A government news release on Wednesday confirmed that grocery and convenience stores will not be allowed to sell liquor. There are already more than 1,600 liquor stores in Alberta, selling a total of 36,000 liquor products and the concern is these retail outlets would suffer if grocery and convenience stores were permitted to sell liquor. The Convenience Industry Council of Canada thinks the government buckled under pressure from the owners of the retail outlets. It looks like another decision that goes against the government’s philosophy of a level playing field and freedom of choice making one wonder how principled the UCP really are.