One day after strike ends, Ontario liquor distributors are taking the LCBO to court

Now that the skirmish between the province and LCBO has ended, alcohol suppliers throughout Ontario are looking to get their due. 

In an official press release from Spirits Canada, liquor distributors throughout Ontario are currently assessing the damage done by what they allege are restrictive policies set by the LCBO back in 2023 — and as a result — are taking legal action. 

These suppliers, who comprise 70 per cent of Ontario’s alcohol distribution arm,  have claimed that standards set by the LCBO have deadlocked them into policies they deem contradictory. These policies ensure that alcohol distributors within the province adhere to minimum pricing standards set by the LCBO, even if these prices are higher or lower in other parts of Canada.

Beyond that, retailers have indicated that this system also forces distributors to raise prices in other provinces to match the LCBO.

If retailers do not comply with these standards, they are issued penalties. As a result, Spirits Canada has indicated that due to wholesalers feeling pressured, they have filed a court application with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to deem the LCBO pricing terms invalid. 

Spirits suppliers throughout Ontario have also notified the Competition Bureau of Canada, citing major anti-competitive standards affecting consumers nationwide. Spirits Canada has indicated that retailers have been negotiating with LCBO representatives for months to come to an understanding.

However, according to Spirits Canada, LCBO representatives instead opted to apply their pricing standards retroactively, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in penalties for products sold a year prior to these policy changes. 

“As spirits suppliers, we have always appreciated our longstanding strategic partnership with the LCBO,” said Cal Bricker, President & CEO of Spirits Canada in an official statement. “We are disappointed that we have had to refer the LCBO’s contradictory policies to the courts, but at this time, and amid retaliatory measures by the LCBO, we have been left with no other options.”

According to Spirits Canada, the following brands affected by these price-fixing policies are: 

• Bacardi Rum
• Grey Goose
• Martini
• Dewar’s
• Bombay Sapphire
• Canadian Club
• Alberta Pure
• Alberta Premium
• Sauza Tequila
• Jim Beam
• Maker’s Mark
• Ben Riach
• Chambord
• El Jimador
• Ford’s Gin
• Gentleman Jack
• GlenDronach
• Herradura
• Jack Daniel’s
• Old Forester
• Woodford Reserve
• J.P. Wiser’s
• Polar Ice
• Lamb’s
• Lot No. 40
• Jameson
• Absolut
• Beefeater
• The Glenlivet
• Chivas Regal
• Kahlua
• Malibu
• Altos
• Crown Royal
• Smirnoff
• Guinness
• Johnnie Walker
• Captain Morgan
• Tanqueray
• Baileys
• Ketel One
• Talisker
• Lagavulin
• Bulleit
• Gordon’s
• Campari
• Skyy Vodka
• Wild Turkey
• Appleton Estate
• Aperol
• Grand Marnier
• Espolon
• Courvoisier
• Wray & Nephew
• Forty Creek
• Frangelico
• Cinzano
• Remy Martin
• Louis XIII
• Cointreau
• Metaxa
• Mount Gay
• St-Remy
• Bruichladdich
• The Botanist
• The Hautes Glaces
• Westland Distillery
• Telmont
• Belle de Brillet