JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West
The decision by the Société des alcools du Québec to shut down eight outlets across the province – including its store in Baie d’Urfé – has ruffled the feathers of both shoppers and municipal officials.
The Baie d’Urfé outlet, located at the Plaza Baie d’Urfé off Highway 20 at Morgan Avenue, is the only SAQ outlet in the West Island slated for closure. There are a total of eight provincially run liquor stores in the West Island.
“It has big implications if people are going to be going to another mall that has an SAQ,” said Baie d’Urfé Mayor Heidi Ektvedt in an interview. “Most people who are short on time are going to use that opportunity to pick up their pharmacy items, go to the grocery store and grab what they need at the SAQ.”
Ektvedt said she is concerned that this may have a domino effect on neighbouring businesses.
Baie d’Urfé Plaza is the only shopping centre in the town.
In a joint statement released last Thursday, Ektvedt and Sophia Lavergne, general manager of the West Island Chamber of Commerce, voiced their opposition to the closure of the outlet.
Lavergne called the move by the SAQ “deeply concerning for the business community,” as local retailers in the plaza rely on the SAQ “not only for its products but also for the foot traffic it generates.”
No exact date has been set for the closure, but it is stated for some time in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, according to the SAQ.
Ektvedt has added her voice to another joint statement last Thursday issued by seven other Quebec mayors whose municipalities are set to lose their local SAQ outlet. They include the cities of Brossard and Chicoutimi; the towns of Stanstead in the Eastern Townships; Rivière Bleue, near the Maine border; and the neighbourhoods of Ville Émard in Montreal, Hull in Gatineau and Pointe de Ste. Foy in Quebec City.
Both statements shared a link to an online petition, calling for a moratorium on the store closures until the provincial government recognizes the SAQ as a “driver of local vitality” and adopts policies to protect it from such closures.
As of yesterday, the petition has gained nearly 1,600 signatures and has been circulated online by several Baie d’Urfé residents. The petition will be open to signatures until May 26.
Ektvedt said she’s encouraging “anybody who thinks that they would like to have these services remain close to their homes” add their names to the petition, adding that “this could very well be the beginning of other (stores) closing.”
Many residents have expressed dismay over the closure. Resident Brendan Buckley said he will miss the welcoming staff and convenience of having the store nearby.
“It seemed to always be busy and well stocked,” Buckley said, adding that “having it close by was very convenient and felt like a ‘local’ business.”
The decision to close the eight outlets comes as the SAQ reported a trend of declining sales revenue over the past two years. An online statement claims that the company had $514.1 million in revenue for the third quarter of the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which ended Jan. 4. This represented a $6.9-million decrease from the same quarter the year prior.
The SAQ’s report noted an overall “downward trend in volumes” sold, which it claimed was “largely attributable to changes in customers’ shopping habits.”
There are SAQ outlets in Beaconsfield, Pointe Claire, Kirkland, Dorval, Pierrefonds-Roxboro and two in Dollard des Ormeaux. There is also another in Île Perrot.
Following the closure, Baie d’Urfé residents looking to buy liquors or spirits will have to travel the next-closest SAQ branches in either Beaconsfield or L’Île Perrot.
Cutline:
The closure of the SAQ outlet at the Baie d’Urfé Plaza could impact the other business at the shopping centre, officials say.