The Ontario government is actively concealing crucial information regarding its substantial collection of American alcohol goods, valued at around $79.1 million, which were removed from retail outlets in retaliation to the Canada-U.S. trade dispute. CBC News initiated a freedom-of-information request to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) in August to discover the status, scale, and disposal strategies for the U.S. alcohol products withdrawn in March. However, the LCBO took 64 days to respond, exceeding the legal 30-day timeframe. The released 50-page documents were heavily redacted, obscuring details such as the amount of inventory at risk of expiration, the quantity already disposed of, and the total taxpayer cost.
In contrast to other provincial liquor authorities in Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, which have disclosed information about their U.S. liquor inventories, the LCBO has maintained secrecy. The documents revealed a projected $2.9 million inventory provision in the 2024-25 financial records for potential expiring products. Yet, crucial underlying data supporting the estimate remained classified under “cabinet confidence.”
The directive to remove U.S.-made alcohol from LCBO shelves was a response to President Trump’s trade actions, as per Colin Blachar, the director of media for Ontario’s Finance Ministry. The products are currently stored awaiting further instructions, with minimal expiration reported due to the extended shelf life of alcohol goods.
James Turk, a researcher at Toronto Metropolitan University, criticized the LCBO’s classification of inventory details as “cabinet confidence,” emphasizing that such information is operational and should not be shielded from public scrutiny. Turk highlighted a pattern of government secrecy, including previous refusals to disclose significant information. The lack of transparency in various governmental dealings has raised concerns about the overall commitment to openness and accountability.
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles condemned the LCBO’s secrecy as part of a broader trend within the Ford government. Stiles emphasized the importance of transparency in governmental decision-making and expressed disappointment at the consistent withholding of information from the public. CBC News has lodged an appeal with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario’s Office regarding the redacted internal documents from the LCBO.