Province says it has sold 7 buildings that housed SLGA stores

The provincial government said Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming (SLGA) has sold seven buildings across the province that once housed government-owned liquor stores.

Buildings in Esterhazy, La Ronge, Buffalo Narrows, Creighton, Carlyle, Humboldt and Moosomin have all been sold off, the province said in a news release.

The province said the total purchase price was $2,085,000.

SLGA owned 19 of its 34 store properties across Saskatchewan. The province said five of those buildings will remain government property and be repurposed for other government organizations.

The province said the remaining buildings will be sold in the coming weeks.

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"I am pleased with the level of interest we have seen in these buildings," Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority minister Lori Carr said in the release. "Selling the properties is another step in the process to wind down SLGA Retail Inc. and the proceeds from the sales will also support important public services across the province."

In February the retail liquor permits associated with SLGA were sold via auctions.

Around $45 million in bids were received with 35 permits sold between Feb. 6 and 24.

Winning bids ranged from $450,000 to more than $3.2 million.

The province originally announced it was leaving the retail liquor business during its throne speech on Oct. 26, 2022.

The first store to be shuttered was SLGA’s Dewdney Avenue location in Regina on Jan. 25.

In January the province struck a severance deal with hundreds of SLGA employees who have since lost their job as a result of the sales.

With files from Wayne Mantyka.