When a SGEU employee called into the Murray Wood show on Newstalk980 and asked Brad Wall if the Sask Party was going to privatize the liquor board stores, Wall simply responded, "No".
When asked again, (because she was looking for confrontation) he gave the exact same answer, which today Murray Wood referred to as the "shortest answer he had ever heard a politician give".
Despite Wall's answer, the SGEU have created a "Stop Privatization" campaign (aimed at who, I don't know) with the following claims.
- Publicly run liquor stores help ensure safe and healthy communities. (If you really want a safe and healthy community, don't sell booze in it)
- Public liquor stores generate revenue that government uses to fund services like health and education. (Let's go get pissed tonight on Jag and help shorten our waiting lists (or help Johnny get that Commodore64 for the school library))
- Public liquor stores good jobs with decent wages (Yup, nothing like paying someone $60K a year to stock shelves and check IDs)
Finally, the pamphlet quotes the Liquor Stores and Crime Study done by the Calgary Police Service in 2003 as stating "Private retailers are more likely to sell alcohol to those who shouldn't have it - The need to make a profit (bad word) may pressure owners to sell to underage youth."
Now I couldn't the specific document the SGEU mentioned, but I did find this one; "The Social Consequences Of Privatizing Liquor And Beer Stores" May 1997, which concluded; "The Calgary Police Service concludes that their data "dispels the myth that privatization of liquor businesses has increased the rate of crime. It reveals that privatization has not altered the amount of crime at [individual] locations over the past 2 years."
Hmmm, I wonder why SGEU referenced materials from the BCGEU but not this document.
8 comments:
Notice the attempt to miss lead?
"Liquor contributed $161.5 million to our province in 2006-07". I suspect this number is for ALL liquor sales, including the sales from all those "evil" privately owned bars and licensed dining rooms.
I wonder if Lorne and his fellow neo-socialists are intending to nationalize all privately run bars and licensed dinings rooms to ensure that they are managed to the same standard as the liquor stores?
Good point
How is liquor is good for you only when Lorne doles it out?
Oh yeah, Preacher Lorne...this is the body of Christ, shed for you, $9.95 in the plate when it comes around to you please.
Public ownership is safe? Explain the break in of Victoria Avenue East Liquir store where a GREAT quantity of Liquor was stolen.
What about employee fraud at SGLA?
See: http://skcaucus.com/tmc_cms/modules/news/printNews.cfm?id=AEA9ACA9-508B-7147-D1AA0150D9B1A568&type=archive&pname=newsroom.html
Quote: "Charges In SLGA Fraud A Reminder of Unanswered Questions: Sask. Party
Tuesday - February 28, 2006
ALIDA—Dan D’Autremont, the Saskatchewan Party’s critic for the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority, says the public still isn’t getting the answers it deserves on how the Calvert government is protecting tax dollars.
“Today’s court appearance by a former liquor store manager accused of stealing money is just another reminder that questions about fraud remain unanswered by this NDP government,” D’Autremont said.
“It’s time for the NDP to come clean.”
Last year, D’Autremont and other Saskatchewan Party MLAs submitted a number of written questions about fraud training and prevention measures in government departments. The questions came on the heels of a report from the provincial auditor that described how employees in SLGA were not following proper procedures to prevent fraud, and were not performing proper bank reconciliations in a timely manner.
The unanswered questions began piling up to the point where they reached over 500. Despite rules which state written questions should be answered within five days, the NDP used a rule allowing them to stonewall for 180 days.
“This court case, along with recent incidents in the Department of Environment and Community Resources and Employment, and other matters currently under investigation raise reasonable concerns about whether the NDP is actually committed to doing anything to prevent further fraud,” D’Autremont said.
“This failure to provide the people of Saskatchewan with timely answers on this important issue shows the NDP’s utter contempt for accountability, the legislative process, and the hardworking people of Saskatchewan.”
“It also begs the question, ‘What is the NDP hiding?’”"
what a bunch of crap. lets see they have one week to turn things around. hmmm... we have a choice between scare tatics or scare tatics or WAIT miniute SCARE TATICS!!!
what a sad bunch all these guys are.
I've found that even little "hole in the wall" private liquor stores in Edmonton and Red Deer provide better selection than the city LBs in Saskatchewan; even "Co-Op" liquor stores in AB are better; prices are sometimes higher, lower or the same; but the selection and convenience makes the AB stores much better. QC is much the same, but add grocery stores selling wine and beer!
Also, there is too much red tape in Sask regulating things like off-sale.
freedom is better!
Any one been to a Co-op liquor store in Calgary? Twice the selection, one third the price, and just enough cooperative to warm the heart of any socialist.
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