It’s time for 7-Eleven: Round 2

Girl taking a drink out of a beer slurpie glass
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Earlier this year, hundreds of you filed official objections against 7-Eleven’s dangerous, even disturbing, plan to begin serving alcohol in 61 locations across the province.

Thank you for acting. It’s time for more action.

For those who filed an objection and received a response from 7-Eleven, we’ve created a template reply you can use. You’ll find it farther down this email.

And for all of you, please keep spreading the word about the consequences of people buying and drinking alcohol in your neighbourhood convenience store:

  • This is where your kid might go to get a Slurpee after school – do we really want them rubbing shoulders with people under the influence?
  • Workers at increased risk. Many of the workers serving alcohol will be barely drinking-aged themselves. They’re paid poorly but tasked with ensuring safe alcohol sales while facing increased risks of violent customers and/or robberies.
  • More bad news for local restaurants. As if our small businesses weren’t hurting enough because of the pandemic. Do we really want them to get hurt more by a multinational conglomerate?

Let as many of your elected officials as possible know that you expect the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario to hold public hearings on all 7-Elevens looking for a liquor licence.

If you got an email from 7-Eleven…

Many people who filed objections with the Alcohol and Gaming Corporation of Ontario (AGCO) have since received an email from 7-Eleven’s paid lobbyists.

You are not required to respond to the lobbyists email, but If you’d like to reply – and let them know you want the AGCO to proceed to public hearing — here’s template text you can use. Please remember to CC licensing@agco.ca and opseucommunicationsdepartment@opseu.org

Subject: Public meeting required on 7-Eleven liquor license application

Dear Strategy Corporation,

Please inform your client, 7-Eleven, that I’m entirely unsatisfied by your response to my objection to their liquor licence application.

For one thing, it fails to address my core concern: the research evidence clearly showing that profit-seeking corporations have a poor record of safe alcohol sales compared to public retailers such as the LCBO.

For another, 7-Eleven’s use of paid lobbyists closely associated with Ontario’s government tells me all I need to know about the corporation’s actual interest in meaningful engagement with my community. Buying influence does not inspire confidence.

I won’t reiterate the details of my objection here – they remain unchanged: alcohol has no place in a convenience store brimming with neighbourhood kids, and very often staffed with low-paid workers who are often barely of drinking age themselves.

7-Eleven simply cannot be trusted to put the safety and well-being of my community above its own profits.

I do not feel further direct conversation with 7-Eleven or its lobbyists will be useful.

I’m asking the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to proceed to public hearing over 7-Eleven’s application.