Cost of storing banned U.S. booze in Ontario hits $8 million as products expire

Ontario is spending $8 million to keep American booze locked away as the trade war drags on, with storage costs climbing by nearly $1 million each month.

After yanking Kentucky bourbon and other U.S.-made liquor products off LCBO shelves in response to Donald Trump's trade war, the province is coming up against expiry dates and ballooning warehouse bills. According to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, the monthly expense to store the product is approaching $1 million.

Meanwhile, some of the alcohol has already gone bad. Roughly $2.6 million worth of U.S. product expired at the end of March 2026, bringing the total cost of the retaliatory trade strategy to more than $10 million.

According to the LCBO, "the majority of product, roughly 97 per cent, remains in good condition and within its normal shelf-life." Spirits and wines that remain suitable for consumption can be safe to consume for up to a decade.

Michael Armstrong, professor at Brock University's Goodman School of Business, said the math is working against the province. "Every month that this carries on, we're looking at a little bit less than $1 million a month," he said. "Which comes out of the LCBO's profit margin, which ultimately comes out of the money that would have gone to the Provincial Treasury, which means it's basically us taxpayers." Armstrong argued the LCBO might as well sell the inventory it already has rather than continuing to drain the budget.

Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy's office said in a statement: "It's the same as it has been throughout, until tariffs are removed the product will remain off the shelves."