what is with the warm beer? I was in Whistler BC and they do not have any cold beer at the liquor store. And BTW why is a case of piss warm beer $36? For $30 in the states I can get almost 3 cases of high quality Pabst Blue Ribbon, Busch, Hamms, or Keystone.
Sin tax?
Beer=$6
Tax=$30
Each province has it's own rules and regulations surrounding alcohol. In Nova Scotia, for example, all alcoholic beverages are sold at Nova Scotia Liquor Commission outlets (or the "LC" as we called it), except for the outlet at the Moosehead Brewery in Dartmouth. Most have refrigerated beer these days.
New Brunswick is much the same except that it also has "Agency" stores in outlying areas, which are privately operated and open 7 days a week.
In Quebec, beer and wine are available at corner stores (and probably grocery stores also). Hard liquor has to be purchased at a gov't operated liquor store.
In Ontario beer is mostly sold at the "Beer Store", previously known as "Brewers' Retail", which is a racket operated by the two major breweries. Beer, liquor and wine are available at gov't owned liquor stores.
Pricing also varies by province, but in every province a big part of it is federal and provincial excise (ie sin) taxes. Here in Ontario the cheapest beers at the Beer Store are about $1/bottle by the case of 24.