations made by the Auditor General of Ontario in the 2020 audit of the organization.
This past year saw the retirement of AGCO’s former CEO and Registrar Tom Mungham. Throughout his 17-year career at the AGCO, including three as its chief executive, Tom provided exceptional leadership to the agency as its mandate expanded and the sectors it regulates continuously evolved. Following Tom’s retirement, we were pleased to welcome Dr. Karin Schnarr as CEO and Registrar in September 2023. Karin brings a wealth of experience from the academic, public, and private sectors, and has already made a strong and immediate impact on the agency as it continues to forge ahead with its important mandate.
I conclude by acknowledging and thanking my predecessor, Lalit Aggarwal, for his four years of outstanding service to the AGCO as outgoing Chair. Lalit was a steady hand for the Board and AGCO through the difficult days of the pandemic and provided important leadership in several key initiatives including the launch of Ontario’s iGaming market. In additional changes to our Board of Directors, I also congratulate AGCO’s former Vice-Chair and current Board Member, Heidi Reinhart, on her appointment as Chair of iGaming Ontario in July 2023 and Board Member Paul Stoyan on his appointment as Vice-Chair in August 2023.
On behalf of the Board, I’d like to extend our sincere thanks to the staff of the AGCO. This agency’s workforce is a dedicated and hard-working group of public servants who are committed to supporting the sectors we regulate while protecting the interests of the people of Ontario.
Dave Forestell, Chair
