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lcbo has bright future, premier ford says as strike ends
stores will be open for business on tuesday
jul 22 2024
2 minute read
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“i’m glad they’re back.”
following a two-week strike, windsorite mark mulligan celebrated his local lcbo’s reopening on tuesday with the purchase of a single can of beer.
“it impacted me, having to go to the supermarket for alcohol — i totally cut down on my drinking,” mulligan, 66, told the star after visiting the downtown lcbo store on church street and university avenue west.
“they should have job security,” he said. “the service there is excellent. they’re very friendly. they recognized me right away and asked me how i’m doing.”
ontario premier doug ford says he believes the province’s main liquor retailer has a bright future as thousands of workers returned to work monday after a two-week strike. liquor control board of ontario stores reopened for business on tuesday.
ford says he has great confidence in the lcbo’s future, despite concerns raised by the ontario public service employees union during the strike.
the union representing the lcbo workers had said it believed ford’s plan to expand alcohol sales to convenience and grocery stores would threaten union jobs and the public revenue the lcbo provides to the province.
ford sped up those plans after the strike began on july 5, allowing grocery stores already licensed to sell beer and wine to also sell ready-to-drink cocktail beverages as of thursday last week.
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the union ratified the proposed deal over the weekend.
about 9,000 employees across the province had hit the picket lines for the first strike in the lcbo’s 97-year history.
unsettled issues included union demands for wage increases, more full-time jobs instead of part-time positions, and keeping the sale of ready-to-drink cocktails strictly in lcbo stores.
the expansion of alcohol sales was a controversial sticking point. the ontario public service employees union (opseu) has argued it could lead to a decline of government revenues, lcbo store closures, and job losses among its ranks.
but the provincial government was undeterred. last week, it announced it was accelerating the expansion of sales at supermarkets.
starting last thursday, licensed grocery stores can sell ready-to-drink cocktails and large beer packs. that change was initially scheduled to happen in august.
another major change will come sept. 5, when ford’s government plans to allow convenience stores to start selling alcohol.
— with files by taylor campbell
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