The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) opened its application process for new and existing convenience and grocery stores in Ontario to apply for alcohol retail licences on June 17, 2024. As of June 21, the AGCO has issued a total of 1,875 Convenience Store and 21 Grocery Store Alcohol Retail Licences to retailers across the province.
The AGCO designed its process to ensure those that have already been approved by the agency’s due diligence process do not need to be reviewed again. As published on our licence application webpage, most applicants who already hold an active AGCO licence or registration can see their retail licence issued within a matter of days. This reflects the AGCO’s commitment to reducing regulatory burden wherever possible, providing excellent service, and saving licensees time, effort, and money.
Most of the licences issued to date have been to businesses that already hold a lottery retailer, liquor sales, or grocery store licence from the AGCO. As such, they had already been vetted for eligibility and compliance (i.e. their ability to act with honesty, integrity and in accordance with the law). New applicants that do not hold an existing licence must undergo the AGCO’s eligibility review before being approved. This in-depth process includes background checks and enterprise and personal disclosures for all key people related to the business and can typically take 3-6 weeks.
As announced by the Government of Ontario, newly licensed convenience stores cannot start selling alcohol before September 5, 2024, and new grocery stores, including big box stores, cannot start selling alcohol before October 31, 2024.
The AGCO monitors licensees and conducts significant compliance activities throughout the life of their licence.
Information about all active licences the AGCO has issued can be searched for on the AGCO’s website.