If you look 30 years of age or younger, the chances are good you will be asked for identification when purchasing alcohol at a PEI Liquor retail store.
The province’s Liquor Control Commission has re-launched its “Check 30” program aimed at assuring that liquor is sold only to customers who are 19 years or older. Since the award-winning program was first introduced this January, the number of ID checks in PEI Liquor stores increased 81.7 per cent from the previous year and 123 per cent between February and April.
“Social responsibility is one of the strategic priorities for the Liquor Control Commission,” said the Hon. Allen Roach, minister responsible for the commission. “Since the launch of this program we have seen an impressive increase in staff efforts to ensure that IDs are checked to prevent underage purchases, as well as heightened public awareness of the importance of ID checks when purchasing alcohol.”
The program focuses on customers aged 19 to 35, who are not as easily identified as being of legal drinking age. It aims to make the process of ID’ing more widely accepted by customers, leading to more positive customer responses to ID requests and ultimately to a reduction in alcohol sales to minors.
“We are in the business of promoting and selling our products, but we place an even greater priority on making sure our products are not in the hands of people they should not be, including underage individuals,” said Jamie MacLeod, Liquor Control Commission director of Corporate Services. “We are very pleased with the results of this program, and we will continue to strive to do even better with our social responsibility obligations.”
New “Check 30” ads have been released on radio, Facebook, online, and in stores. The program – created by M5 marketing communications – took home two awards for creativity and enterprise within the marketing industry at the Atlantic Ice Awards October 21 in Halifax.
For more information regarding the “Check 30” program visit www.peilcc.ca.