The pandemic lockdowns, which restricted non-essential travel, resulted in VIA Rail losing a lot of money from liquor sales.. Via RailVia Rail train at London, ON, train station .The railway company was earning millions of dollars by selling drinks in its bar cars, but when the pandemic hit and travel decreased drastically, sales were significantly impacted..VIA ,in an Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the Commons, said liquor sales before the pandemic averaged $2.86 million a year. Sales fell to as low as $381,153 in 2020 and still have not recovered to pre-COVID levels..Figures were disclosed at the request of Conservative Dan Albas (Central Okanagan-Similkameen, BC) who asked, “What was the total amount spent on alcohol and alcoholic beverages by department, agency or other government entity?”.VIA lost $415.8 million overall in 2020 and another $370.5 million in 2021. Ridership was less than a third of pre-pandemic levels, from a total five million passenger trips to 1.5 million..“Demand for travel may only return to or exceed the level seen in 2019 sometime in 2024,” said a summary of the 2022-2026 Corporate Plan..“Under such conditions VIA Rail, while continuing to prudently provide needed transportation services to Canadians as it has done throughout 2020 and 2021, will be forced to seek funding.”.Another federal transport company, Marine Atlantic Inc. of St. John’s, also took heavy losses in liquor due to COVID bans on non-essential travel..The company, formerly Canadian National Railway Marine, operates passenger and freight service between Sydney, NS, and Port aux Basques, NL and Labrador..“Marine Atlantic does purchase alcohol, but only for resale in the bar area on board vessels,” said the Inquiry..“Annual purchases of alcohol are listed as cost of goods sold.”.“There were no purchases in 2021 and 2022 due to the closure of the bar on board the vessels as part of Marine Atlantic’s pandemic response,” the ferry service reported to Parliament..“Marine Atlantic does not have any other expenditures of alcohol for travel or hospitality as it is against policy.”.During the pandemic, the ferry company lost about $439,000 in alcohol sales. Before COVID-19, the bar made an average of $219,596 each year..According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from the outbreak of the pandemic on March 11, 2020, urged Canadians to avoid travel even within their own municipalities..“Figure out how to stay home,” said Trudeau..“We know what's extremely important right now is every Canadian does their part to arrest the spread of this virus and to slow the infection curve,” said Trudeau..Weeks later on March 23, Trudeau told reporters “enough is enough.”.“Go home and stay home,” said Trudeau..“This is what we all need to be doing.”
