Dryden’s 7-Eleven has been authorized to sell alcohol by the provincial government, with a few caveats.

Ontario’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission has approved 55 licenses for the company to sell alcohol at most of its locations across the province, including Dryden’s location in northwestern Ontario.

However, this isn’t what Premier Doug Ford was promising in 2018.

7-Eleven has been given the green light to sell beer, wine and coolers for on-site consumption, served with food, at tables in a dining section of the store – which Dryden’s 7-Eleven will need to create – until 11 p.m.

This means that you won’t be able to purchase alcohol and leave the premises like an LCBO.

The new policy won’t go into effect until an inspection is completed at each location by a member of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission. So far, only two inspections in southern Ontario have taken place.

The company first applied for these licenses back in 2021.

In 2018, Premier Doug Ford promised to allow convenience stores to sell carry-out beer and wine across the province, but that change has yet to take effect.

Many believe the delay is due to Ontario’s contract with The Beer Store which runs until 2025.