Brockville's downtown Beer Store to shut doors 1 day before Christmas

Brockville's lone downtown The Beer Store is closing for good, one day before Christmas and that's leaving a bad taste in the mouth of the local MPP.

The 49-year-oldWater Street location is set to sell its final two-four on Dec. 24, leaving Brockville residents with only a small LCBO outlet in the downtown core.

The store is expected to be demolished in the new year to make room for parking for the nearby Brockville Aquatarium, a 27,000 sq.-ft tourist attraction that opened in March, said Leeds-GrenvilleProgressive Conservative MPP Steve Clark.

• Brockville's Aquatarium busy during opening weekend

On Thursday, Clark and Bob Runciman, the riding's former MPP and a current federal senator, held a joint press conference at the store, urging for it to be saved.

"We felt that continuing to have a [The Beer Store] outlet in downtown Brockville was an asset. We've tried to convince the city and the downtown management group to advocate for it, like we have been," Clark told CBC's All In A Day Friday afternoon.

"I've met many boaters down there that have walked from the harbour, grabbed a case of beer, walked across [and] grabbed some fish and chips, maybe grabbed something from the grocery store."

No beer in grocery stores

Despite the Liberal government'sgradual introduction of beer and wine into Ontario's grocery stores and the presence of a Metronear the downtown beer store Brockville is simply too small to be eligible for that option, Clark said.

"You have to be in a community over 30,000. Brockville doesn't meet that population criteria. So it's again something that's very, very concerning."

Brockville is about 115 kilometres south of Ottawa.

Clark said he'd be bringing the matter to the attention of Charles Dougall, who in January begins a three-year term as Ontario's first ever beer ombudsman.