Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, last week shared a political advertisement on the internet that quickly became a strategic move in the midst of a battle for summer liquor sales disrupting Canada’s largest province.
Wearing a black polo shirt and blue apron while frying hamburgers and holding cans of beer; Ford unveiled an interactive map of local wineries, breweries and distilleries. This came at a time when Ontario’s monopoly liquor retailer, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), has gone on strike for the first time in its history due to outdated laws governing alcohol sales.
According to BBC, all 650 LCBO stores were closed for at least two weeks after more than 9k employees walked out on July 5th following collapse of collective bargaining negotiations between their union (Ontario Public Services Employees Union OPSEU) and Ford’s government.
“We’re delivering on our promise to offer more choice and convenience to the people of Ontario. Through expanding where beer, wine, cider, coolers can be sold we create opportunities for many small businesses across our provinces to serve new customers and create jobs locally. We do it together making it an Ontario made summer!” Wrote X.
The latest sign of progress happened this week as OPSEU returned to bargaining with the province but only after Ford vowed to accelerate his plans allowing canned cocktails into private retailers—a major sticking point with the union.
Earlier, on May 24th, during his press conference Ford announced that beer and wine would soon be sold in corner shops throughout Ontario. ‘I’m excited today about something I’ve been thrilled about since day one,’ he said. ‘We are not just keeping our word and fulfilling our plan but doing it quicker than expected. Beginning August 1st this year onward people will be able to buy ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages like coolers or seltzers from grocery stores which already sell wine or beer. Also, these stores will be allowed to sell in bigger pack sizes like a 30 pack case of beer.’
It seemed that the dispute was finally coming to an end when the union announced a tentative agreement which would have seen liquor stores re-open after a few days. However, during a scheduled press conference, union spokesperson Katie Arnup announced: “We were ready to come here and announce a deal. We don’t have one. The strike is still on,” noting that Ford’s government had refused to sign their return-to-work order.
The LCBO also accused the union of negotiating in “bad faith” by making new monetary demands late in the process. Additionally, it was said by LCBO that they are going to file an unfair labor charge against the union meaning this fight is far from over.
