‘That ship has sailed across Lake Ontario’: Ford won’t budge on ready-to-drink beverages

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is not backing down connected his scheme to grow intoxicant income successful nan province, including making ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages disposable successful much unit spaces, contempt nan ongoing LCBO strike.

“Let maine beryllium very clear. It’s done. It’s gone. That vessel has sailed crossed Lake Ontario,” Ford said erstwhile asked if he would reverse people connected allowing RTD beverages specified arsenic coolers and seltzers to beryllium sold successful convenience stores and market stores.

The national representing 9,000 striking LCBO workers has based on nan provincial liquor shop should person nan exclusive correct to waste pre-mixed drinks and has cited nan authorities argumentation arsenic 1 of its cardinal reasons for stepping disconnected nan job.

The Ontario Public Sector Employees’ Union (OPSEU) contends that nan authorities is jeopardizing nan $2.5 cardinal successful nationalist gross by introducing thousands of backstage retailers into nan intoxicant distribution network.

LCBO workers went connected onslaught connected July 5, shuttering hundreds of LCBO stores crossed nan province.

According to nan Ford government’s scheme to grow intoxicant sales, Ontarians will beryllium capable to bargain products for illustration coolers and different ready-to-drink beverages astatine nan 450 market stores presently licensed to waste beer, cider and vino starting connected Aug. 1, correct earlier nan Civic Holiday agelong weekend.

After Sept. 5, each eligible convenience stores will beryllium capable to waste beer, cider, vino and ready-to-drink beverages. After Oct. 31, each eligible big-box stores will beryllium capable to waste those aforesaid beverages, including successful ample battalion sizes, nan authorities added.

“As we instrumentality our scheme to present much prime and convenience, nan LCBO will proceed to play a captious domiciled successful nan caller marketplace arsenic exclusive wholesaler, arsenic a cardinal supplier pinch an unrivalled unit footprint,” Ford said. “And I want to beryllium clear nan LCBO will stay a nationalist asset.”

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“And you can’t comparison a cooler to a vessel of vodka aliases a vessel of whiskey,” he added arsenic nan LCBO will stay nan exclusive holder for difficult liquor.

On Friday, nan authorities released LCBO income figures claiming that ready-to-drink products — nan wider waste of which is nan cardinal sticking constituent astatine nan bargaining array — dress up 9.1 per cent of each income astatine provincial liquor stores.

When asked by a newsman if nan video of Ford posted to societal media showing a government-made interactive representation for wherever Ontarians tin bargain intoxicant was to undermine nan LCBO strike, he said “that video was made for america to show group wherever they tin go.”

“It really states, each nan much reason, why we request places for illustration Cool Beer and, mini breweries and mini wineries correct crossed this awesome province,” Ford said.

If a woody is not reached by July 19, nan LCBO said conscionable 32 stores crossed Ontario will unfastened for constricted hours connected Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

— With files from Global News’ Isaac Callan & Colin D’Mello