#lcbo

Doug Ford said Monday that Ontarians should “stock up” on Crown Royal, as it will be pulled from the shelves of LCBO stores next month. The decision was made in response to British liquor company Diageo announcing that it would be shuttering one of its factories in Ontario and moving it to the United States.

But Canadian researcher and professor Sylvain Charlebois told National Post that Ford’s move could adversely impact jobs in the rest of the country.

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Ontario's primary liquor retailer says it will not be opening some stores during the ongoing strike, walking back its initial plan to reopen select locations with limited hours, starting Friday.

In a statement posted on its website Sunday, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) said it will be "re-allocating the personnel that were planned to open LCBO retail stores for in-store shopping" to online retail sales operations.

"This pivot means that we will be able to improve how we serve Ontario bars and restaurants to help increase product selection, availability, and expedited delivery," its statement reads, adding that more details will be shared directly with its customers."

This means LCBO retail stores will no longer be open for the duration of the strike."

The company previously said it would open 32 locations for limited hours after 14 days of a strike.

Roughly 9,000 unionized workers with the LCBO began strike action more than a week ago. The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), which represents the striking workers, has called for the provincial government to either reconsider that part of its plans for privatized booze sales or make the LCBO whole for lost revenue.

As of Friday, talks between the workers' union and the LCBO have broken off completely, with no end to the strike in sight.

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We see the writing on the wall under Ford's plan. We could lose thousands, thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in public revenues

In most of Canada, hard liquor is sold exclusively through government entities rather than private companies. These government storefronts are known as the "Liquor Control Board of [province name]". The Liquor Control Board of Ontario had been on strike for the last three or so weeks, but their union prevailed and the stores re-opened today -- to the benefit of my evening plans.

Thus the haggard-looking gif. It is from Trailer Park Boys, season 2, episode 1. Ricky and Julian have just been released from jail and Bubbles asks them, "So what's the plan, boys?" The gif depicts the following scene in its entirety.

I have spent the last few days near the elderly and a rotary phone and that exposure may have influenced my current interest in the aesthetics of old technology -- VCR-quality video and the like. So I made this gif.

I love how scuffed gifs used to be by necessity and I have wanted (and tried) to perpetuate that art-form born of low bandwidth.

YES. Doug Ford's decision to let convenience stores sell liquor is PART of the reason.

NO. It's not the only reason, and not JUST about job security.

There were a LOT of reasons for this strike, and if Doug Ford walked back on his decision, it likely still would have happened.