Small Retailers Need a Seat Before Next Steps
Independent retailers say the committee should hear from lawful stores before treating retail access as the problem.
The legal store has a compliance trail
Alberta lists retailer fines for selling to minors, failing to check ID for a person who appears under 25, advertising, display, and prohibited-location sales on the provincial rules page. Independent retailers live with those rules every day.
What stores can bring to the table
- Refusal logs.
- Staff training records.
- Supplier traceability.
- Reports about suspected illegal sellers.
The committee should separate channels
AGLC’s contraband materials define illegal product by importation, marking, manufacturing, stamping, and tax compliance, according to AGLC contraband information. Lawful retail should not be collapsed into the same category as sellers avoiding the rules.