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MPP Andrew Dowie on the LCBO strike · Kvetch & Release

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  Well, we're in unprecedented times. The LCBO is on strike, that has
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  not happened before. How is it impacting everyone? What is going to happen?
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  How long will this occur for? We'll be finding out over the coming
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  days. We know they're shut down at least for fourteen days unless a deal
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  is reached before then after that a limited service model of just about thirty stores
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  across the province for just Friday, Saturday, Sunday limited hours. It is
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  a monumental impact right now. Quite frankly joining me to discuss is our Member
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  of provincial Parliament for Windsor to come see Andrew Dowie. How you doing?
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  Oh? Doing great? John? How are you today? Hey? I'm
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  doing well. Thanks. You know, right off the bat, I don't
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  want to, you know, have people thinking that they can't go getting alcohol
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  anywhere. We still have lots of different access points. We've got the beer
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  store, there's a wine stores that are available, and of course there are
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  breweries, wineries, distilleries, sideries. It's not like access is completely limited,
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  right It is not, And it may be an opportunity to try on
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  some of our local craft breweries. Take of Walkerville or a freak or just
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  a couple that come to mind down and down my way. And look,
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  when it comes to enjoying alcohol, it is just part of our culture.
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  I don't drink a full disclosure, so I'll say personally, this doesn't quite
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  affect me, but I know I parties sometimes. It is c nearily part
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  of Canadian heritage. And so when this strike occurred, you know, it's
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  unfortunate. There was just the optioned walked away. They walked away from the
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  table and the strike was initiated. Happy Al Steel has a contingency plan.
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  It does include some home delivery and some different options, rotating openings. And
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  really, I think the fundamental piece of this is that it's the liberalization of
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  the mark offering. Ontarian's the choice of purchasing alcohol at places other than the
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  beer store and the LCBO. And this is a kind of a philosophical battle
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  of sorts. Our government was elected with that as part of its platform.
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  It was pretty commonly known that the Ford government was going to ensure that you
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  would have a choice in where to buy your alcohol. And really the situation
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  does highlight the importance of our plan to provide consumers options. And because the
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  options are deserved. You shouldn't be limited in a place like Ontario. We
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  have a free market and open market for all kinds of products, and we
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  do have a regulation surrounding who can buy and when they can buy. But
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  why pivot everything into the same spot. We are commrcid than ever to fulfilling
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  a promise to expand access to beer, cider, wine and ready to drink
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  beverages inconvenience grocery and big box stores that will be starting this summer, and
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  so in the meantime, as long as the LCBO is not available local brewers
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  like once I mentioned local wineries. The existing grocery stores are another place,
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  and one difference between the grocery stores are national in nature, national and scope.
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  And when you hear talk about the corporate players in this okay, you
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  know what MAT's who's being able to sell today and opening up the market allows
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  our local corner stores. I think of ah to Z with San Patel just
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  a couple of blocks from my office, who's looking forward to the day,
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  Terry Aldo at Midway, Wendy Allow from Winter Tower Variety. They've all mentioned
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  how important it is to bring a source of income in or else. You
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  know the traffic won't come to their stores. They have to face an uncertain
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  future. And helping small business is a great thing, and this is an
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  option to help small business and have that access and that choice for when windsor
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  rights and Ontarians need it the most. So one of the criticisms that's being
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  levied against this is that it's going to reduce the amount of money that comes
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  in through taxation to our provincial treasury because you know, the private stores are
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  going to be getting I guess a discount when it comes to the expanded access.
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  And that is one of the concerns that the LCBO workers have, or
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  at least the union is putting out there that this is going to be hurting
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  collectively on tarians. What would your response be to that, The LCBO continues
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  to collect the levee on every bottle and can sold. So I don't agree
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  that there's a risk of revenue. In fact, it's the opposite. Revenue
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  can grow because when you're faced with something closer to home, something you can
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  walk to, you may very well go and make that purchase. And I
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  guess again that philosophical piece, well, should we be encouraging alcohol sales?
