Project 460180

During the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person services in bars and restaurants were closed in Canada. Yet, liquor retail sales were not only deemed an essential service and allowed to continue through the lockdown, but several alcohol sales and consumption policies were even relaxed. These relaxation measures have attracted considerable attention and debate. Currently, there is not yet evidence about the effects of these policy changes on behavioral and health outcomes of Canadians. The objective of this project is to investigate the impacts of these policy changes on alcohol use, use of other substances, mental health, and alcohol-related hospitalizations and emergency room visits among Canadians. We will estimate the overall effects of the COVID-19 related alcohol policies on the outcomes using quasi-experimental designs and investigate possible heterogeneity in these effects across sub-populations using machine learning methods. We will use liquor sales data, survey data, and administrative health data. This research will provide timely and much-needed evidence to inform policymakers and the public on the effects of these policy changes.