Workers Oppose Convenience Store Sales of Spirit-Based Pre-Mixed Cocktails
As the LCBO strike enters its second week, a leader on the picket line in Sudbury declares that workers are prepared to maintain their job action “as long as it takes.”
“We have all the members on our side. We’re willing to fight,” said Chris Bedard, LCBO manager in the small town of Alban near Sudbury and the picket line captain in the northern Ontario city. “We’ll stay out here as long as it takes. It doesn’t matter. Our bargaining team is behind us and we trust them.”
A significant point of contention for the striking workers is the province’s plan to expand alcohol sales to over 8,000 convenience stores. These stores would be able to sell wine, beer, cider, and “ready-to-drink” beverages, including spirit-based pre-mixed cocktails like vodka and gin. This last category is particularly contentious for LCBO workers.
Bedard mentioned that while the union would permit malt-based ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages to be sold outside LCBO stores, they oppose the sale of spirit-based beverages elsewhere. “It’s a nice chunk of the pie for us,” Bedard said. “It’s a good public revenue source that comes back to help out for healthcare, for infrastructure, for education.”
Despite the strike, Premier Doug Ford remains committed to his plans to allow alcohol sales in convenience stores, including pre-mixed cocktails. “That ship has sailed. It’s halfway across Lake Ontario,” Ford told reporters on Wednesday. He emphasized that he has no plans to privatize the LCBO but wants it to operate alongside other retail outlets, including convenience stores.