Ontario’s largest alcohol retailer announced Sunday that it has abandoned plans to open a handful of in-store locations because of an ongoing strike by thousands of its workers.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) previously announced that it plans to open 32 stores three days a week with limited hours if the strike by members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) lasts more than two weeks.
LCBO workers represented by OPSEU walked off the job on July 5 after negotiations broke down.
The LCBO says it has been able to serve its retail customers since the strike began through online shopping, fulfilling orders within a week.
“Because of this success and our confidence in our ability to continue to serve retail customers online, we will be redeploying staff who were scheduled to open LCBO retail stores for in-store shopping to other parts of the operation to further enhance support for bars, restaurants and other businesses,” the organization said in a statement Sunday.
Hours after the announcement, Restaurants Canada released a statement saying its members were reassured that “limited resources will now be devoted to protecting vulnerable businesses.”
The association said restaurants and bars are finding the items they need are either out of stock or in limited supply. It says the industry is approaching a “critical phase” of increasing demand from businesses and is calling on the government and the LCBO to prioritize resources for restaurants and bars.
OPSEU, which represents about 10,000 LCBO workers, reiterated Friday that it is fighting for the future of the LCBO and Ontario and has repeatedly criticized Premier Doug Ford’s plans to open up the province’s alcohol market by allowing ready-to-drink cocktails to be sold outside LCBO stores.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced that as part of the government’s alcohol expansion plans, it has issued alcohol licences to 3,105 convenience stores and 37 new grocery stores. The newly licensed convenience stores will be able to begin selling alcohol in early September, while the newly licensed grocery stores will be able to do so starting October 31.
The union argued that the project poses an existential threat to the LCBO and could lead to significant job losses.
“For us, seeing these products enter new private points of sale [comme les stations-service et les chaînes de dépanneurs] “means fewer working hours, fewer jobs and a drop in government revenue,” the union said in its July 11 statement.
The union said Friday the employer refused to negotiate, accusing Premier Ford of forcing the strike to advance an agenda that involves further opening the alcohol market and breaking up the LCBO in favor of corporate profits.
Mr. Ford argued the issue was not up for negotiation, while the LCBO insisted it was a matter of public policy and should not be discussed in negotiations.
In its statement Sunday, the LCBO said it wanted the strike to end and was committed to reaching an agreement.