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3mo ago

Ontario Keeps Crown Royal on LCBO Shelves for Now as Ford Presses Diageo Over Plant Closure

Diageo cites supply‑chain consolidation under financial pressure for shifting bottling out of Amherstburg, putting nearly 200 jobs at risk.

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.
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.
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. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan
Closing the Amherstburg bottling plant so Diageo can move operations closer to U.S. customers will kill 160 local jobs. PHOTO BY DAN JANISSE /Windsor Star

Overview

  • The Amherstburg, Ont., bottling facility is slated to close in February 2026, with U.S.-bound bottling moving stateside and Canadian-market bottling shifting to Valleyfield, Que.
  • Ontario’s Ministry of Finance says no decision will be made on pulling Crown Royal from LCBO shelves until after the closure, with all options described as being on the table.
  • Premier Doug Ford poured out a bottle of Crown Royal, urged Ontarians to buy local whisky, and said Diageo declined provincial incentives to keep the jobs in Ontario.
  • Diageo says the decision is final, pledges support for affected workers, maintains a significant Canadian footprint, and confirms Crown Royal will continue to be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada.
  • Experts link the move to Diageo’s cost-cutting after a reported 28% drop in operating profit, framing U.S.-proximate bottling as a supply-chain play, as federal Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc praised Ford for standing up for workers.