A report released in 2018 by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction and the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research estimated alcohol cost Canadians almost $15 billion per year in terms of lost productivity, justice costs, and more.
The popular beer-filling program was introduced in October 2014 as a way to help develop the local craft beer industry, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries said in a statement Wednesday, May 8th.
The growler bars will be closed this summer. With the industry’s growth, as well as the “explosion of local taprooms and breweries” that will fill the reusable containers, the program has served its purpose, they said.
Liquor Marts have seen a decline in demand for growler services and are wrapping things up July 1st.
Liquor and Lotteries claim that it refuses to sell alcohol to people who are intoxicated, and last year, employees at the Ellice store refused to serve such customers about 4,000 times.
According to Winnipeg police, alcohol abuse might be the ‘most taxing and common issue’ cops face on a daily basis. The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba (AFM) says alcohol has moved into the unenviable position as Canada’s worst substance.
So the growler program will be closed in just a little over a month.