TORONTO — The union representing workers at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is calling on Premier Kathleen Wynne’s government to shelve its plan to allow up to 450 grocery stores to sell beer.
“The largest expansion of liquor retailing in Ontario history is being rushed through without proper study and without proper consultation,” said Denise Davis, chair of the Liquor Board Employees Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU). “The government hasn’t listened to anyone with actual expertise around alcohol policy. “By expanding the number of outlets that sell alcohol, and treating it as a food rather than a drug, the province is encouraging Ontarians to drink more,” Davis said. “We will all pay for it.”
The remarks were made yesterday at legislative committee hearings into the provincial budget bill. OPSEU represents 7,000 frontline workers at the LCBO.
