Should Ontario sell its stash of U.S. booze and give the cash to charity? Artwork

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Should Ontario sell its stash of U.S. booze and give the cash to charity?

December 11, 2025 • Village Media Inc.

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Cheers to charity? That’s what the Ford government is being urged to do.

For months, the LCBO has been sitting on an $80-million stockpile of U.S. booze — all of it yanked off store shelves back in March as retaliation for Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

The Ontario Liberals are now calling on the province to sell all that bourbon, wine and spritzers and donate the money to charitable causes — following the lead of other provinces, including Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

The Ford government hasn’t completely ruled out the idea, saying it’s “currently exploring options for the products.”

“It seems like a no-brainer,” says Tom Cooper, a business professor at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador, one of the growing number of provinces selling its U.S. alcohol to benefit food banks.

“I would encourage the Ford government, the Conservatives, to do this,” he continued. “It’s a good political win for them to say: ‘Look, we took a hard line. We've been leading the opposition in Canada around the tariffs, but we decided to try and help some groups that really are trying to do good in the community.’”

Cooper is our guest on tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast. Fill a glass and enjoy the show.

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