According to information obtained through access to information the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) more than doubled its head office staff since 2000.

Total staff from all areas at the NSLC went from 696 in 2000 to 929 in 2010. Other staff increases were in retail (579 in 2000 to 679 in 2010), and in the distribution centre from (37 in 2000 to 69 in 2010).

The NSLC says in their response to the freedom of information request that there are a number of factors that influence the employment trends. Here are verbatim some of those points:

 - Stores opened for Sunday shopping on July 8, 2007.

- Sales increased from $376.5 million to $586.2 million over the ten year period, an increase of 55.7%

- Profits in 2001 were $137.2 million and currently are at $219.4 million, a 59.9% increase.

- The past fiscal year, the NSLC Distribution Centre shipped 5.3 million cases of product. This is an increase of 89% up from 2.8 million five years ago. In the past fiscal year alone the increase has been 400,000 cases or 8%.

- The distribution Centre currently operates 24 hrs a day Monday through Friday and shift 3:30 to Midnight, Monday through Friday.

- In 2005 store closing was moved from 6pm to 10pm.

These reasons make the case for why the distribution centre and the retail staff was increased. But the harder one to figure is the increase in head office staff.

NSLC is a government monopoly that makes its money selling products that consumers pay huge taxes on. Increases in its administrative costs comes right out of the profits of the corporation, which means less money for the government to put towards other areas, like reducing taxes.

Given NSLC isn’t subject to market competition the government should take a look at NSLC and ask why is it that staff has increased by so much over the last decade.