There is mixed reaction in Saskatchewan to the government's plan to shake up liquor sales by selling 40 of its 75 liquor stores to make them private outlets.
The union representing liquor store workers claims the plan will drain millions in revenue from public coffers, saying the 40 stores earned $32.6 million last year.
The Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union also says 210 jobs will be lost.
Don McMorris, minister for the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority, says the province should still collect the same amount of revenue because all retailers will have to buy alcohol through the government.
Union spokeswoman Donna Christianson says the union was open to changes, such as longer hours, but wanted them done within the current public system.
Restaurants wanted the ability to buy booze at wholesale prices through the liquor authority, but that change didn't happen.
However, Dwayne Marling, a spokesman for the group Restaurants Canada, says the changes will give restaurants more options for buying liquor and negotiating prices with retailers.
