Amount lost on Mondays could be ‘invested in our long-term care facilities, hospitals and homeless shelters'
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) is calling on the provincial government to crack down on private stores illegally selling alcohol as early as 7 a.m., and to push the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) to immediately reopen on Mondays.
"We've got the receipts showing that private convenience and grocery stores have been selling to people very early in the morning, and it's got to stop," says Warren Thomas, president of OPSEU. "The LCBO has a long, proud history of responsible sales and the government should be doing everything it can to encourage Ontarians to shop LCBO. And retailers flouting the law should immediately lose the privilege of selling alcohol. No ifs, ands or buts.”
In March, LCBO announced that all of its retail locations will be closed on Mondays, and the previously announced reduced hours of 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. would continue to apply Tuesday through Sundays.
"With the majority of Ontario moving to Stage 3 of the reopening, it's time to reopen LCBO stores on Mondays," says Thomas. "Closing them might have made sense early in the pandemic, but now it's time for the LCBO to return to its regular hours."
The union noted that along with more responsible sales, there are good financial reasons to return the LCBO to its regular hours.
"The people of Ontario lose big money every Monday that LCBO stores remain closed," says Thomas. "The ever-expanding number of grocery stores and privatized LCBO 'convenience outlets' are all selling alcohol on Mondays. And for every bottle they sell, rich CEOs like Galen Weston are skimming profits that would otherwise have been invested in our long-term care facilities, hospitals and homeless shelters.”
Also in March, almost half (43 per cent) of small employers in Canada reduced hours for staff, while one-fifth have started temporary layoffs.
