Saskatchewan is completing its liquor store sell-off after closing down the retail side of the provincial alcohol and gaming authority earlier this year. Just 34 provincially operated outlets remained under Saskatchewan’s public-private retail model by the time the government announced it would be exiting the business last fall.

Thus far, significantly more revenue has been raised through the auction of the retail permits associated with those stores — more than $45 million — than from the dispersal of the properties themselves.

The government owned 19 of the 34 outlets, and five of those will be repurposed for other uses. Of the remainder, seven, which were located in communities throughout the province, have been sold for a collective price of $2.085 million. The others are expected to be sold in the coming weeks.

“I am pleased with the level of interest we have seen in these buildings,” reports Lori Carr, the Minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA). “Selling the properties is another step in the process to wind down SLGA Retail Inc. and the proceeds from the sales will also support important public services across the province.”