TORONTO -- Ontario's convenience stores fought back against suggestions they would sell alcohol to minors Wednesday as they renewed their push for the right to stock wine and beer.
The move by the Ontario Convenience Stores Association comes on the heels of a controversial ad campaign released last week by The Beer Store, which shows teen boys easily buying alcohol from a corner store.
"Convenience stores have demonstrated their ability to responsibly sell age-restricted products with the highest standards in the province of Ontario," said association CEO David Bryans.
Cigarettes and lottery tickets -- which are off-limits to those under 19 and 18 years old, respectively -- have long been sold in corner stores, he said in a news conference in Toronto.
Bryans said he was "disappointed" by the ad, which argues selling alcohol in convenience stores is "just not right for our kids."
The 30-second commercial sparked an uproar online and in the media, with critics accusing The Beer Store of fear-mongering.
Some community groups have nonetheless rallied behind its message.
"The reality is, you're going to have too many opportunities for purchasing and too little control over the sale," said Anne Leonard, executive director of Arrive Alive Drive Sober.
The Beer Store, meanwhile, questioned corner stores' record when it comes to turning away teens who try to buy cigarettes.
It pointed to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's 2013 study on student drug use, which found 15.6 per cent of Ontario students between Grades 7 and 12 who smoke had bought cigarettes from convenience stores, gas stations or grocery stores.
The idea of selling wine and beer in corner stores has been around for decades, but Ontario has so far refused to allow it, though other provinces such as Quebec have.
Ontarians "are not happy with the antiquated alcohol retailing system we have here," Bryans said.
The province had vowed to expand the availability of beer and wine, and earlier this month, said it would move ahead with plans to set up liquor store outlets in select grocery stores by the end of the year.
