TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he will follow through on his pledge to remove Crown Royal from Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) shelves once a Windsor-area bottling plant shuts down next month.
Ford reiterated the commitment days after renewing his criticism of Crown Royal’s parent company, Diageo, which has announced plans to close its bottling facility in Amherstburg. The closure is expected to affect about 200 jobs.
The premier first targeted Diageo at a high-profile press conference earlier this fall, where he slowly poured out a bottle of Crown Royal to protest the company’s decision. At the time, Ford warned that Ontario would take action if the plant closure proceeded.
Diageo has said it is shifting some bottling operations to the United States, while maintaining that Crown Royal products will continue to be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada. The company also operates bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec.
Ford, however, said he believes those Canadian facilities could also face closure in the future, with production ultimately moving to Alabama.
“I can’t wait to take Crown Royal out of LCBO stores,” Ford said, reiterating his stance that the province should not support companies that move jobs out of Ontario.
Diageo has not commented further on Ford’s latest remarks.