Sales of U.S. alcohol stock in Manitoba to benefit charities

The Manitoba government has authorized Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries (MBLL) to offer select U.S. alcohol products for sale to the public until Dec. 24, with the proceeds from these sales to be donated to local charities, Premier Wab Kinew and Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard, minister responsible for the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation, announced today.

“Manitobans have been resilient against Donald Trump’s tariffs and deserve some holiday cheer,” said Kinew. “We are offering people a chance to give back to the most vulnerable families during this holiday season.”

Starting Monday, Dec. 8, MBLL will make select U.S. liquor products available for order by private retailers and liquor service businesses across Manitoba, including rural liquor vendors, beer vendors, specialty wine stores, and restaurants and lounges.

On Dec. 10, U.S. liquor products will begin to be available for customers in 12 select liquor marts across Manitoba. A full selection will be available in these stores by Dec. 13 and will remain available until Dec. 24. All products sold under this program will be in saleable condition and within expiration dates.

Up to $500,000 of net revenue will be donated to local charities including:

• Christmas Cheer Board of Greater Winnipeg Inc.,
• Harvest Manitoba,
• Brandon-Westman Christmas Cheer Registry,
• Helping Hands Centre of Brandon,
• Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc., and
• Boys and Girls Club of Thompson.

“By offering these U.S. products during the holidays, Manitobans will have additional options for their family gathering while at the same time contributing to assistance for vulnerable Manitobans for whom the holidays can be a challenging time,” Simard said. “We strongly believe that removing U.S. alcohol from the shelves is the right thing to do at a time when our economy is under attack from illegal tariffs. Rather than waiting for products to expire and be destroyed, they will now fund community organizations instead.”

During this time, consumers are encouraged to continue supporting the wide variety of great locally produced products available from Manitoba’s craft liquor community, the minister added.