As the McGuinty government prepares to receive the findings of a study into the possible sale of Crown corporations, members of OPSEU’s Liquor Board Employees Division hosted a reception yesterday at Queen’s Park where they told MPPs the LCBO must stay in public hands.

Several dozen MPPs and political staffers stopped by the afternoon-long reception where they were treated to some of Ontario’s finest wines and a wide selection of gourmet appetizers. The effort by LBED was intended to promote the “LCBO experience,” which customers enjoy when shopping at their local outlet.

The MPPs also received a blunt message from LBED members: the LCBO isn’t for sale and it’s time to repatriate dozens of privately-owned and operated agency stores.

“The MPPs got an earful from us,” said Rick Woodall, chair of LBED’s privatization committee. “We told each and every one of them that selling off the LCBO would be a terrible mistake. Not only would the people of Ontario lose hundreds of millions in future revenues, but the LCBO’s role in promoting social responsibility would be severely damaged.”

LBED chair, Denise Davis, said most MPPs seemed receptive to LBED’s pitch.

“Certainly the NDP MPPs and many Liberals appeared to support our position. They recognize that the LCBO is a valuable public asset and that the interest of all Ontarians is best served by its continued public ownership. It shouldn’t be sold-off just to reduce the deficit,” said Davis.

“Even a couple of Conservatives indicated some support, especially around the importance of the LCBO when it comes to exercising social responsibility.”

In December, the premier announced that his government has retained the services of two banking investment firms to advise it on the possible privatization of several Crown corporations, including the LCBO. LBED’s Queen’s Park reception on Wednesday was a reminder to MPPs that OPSEU will mount a vigorous campaign to keep the LCBO in public hands.

The MPPs who attended included NDP leader Andrea Horwath (Hamilton Centre), former leader Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River) and most of the party’s caucus members. Mario Sergio  (York West), the Hon. Steve Peters (Elgin-Middlesex-London) and Bruce Crozier (Essex) were among a small handful of Liberal MPPs, while a surprising number of Conservatives showed up, including Robert Bailey (Sarnia-Lambton), Garfield Dunlop (Simcoe North) and Julia Munro (York Simcoe).

While Premier Dalton McGuinty was a no-show, a representative of his office attended briefly. Finance minister Dwight Duncan, the cabinet member who is responsible for the LCBO, didn’t attend and did not send a representative.

OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas stopped by and reminded LBED members the fight is never over when the issue is privatization of the LCBO.

“We’ve been down this road before and we’ll probably go down it again,” said the president. “LBED is doing a great job defending the public interest. Our members know first-hand that the people of Ontario have no interest in selling-off the LCBO.”

LBED members also used the occasion of Wednesday’s Lobby Day to present visiting MPPs with an update on LCBO agency stores. The new findings, conducted by an independent consultant, show that the LCBO is losing more than $20 million per year in revenue from its most profitable agency stores – an amount that will grow to more than $340 million, in total, over the next 10 years.

“It’s unbelievable that at a time when the province is running an operating deficit of $25 billion, the government continues to allow many of these privately-owned and operated agency stores to stay in business. The profits they’re earning could be returned to the provincial treasury,” said Woodall.

For further Information:  Sabrina DeGirolamo Campaigns Officer 416-518-2368 (cell)