'Very detrimental': SLGA workers call for liquor stores to remain open amid closures
About a dozen SLGA employees came to the Saskatchewan Legislative building to ask that their liquor stores remain open. Michelle Zimmer is a 17 year employee in Saskatoon.
“I’ve been a single income family, a single mom so these kinds of jobs allow us to not absolutely have to struggle to pay our bills, to have our kids in a happy healthy household,” Zimmer told CTV News.
Courtney Topping works in the Prince Albert SLGA location. The announcement of the closure of province owned liquor stores has been detrimental to her family.
“December 1st I was supposed to have a mortgage. I had to turn that down with my partner. It’s actually been very detrimental,” she said.
The remaining 34 provincially owned liquor stores and their licences are set to be auctioned off to private interests. The NDP called for a stop to the plan.
“This decision is a mistake. Will the minister change course and scrap this plan today?”NDP MLA Nathaniel Teed asked during Question Period.
The Minister responsible for the SLGA reminded the opposition MLA of what he wrote in a letter to government prior to being elected.
“’I see the benefits of having private corporations running the stores. These privately run stores are doing an excellent job servicing the Saskatchewan community,’” Carr said, quoting the letter from Teed.
The government blames dwindling profits for the store closures. Some workers feel they were set up to fail.
“[Its] impossible for us to get hold of pop and chips that people are coming in and looking for in a one stop store,” Bob Sadnichuk, a representative for SGEU told CTV News.
“Ice, they would not even allow us to sell ice.”
The affected SLGA workers say the holiday season is the most profitable time of the year yet their shelves are half empty as much of the stock is cleared out and not replenished.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6943621.1719510587!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Watch Live Now: Canadian analysis ahead of the CNN Presidential Debate
U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump are set to go head-to-head tonight in the first of two planned presidential debates. Here's how to watch the CNN Presidential Debate, Power Play's pre- and post-debate specials, and follow along in our real-time CTVNews.ca live expert analysis and commentary by debate and body-language experts.
'Hanging on for her life': Sask. family desperate to bring home sick niece from Philippines
For half a decade, a Saskatoon family has been trying to bring their orphaned niece to Canada, they say now it’s a matter of life or death.
'No additional flights will be cancelled': WestJet avoids strike as feds order binding arbitration
A potential strike by WestJet airplane mechanics would upend travel plans for 250,000 customers over the Canada Day long weekend, the airline says — and cost it millions of dollars.
BREAKING Nunavut judge sentences Toronto woman to 3 years prison for Inuit identity fraud
A Nunavut judge has sentenced a Toronto woman to three years in prison in a case of Inuit identity fraud.
Canada's top court rejects appeal from Sask. man who murdered wife
The Supreme Court of Canada has rejected an application from a Saskatoon man who murdered his wife.
Where do new Canadians come from? India and Philippines take top spots
Canada has welcomed more than 3.9 million new citizens since 2005, with nearly one third coming from India, the Philippines or China, according to a CTVNews.ca analysis.
Marilyn Monroe's former Los Angeles home declared a historic monument to save it from demolition
Fans of Marilyn Monroe have won a battle to preserve her mark on Los Angeles and are a step closer to seeing a towering statue of the silver screen icon remain in Palm Springs.
Man charged with threatening to kill presidential candidates found dead as jury was deciding verdict
A New Hampshire man charged with threatening the lives of presidential candidates last year has been found dead while a jury was deciding his verdict, according to court filings Thursday.
AI regulation 'a start,' needs to 'have teeth': Hinton, godfather of AI, says
So-called godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton says he's 'pleased' governments are starting to take artificial intelligence, and the possible regulations of it, seriously.