TORONTO, Ont. – The Ontario Convenience Stores Association is bringing a petition to Queen’s Park, Wednesday, with more than 112,000 signatures on it to allow corner stores to sell beer and wine.

“The people who signed this petition are sending a message. As responsible adults they want the simple convenience of beer and wine in the convenience stores,” OCSA CEO Dave Bryans said.

“In any other jurisdiction we’ve run alongside, so that can happen in Ontario and it easily can happen if the government wanted to have that discussion.”

JoAnne McMurchy started the petition after demand came into her general store in the hamlet of Vanessa, southwest of Brantford.

“We’re constantly being asked for it, constantly. I mean it’s an everyday occurrence at our store,” she said, noting that the nearest Beer Store or LCBO location is an approximately 20 or 30 minute drive from Vanessa.

“Costumers were persistently requesting ‘when can we get beer? It would be nice if we could pick up beer here,’” she added.

About 200 convenience stores are already selling alcohol in small communities which don’t have stand alone Beer Stores or LCBO outlets. The current McGuinty government has no plans to expand or change the rules at this time, but retailers are hoping the minority government situation will lead to some flexibility.

The opposition, meanwhile, is asking the Liberals to reconsider.

“Are the old solutions dating from the 1930s and 40s that governments should run the alcohol business in the province from top to bottom appropriate in the 21st century?,” asked provincial Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak.

However, the NDP is happy with the status-quo.

“The LCBO can always be improved but it’s a pretty good system that provides a good service, protects minors from alcohol and contributes over $1.5 billion every year to running our schools and our hospitals,” said MPP Rosario Marchese in a written statement. “I think our priority should be making the system work better, not new schemes that make it easier for young people to get their hands on alcohol.”

In Toronto, people’s reaction was mostly positive.

“I think it’s quite reasonable for convenience stores to be able to sell liquor and/or beer,” one woman told 680News.

“It’s convenient and it’s easy,” another said.

“Makes it a lot easier to get to. It’s kind of a monopoly here. The prices are really inflated,” said one man.

“Ontario’s a little behind the times,” another told 680News.

However, one man expressed his concern about a change in the rules, citing the fact that “at the liquor store, the price is consistent across Ontario.”

Former Liberal Premier David Peterson promised to allow corner stores to sell beer and wine in the 1980s, but it never happened.

The Ontario Convenience Stores Association said it doesn’t want to replace LCBO outlets. Rather, it wants to work with them.