The second round of auctions for available retail liquor store permits in Saskatchewan begins January 21 with bids closing on January 31.
Communities included in the second round of auctions are the Rural Municipality (RM) of Blucher, Carlyle, RM of Corman Park, Esterhazy, Gull Lake, RM of Kindersley, Langham, RM of Longlaketon, Regina Beach, RM of Shellbrook, Unity and White City.
“There was strong interest during the initial online auction for permits that concluded in December,” Minister Responsible for the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority Gene Makowsky said. “The auction process has worked well and ensures that available liquor permits in the province are allocated efficiently and transparently.”
Each auction will have an opening bid of $1,000 and interested bidders are required to register at www.McDougallBay.com, which is the website where all bidding will take place.
More information about the auction process can be found at www.slga.com.
The availability of permits is determined by the population of a community and the number of current retailers operating. A community must have a minimum population of 500 to be eligible for a retail liquor permit. An auction will only occur if someone expresses interest in a community where there is an available retail store permit.
In cases where there is more than one permit available in a community/RM, the auction will determine the applicant for one permit only. Future auctions will be held for additional available permits. The winning bidder must also meet all terms associated with holding a liquor permit.
Further auctions will be held over the next few months until all current expressions of interest are addressed. After the initial rounds, auctions will take place on a quarterly basis, if interest is expressed in a community where there is at least one available permit.
