LCBO
I had written the letters ‘LCBO’ maybe
twenty times on this site when I realized – if you’re a visitor form outside
Ontario, you’re not going to know what this is. The LCBO is the largest
purchaser of alcohol in North America.
LCBO stands for Liquor Control Board of Ontario
and is the government-owned liquor store monopoly across the province of Ontario. You can't buy liquor or beer in any corner store or variety shop in Ontario. You can only buy liquor and wine at the LCBO, a government owned liquor
store. There are LCBO stores in almost every city and town in Ontario. And those towns that are too small for LCBO get agency stores, where an
independent grocery or variety store can have an LCBO corner with some alcohol
products available for sale. There is some sort of LCBO store or agency
in every town in northern Ontario (which may say something about local pastimes
in the north…)
The LCBO used to be this warehouse type place where you picked up a form, checked the appropriate boxes indicating the products you wanted to buy, and some guy would go in the back and bring your liquor or wine out for you. There was something about the place that just told you that yes, you were indeed in the process of sinning. (I'm just joking about sinning.) But a lot has changed.
Today they have all the bottles out there for your viewing, you select you own stuff, they sell wine, liquor, and beer, staff are around for help, there are lots of information and promotional materials, and most of all if you come in on a particularly magical day there may be free samples!
The LCBO even produces brochures now that are so glossy, bright, professionally done and nicely photographed that they make you practically want to lick the alcohol off the page...
Back to the Highway 11 Homepage
Highway11.ca (this website) is a light-hearted look at Highway 11 in Ontario and the communities along the way. This website is not and does not represent any region, district, municipality, government, or community in any manner, official or unofficial. Any comments made on this website reflect subjective opinion(s) and do not represent fact, or make any claim to being fact. The data and information made available on this website is for entertainment purposes only and are not represented to be error free or up-to-date. Opinions, advice and all other information expressed by participants in discussions or as comments submitted to this website are those of the author, not the website. You rely on any information on this website at your own risk. No responsibility is assumed for any errors. Nothing on this website constitutes or is intended to constitute any offer, promise, contract, or guarantee of any kind. This website may provide links to web pages, web sites, and various resources or locations on the internet. This website has no control over the information you access via such links, does not endorse that information, and is not be responsible for it or for the consequences of your use of that information.