TORONTO – Ontario Premier Doug Ford is vowing to follow through on a threat to remove Crown Royal whisky from liquor store shelves as soon as a Windsor-area bottling plant closes next month.
Ford first put parent company Diageo in his crosshairs at a memorable press conference this fall when he slowly poured out a bottle of Crown Royal to protest the company’s decision to close its Amherstburg plant.
At the time he issued a vague “you hurt my people, I’m going to hurt you,” threat, which later turned into a consideration of removing Crown Royal from Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores.
On Monday, he said he will “100 per cent” go ahead with that.
Diageo also has bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec and the company says that its Crown Royal products will continue to be mashed, distilled and aged at Canadian facilities.
Ford, however, is skeptical.
“Eventually, you know where they’re going,” he said, noting the Manitoba and Quebec facilities. “It’s all going to Alabama, mark my words.”
Diageo says bottling volume from Amherstburg is moving to Quebec.
The closure affects about 200 jobs, but Ford said there are “quite a few” companies interested in the plant and they could rehire the workers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2025.
