Ontario runs $8M tab storing U.S. alcohol, as province's plans for stockpile still uncertain
The Ontario government has spent $8 million storing American alcohol that was pulled from shelves, with no clear plan for its disposal or return. While other provinces have returned similar products to shelves or donated proceeds, Ontario continues to warehouse the inventory.
Why it matters
It raises questions about government transparency and the efficient use of taxpayer funds regarding provincial liquor board operations.
"The majority of the product, roughly 97 per cent, remains in good condition and [is] within its normal shelf life," Sebastian Skamski, an LCBO spokesperson, wrote in an email to CBC News.
The LCBO said taxpayers have spent about $8 million storing the inventory, lower than an outside estimate previously reported by CBC News. The provincial liquor board also said roughly $2.6 million worth of stranded American alcohol has expired to date — about 3.3 per cent of the original stockpile.
Newly disclosed records obtained by CBC News provide the clearest picture yet of the size of the stockpile and the products identified as being at risk of expiry. They still don't explain what the provincial government ultimately plans to do with $79 million worth of American alcohol that has been sitting in LCBO warehouses.
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