'Uneven playing field': Sask. government makes liquor changes

The Saskatchewan government is once again announcing more changes for how alcohol is sold in the province.

On Monday, the government announced it had introduced the Liquor Retail Modernization Act. It said the new act will create a level playing fieldfor selling liquor in the province.

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Don McMorris, the minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority, said the current system is an uneven playing fieldand that consumers are paying the price.

"This legislation will even the playing field and usher in the most significant changes that our liquor retailing system has seen in the last 50 years," McMorris said in a news release.

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The amendments will create a single permitfor all businesses selling alcohol in Saskatchewan, including existing SLGA stores.

"These 52 retail opportunities will be awarded through a competitive Request for Proposal process which will be announced in the coming weeks," McMorris said. "Once implemented, this new liquor retail system will offer consumers more choice, convenience, and competitive pricing."

This is the latest change to the province's liquor sales. In November 2015, the Sask. Party government said it would convert 40 government liquor stores to private liquor retailers. The plan also calls for a dozen new private stores.