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  Well, the jobs of the LCBO are dependent on alcohol sales and it's part
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  of our society, whether we choose to drink or not, and so limiting
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  it to cert a singular or basically a what do you call it biopoly dooptly
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  between beer store and LCBO is not the path forward. If we're going to
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  raise revenues off of the sale of alcohol, having it offered in more locations
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  is the way to go. Another one of the criticisms that's being levied,
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  and I you know, I think it's coming from a fair point for their
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  union is what if we end up losing unionized members here as a result of
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  this, What if we have to you know, shut down some stores?
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  And you know, I think that's a fair criticism to make. But I
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  also look at this as an opportunity though for not specifically for the Public Service
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  Union OPSU, but for the union movement as a whole to potentially be able
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  to grow, because there would be an immense opportunity here to potently organized corner
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  stores and convenience stores and gas stations in a way that they haven't been before.
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  Well, I would agree with you on that latter point, that that
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  with more points of sale, there's an opportunity to bring in more workers and
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  provide more sales close to home. If you look at l CBO, predominantly
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  they sell different pieces of wine, bottles of wine and spirits. Those are
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  not going to be available in corner stores. There there is ready to drink,
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  yes, but but for the most part, a comedian store cannot mask
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  the selection of an LCBO. You're going after two different markets here, and
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  there's room for everybody. In terms of this, LCIBO will specialize in the
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  imports, in the kind of the more called the niche bottle, the one
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  that takes some searching to get. They have a far wider selection than a
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  convenience store or another grocery store could ever provide. It's just not there's no
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  comparison. So there's there's no unless we're going to see a retrenchment of the
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  consumption of certain brands in favor of something that's just mass produced. I don't
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  think. I don't see that as being a risk. The importance here is
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  choice and convenience, and so yeah, there there'll be a room for there's
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  room for everybody. There's room for everybody to participate in this market, including
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  our local small business owners and making sure that they have the option to compete,
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  to sell and keep a viable business out there. Okay, last question
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  I'm going to ask you is, again we look at all of this questions,
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  are with this strike that's happening, how long is it going to last?
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  For with the expansion that's coming in the contract that's broken from the beer
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  store, and it did cost a lot of money for Ontarians. My prediction
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  has been that there is going to be an earlier election call than what people
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  are even speculating. I wouldn't be surprised to hear one that was called right
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  after Labor Day, when people have been able to for the first time by
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  a six pack at the corner store on a Sunday after six pm. Is
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  there gonna be an election sooner than later? Andrew? I sincerely doubt it.
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  John. I'm working here at my consistency office and I've got lots of
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  work to do. There's I'm fielding phone calls and getting visits and hearing from
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  Ontarians and Winds Right, it comes the end foot all of all kinds.
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  They need my help in doing constituency work, and so I'm spending the summer
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  working on their files. I'm picking up the phone and calling the different ministers
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  and engaging with them where we're unable to get through to the guocracy. And
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  so that's my area of focus. And I don't think that really this is
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  a reason to go to an election quite frankly, but back to the issue
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  had had. I mean, it's disappointing that giving on here is the choice
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  and convenience of buying ready made drinks, cooler, seltzers, et cetera inconvenience
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  stores that your mom and pop shop close to home is not something that OPSU
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  wants. And I'm just truly disappointed by the decision to walk away from the
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  bargaining table just hours before the deadline. We need OPSI to return it in
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  the grostating table and work towards a deal that will prioritize consumers and producers and
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  give them choice. And in the meantime, people across Ontario can go to
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  thousands of options. There's again local breweries, local wineries, slaries, distilleries,
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  restaurants, bars, agency stores, grocery stores and the beer store,
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  and ideally will get this resolved in a way that has mutual benefits for everyone
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  involved in the sales. All call them the problems Ontario. Everyone wants a
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  positive resolution, there's no doubt about that. I want to thank you so
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  much for your time, Andrew, have yourself a wonderful weekend, are you
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  two? John, Thank you, Thank you. Andrew Dowie is our member
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  of provincial Parliament for Windsor. To come see