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11h ago

Ford Dumps Crown Royal as Ontario Presses Diageo Over Amherstburg Plant Closure

The premier signaled possible provincial action after Diageo confirmed plans to shut the Amherstburg bottling site in February 2026.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford empties a Crown Royal bottle of whisky at a press conference in Kitchener, Ont., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. Ford criticized the popular whisky's parent company, Diageo, for their plan to close one of their Ontario bottling plants in the coming months.
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Overview

  • Diageo says the Amherstburg, Ontario bottling facility will close in February 2026 as U.S.-bound bottling shifts to the United States and Canadian-market bottling moves to Valleyfield, Quebec.
  • Roughly 200 jobs are expected to be affected overall, including about 160 unionized workers represented by Unifor Local 200.
  • At a Kitchener news conference, Premier Doug Ford poured out a bottle of Crown Royal, castigated the decision, and urged consumers to buy Ontario-made whisky.
  • The premier’s office said all options are on the table, noting Ontario has previously used LCBO market leverage in trade disputes, and Ford said Diageo rejected potential provincial incentives.
  • Diageo called the move a difficult supply-chain decision, pledged support for affected employees, and said Crown Royal will continue to be mashed, distilled, blended and aged in Canada as Unifor vows to fight the closure.