Claude Cousineau

By Trevor Greenway
Local Journalism Initiative

Claude Cousineau says he did nothing wrong when he purchased beer and wine from  Marché Gravelle and sold it to customers at his Brennan’s Hill depanneur. 

But when Sûreté du Québec (SQ) cops busted into his shop Feb. 25 and seized over 5,000 litres of beer and nearly 60 litres of wine – effectively clearing out the beer fridges at Epicerie Brennan’s Hill – he surmised that something was wrong. 

“It was four cops who showed up here, armed to the teeth, and they threw everybody out of the store, and they turned off the cameras, which you’re not supposed to do. And they made me open the safe, which has nothing to do with anything,” said Cousineau, owner of the depanneur. “So then they blocked the driveways to make a big scene, took all the beer and all the wine – it took them all day.”

Store manager Jeri Guertin was working the front cash that day and said the scene was intense when police arrived. 

“They kicked everyone out of the store, they kept telling Claude to keep his hands out of his pockets,” said Guertin. 

Cousineau has not been charged or fined, was not detained, nor has he been told if he needs to hire a lawyer, fight the infractions in court or whether or not he will get his booze back. He said he isn’t counting on it. 

“We have big plans, and now I’m stuck because now my money is fu**ed for sure, right?” Cousineau told the Low Down, standing next to two, large beer coolers that are empty. Not a single case of beer can be found among the refrigerators. “That’s 25 grand worth of beer. Maybe more,” added Cousineau. The dep wine racks are also vacant. 

According to SQ spokesperson Sgt. Marc Tessier, the file is not criminal, and Cousineau can’t be criminally charged with a crime – he can only be fined. The province’s Act respecting the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) states that any person in Quebec wishing to sell beer and wine from their grocery stores or depanneurs must first have a permit to do so – and must purchase all of their alcohol – with the exception of light cider, beer bottled in Quebec or imported beer – through the SAQ. 

“The person at the store bought some beer from another store without the proper authority or channel to buy his liquor,” said Tessier. “Police will conclude their investigation and will proceed to submit that to the Crown, and they will determine if there will be penal action or not.”

When asked how police knew that Cousineau was selling alcohol not purchased through the SAQ, Tessier confirmed that it was through information from the public as well as the SQ’s “investigative techniques.”

Cousineau told the Low Down that his troubles began the day he took over ownership of the store, back in July 2024, when he was having issues with some of the beer and wine reps who were “leaving beer all over the place,” crowding his aisles and packing his leaky fridges. He was in the middle of planning renovations to hold more stock but said the reps – both alcohol and soda representatives – just kept showing up with more beer and pop. 

“It was beer galore,” added Cousineau. “There was beer all over the place. I had to take three shelves of food down just for all the beer.” He said some of the stock – mostly flavoured coolers – in his fridge were nearly two years old and close to expiration, and he didn’t want to waste prime real estate for unpopular products. So he began telling the reps what he wanted – and what he didn’t want – to sell in his store. 

Cousineau said that he was told by one of the beer reps that if he wanted specific types of beer and a custom lineup of spirits, he would have to source all of his own alcohol, purchase it himself, pick it up, drive it back to the store, stock it and then sell it. He said the rep told him to buy from Marché Gravelle, a food and beverage distribution centre in Gatineau.

Trusting this advice, he said he did just that and began buying his beer and wine from Marché Gravelle and said he’s been doing so since last summer. 

“I still feel like I did nothing wrong,” said Cousineau. “We checked, and we’re allowed to buy from a distributor as long as I am licenced, so what am I doing wrong? There’s so many people making money off your dollar, and we’re making quarters before the government comes in and takes more.”

Cousineau said that police were over-aggressive and treated him as a threat in his own store. He said it was “like watching an old cowboy movie.”

“I honestly thought they were here fundraising,” said Cousineau. “So I had my hands in my pockets and I said, ‘What’s up?’ and they started yelling to me to take my hands out of my pockets. I said, ‘I don’t know you. You come in here, you have armour, you have a billy bat, you have a gun, you have a taser and pepper spray, and you’re acting like I’m dangerous.’” Cousineau’s beer cooler and wine racks are still empty, and he said he’s been left in the dark on what will happen next. He’s still allowed to sell beer, but with all of his money tied up in the seized alcohol, he’s not sure how long it will take him to rebuild his stock. 

Tessier said Cousineau could face a fine, but added that police are still investigating the file.