LCBO strike: Group demands grocery stores be allowed to sell alcohol during work stoppage

LCBO workers in Ontario have been on strike for a full week now, and at least one group believes it may be time for the government to consider allowing other retailers to sell liquor.

Jay Goldberg, the Ontario director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, held a news conference outside Queen’s Park on Friday calling on the Ford government to consider opening up alcohol sales to grocery stores and other private retailers during the work stoppage, calling it the “perfect opportunity” to review the LCBO’s current monopoly on liquor sales.

“The union says they have the best service, the best customer service and the best selection and choice. But while they’re on strike, we believe Ontarians should have a choice. Ontarians should have a choice and we get to see how things are going in the grocery stores. Ultimately, Ontarians get to decide if these unionized, government-run LCBO locations are actually the best in terms of convenience, price and service,” Goldberg said.

The Ford government had previously stated that the LCBO would retain exclusive rights to sell liquor in the province, but would allow small grocery stores to begin selling beer and wine.

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office reiterated that promise in an email to CP24 on Friday, saying the government has “no plans to expand its offering to include spirits.”

“The LCBO will continue to be the sole seller of liquor across the province. In addition, LCBO.com and the LCBO app will continue to accept orders, including liquor, for free home delivery anywhere in Ontario for the duration of the strike,” the statement said.

However, the union representing LCBO workers has opposed the expansion of ready-to-drink sales to grocery stores and corner shops, suggesting the issue is an obstacle to reaching an agreement with the province.

Prime Minister Doug Ford, in turn, said the government would not reverse its plans to expand alcohol sales to end the strike.

“If they want to negotiate RTD, the deal is off,” Ford told reporters at a news conference at an Etobicoke brewery on Wednesday. “Let me be very clear. It’s over, it’s over. The ship has sailed. It’s halfway across Lake Ontario.”

As a result of the LCBO strike, liquor stores across Ontario were forced to close, but the government has announced that there are contingency plans to reopen 32 stores on July 19, albeit only three days a week and with limited hours.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Golberg called the current strike a “war on convenience” and sharply criticized workers who walked off the job because the increase in alcohol sales in the province was “reasonable.”

He said that given the lack of industrial peace, the government should immediately allow grocery stores to sell “all types of alcohol.”

“The LCBO union has decided to go on strike, but we say now that the union has decided to go on strike, it is time for the government to act on this crucial issue,” he said.

“I think Ontario residents will find the same as many other provinces, such as Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan: more locations, more choice and more convenience mean there is no government monopoly.”

The union representing LCBO workers had previously warned that the Ford government’s plans to open the sale of certain alcoholic beverages to private retailers could result in significant job losses among its members.

“Doug calls himself a businessman. And I want to know which businessman is really giving away some of his most profitable products and fastest growing market right now and giving it away to everybody else,” Colleen MacLeod, chair of the Alcohol Authority Employees Division of OPSEU/SEFPO, told CP24 earlier this week.