Ontario Premier Doug Ford empties a Crown Royal bottle of whisky at a press conference in Kitchener, Ont., on Tuesday.Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is reacting angrily to news of the closure of a plant that bottles Crown Royal, pouring out a bottle at a press conference and encouraging others to dump the whisky as well.
Spirits maker Diageo announced last week that it will cease operations at its bottling facility in Amherstburg, Ont., early next year, as it shifts some bottling volume to the United States.
The move will affect about 200 jobs.
Diageo to close Amherstburg, Ont., facility as it moves some bottling volume to U.S.
The company has said it was a difficult decision made to improve the efficiency and resiliency of its supply chain, but Ford says the decision shows they are “as dumb as a bag of hammers.”
Ford says he asked the company if there were any incentives Ontario could provide to save the jobs but Diageo officials said no.
The premier then produced a bottle of Crown Royal and proceeded to slowly dump it out at the end of an unrelated press conference, saying everyone should do the same and instead support companies that make whisky in Ontario.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticized the popular whisky's parent company, Diageo, for their plan to close one of their Ontario bottling plants in the coming months.Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press
Diageo has said it will engage with the community and find ways to support its employees through the transition, and work alongside Unifor to assist unionized workers.
The company said it will still maintain a “significant” footprint in Canada — including its headquarters and warehouse operations in the Greater Toronto Area, and bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford reacted angrily to news that spirits maker Diageo will close its Crown Royal bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ont., early next year, pouring out a bottle at a press conference and encouraging others to dump the whisky as well.
The Canadian Press