TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he will definitely 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.
Diageo is shifting some bottling volume to the United States in a move that will affect about 200 jobs.
The company also has bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec, but Ford says he predicts those facilities will also be shuttered in favour of production in Alabama.
Diageo said in the fall that its Crown Royal products will continue to be mashed, distilled and aged at its Canadian facilities.
Ford says he "can't wait" to take Crown Royal out of Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2025.
Allison Jones, The Canadian Press