Doug Ford knocks back plan to sell off U.S. booze for charity

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says selling off surplus American alcohol for charity is “not as easy as it sounds,” knocking back a suggestion he should do so to raise funds for food banks.

The Liberals had called on the province to sell the U.S. alcohol it pulled from the shelves of the LCBO earlier this year, arguing it was better to make some money for charity than let it be spoiled and go to waste.

The premier had said he would look at the idea and, at an unrelated event on Monday, he said he was worried the surge in demand for the prohibited drinks could hurt domestic business.

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“I’m not doing that during the Christmas holidays when it will hurt our wineries, hurt our distilleries,” he said. “It’s just not going to happen.”

The idea was first floated by the Ontario Liberals in the final days of the legislature’s fall sitting.

“Instead of letting all that American liquor — which taxpayers already paid for — collect dust in a warehouse, let’s sell it and donate the profits to Ontario’s food banks,” a statement from the caucus said last week.

“We are not calling on the LCBO to make new orders. This has nothing to do with American companies benefiting. This is only about liquidating existing inventory so that more families can eat over the holidays.”

Ford suggested he could be open to selling it in another province, but didn’t want it to detract from Ontario products.

“If we can get rid of it out of the province somewhere, we will,” he said.

Newfoundland and Labrador announced this month it would sell its U.S. booze for charity, joining Manitoba and Nova Scotia, which are doing the same.

— With a file from The Canadian Press