Consumers will need to scan government-issued IDs, such as driver’s licences, to access the store. The scanner, which is operated by PatronScan, will collect a name, date of birth, the first three letters of postal code and gender. (Edmonton Journal)

Talking point: PatronScan signed up its first customer in British Columbia back in 2006. It’s attracted a steady stream of praise from bars and other establishments that use its service, and controversy from privacy advocates ever since. The system allows a single venue to ban a customer for up to five years from locations that use its technology. In cities like Sacramento, where many bars are legally required to use such technology, that can effectively serve as a city-wide ban. The firm currently has over 40,000 banned customers. Alcanna, which is one of the largest liquor retailers in Canada, is trying to cut down on liquor store thefts. Edmonton police responded to over 9,500 liquor store thefts in 2019, up from 3,273 in 2018. There are some signs that this one store could be the first of many, both for Alcanna (which has the most private-sector alcohol-retail locations of any firm in Canada) and for other firms in the province. The scanner is part of a provincial government pilot program looking at ways to cut down on liquor store thefts.