Ontario Premier Doug Ford is renewing his push for bail reform after a viral video showed a group of suspects filling shopping bags with alcohol and walking out of a Kitchener LCBO store.
Speaking Wednesday in Caledon, where he announced the start of construction on Highway 413, Ford blasted the thieves caught on camera. “They’re a brazen bunch of crooks with all the confidence in the world,” he said, calling the theft “a robbery from taxpayers” since the LCBO is a provincial Crown agency.
Waterloo Regional Police confirmed that six suspects entered the LCBO on Pioneer Drive on August 23, stealing roughly $8,000 worth of scotch. Police described the incident as “a brazen, co-ordinated, and organized theft,” stressing the stolen alcohol was clearly not for personal use.
Ford linked the LCBO incident to a wider need for bail reform, citing public frustration with repeat offenders being released by the courts. He also referred to an earlier case in Lindsay where a homeowner was charged with assaulting an intruder. “We’ve got to get tough on this crime,” Ford said. “People are at their wits end that judges keep letting people out on bail. We’re going to hold these guys accountable, and I’ll be all over the prime minister about bail reform.”
Police say they are investigating whether the theft is connected to a broader pattern of LCBO robberies. Last month, Durham Regional Police charged seven suspects and laid more than 300 charges after a string of liquor thefts valued at nearly $50,000.
Ford promised to continue pressing Ottawa for reforms, while police pledged to track down those responsible for the latest heist. “We’ve got to catch these guys and throw them in jail,” Ford said. “They just do not care.”