The Ontario government is eyeing plans that could see beer and wine sold in grocery stores across the province according to a party involved in the discussions.

The Retail Council of Canada, which represents a number of large grocery chains such as Loblaws, WalMart and Costco, says it has been involved in a government panel looking at opening up sales of beer and wine in Ontario.

The aim of the panel is to examine the possibility of “liberalizing the distribution of beer and wine in this province,” David Wilkes, vice-present of the Retail Council of Canada told CP24 Friday.

“We’ve been in consultation with the government in that area and really do believe the grocery community has a chance to be part of that solution,” Wilkes said.

Wilkes said the discussions make it clear the government is interested in enhancing choice and convenience for consumers and that grocery stores could be a good fit for doing that.

According to a report in the Toronto Star, hundreds of grocery stores across the province could soon be licensed to sell craft beer and national beer brands and up to 200 grocery stores could also be licensed to sell wine.

Wilkes said the details of a plan are still being worked out, but he added that an announcement could come as part of the spring budget.

For decades the sale of beer in Ontario has been controlled through The Beer Store, a virtual monopoly owned by foreign-held companies. Plans to reform the model in Ontario have been touch-and-go for years.

In January, The Beer Store introduced new policies that it said would allow smaller brewers to sell their products through their stores more easily, though a number of small brewers said the plan did not go far enough. On Friday the company responded to the renewed interest around beer sales in a statement emailed to media outlets.

“The Beer Store continues to offer enormous value to Ontarians by operating efficiently to keep prices low, offering consumers a wide choice of brands, being open to all brewers, by retailing beer responsibly and by running a world-class recycling program,” spokesperson Jeff Newton said.

He also said the Beer Store is working with the government-appointed panel and looks forward to its recommendations.

Last month, the LCBO shelved plans for a pilot program that would have seen LCBO kiosks set up in grocery stores after the province asked that they hold off on the plan while the issue is studied further.

In a statement released Friday, the LCBO said it is aware of the reports about the plans to sell through grocery stores and is looking for further direction from the government in the coming weeks.

“These reports indicate that the government has not made any final decisions, pending the final recommendations from the Premier’s Advisory Council on Government Assets,” The LCBO said in its statement. “We look forward to the council’s recommendations and to further direction from government on next steps in the weeks ahead.”

In its own statement, the government said no plans for the industry have been finalized yet and that it is still exploring the issue.

“We’ve been open about our concerns around the issue of fairness surrounding the Beer Store,” a spokesperson for Finance Minister Charles Sousa said in an email. “We believe there is an opportunity to improve customer convenience and ensure there is a wide range of brands available to Ontarians.”

@Josh_F is on Twitter. Remember for instant breaking news follow @cp24 on Twitter.