Ontario running $8M tab storing $79M worth of U.S. alcohol seized over tariffs
Sixteen months after pulling American products from LCBO shelves, the province still hasn't decided what to do with the stockpile.
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Ontario has spent roughly $8 million in taxpayer money storing nearly $80 million worth of American alcohol that was pulled from Liquor Control Board of Ontario shelves 16 months ago, and the province still won't say what it plans to do with it.
The LCBO removed the inventory in March 2025 after Premier Doug Ford ordered U.S. alcohol off shelves at more than 660 outlets across the province in response to Trump administration tariffs on Canadian goods. Records obtained by reporters offer the clearest picture yet of the stockpile's size and condition: roughly 97 per cent of the product remains in good condition and within its normal shelf life, according to LCBO spokesperson Sebastian Skamski.
About $2.6 million worth of the alcohol has expired to date — roughly 3.3 per cent of the original stockpile. Officials identified products at risk of expiry early on, estimating in June 2025 that about $2.9 million worth could spoil within six months; a month later, that estimate had fallen to about $2 million over the following nine months.
Ontario's approach now differs sharply from other provinces. Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador eventually returned at least some U.S. alcohol to store shelves — in several cases donating proceeds to charity. Ontario continues to warehouse the inventory while reviewing options.
Marvin Ryder, an associate professor of marketing at McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business in Hamilton, said the decision to abruptly remove U.S. alcohol created an unprecedented logistical challenge for the LCBO. "The fog of war continues because I haven't seen anyone talk about what's going to happen with that inventory," he said.
CBC News had previously requested records related to the province's disposal plans, but those plans were redacted in earlier documents. Following a nine-month freedom of information appeal, the LCBO removed some redactions but continued to withhold passages over specific plans it says contain "advice to government."
