The mayor of an Ontario town at the centre of Premier Doug Ford’s spat with alcohol maker Diageo says there is “very real hope” jobs in his community can be saved.

Michael Prue, mayor of Amherstburg, south of Windsor, told councillors Tuesday that Ford has said there are three companies interested in taking over Diageo’s operation in the town.

The British company, which produces Crown Royal, announced in August that it was shuttering its bottling facility in Amherstburg; bottling at the factory intended for the U.S. market would be shifting stateside, while bottling for Canadian consumers would move to its Valleyfield, Que., location.

The plant is scheduled to close in February 2026, affecting 168 unionized employees and potentially impacting the local economy.

“The premier has announced there are three interested parties to take over the Diageo plant. We have been working, in this town, primarily with one of them,” Prue said in a council meeting.

“I’m not at liberty to tell you who they are or where they’re from, but they have made some offers for the Diageo plant, and would be desirous of taking over that plant, along with its employees.”

Prue added that the plan has “run into some roadblocks,” but conversations with several government officials have been ongoing.

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“The discussions are going very well and we’re hoping that the proponent who wishes to buy this plant is able to do so. They are also looking at an alternative structure in Amherstburg should Diageo not wish to sell the plant,” he said.

“If the plant is sold, the plan is to keep all 168 unionized employees employed.”

4:37
‘Dumb as a bag of hammers’: Doug Ford dumps out bottle of Crown Royal in protest of plant closure

A week after Diageo announced the closure, Ford – in a viral moment of protest – poured out an entire bottle of Crown Royal at a news conference to signal his displeasure and bashed the company’s move as ill-conceived.

Earlier this month, Ford escalated his fight with Diageo, threatening to “leverage” the purchasing power of the LCBO and pull Crown Royal and Smirnoff vodka – another Diageo product – off store shelves.

“It’s not going to cost jobs and revenue (for the LCBO),” Ford said on Oct. 6.

“The only people that cost jobs and revenues is Diageo.”

0:54
‘Smirnoff’s next’: Doug Ford says he’ll pull Crown Royal from shelves over plant closure

Ford pointed to the $765 million the LCBO spends on Diageo’s products and complained that the company executives behind the decision who decided to target their “largest customer in North America” have “half a brain.”

Diegeo has said the decision to close its Ontario facility has nothing to do with tariffs from United States President Donald Trump, adding it made similar decisions in the United States, Italy and Scotland.

“We’re working very hard on this. All we can do is wait and see what happens. The big hammer, of course, is held by the premier,” Prue said Tuesday.

“There is some very real hope that this can all be brought forward and accomplished before anyone is let go.”

— with files from Isaac Callan, Gabby Rodrigues and Colin D’Mello

&copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A forensic psychologist who assessed a Toronto man who has admitted to killing two strangers in April 2022 says Richard Edwin was not faking his illness during their meeting.

Dr. Stephanie Penney testimony Wednesday offered the first glimpse into the life of Edwin, a 43-year-old high school graduate whom she found demonstrated ongoing symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as positive symptoms of psychosis. Penney also concluded Edwin demonstrated low nonverbal skills which could indicate a cognitive loss secondary to the onset of his ongoing mental illness.

Edwin has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.

His lawyers argue he should be found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder, specifically schizophrenia, that rendered him incapable of understanding his actions were wrong.

Edwin has admitted that on April 7, 2022, he took the TTC to Sherbourne Station and shot 21-year-old Kartik Vasudev multiple times as they crossed paths.

Vasudev, an international student from Seneca College, had no prior interaction with Edwin.

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Edwin fled the scene, taking a bus and subway back to his bachelor apartment on Spadina Road, north of Bloor Street.

Two days later, on April 9, Edwin also admitted to taking the subway to Queen Station, then walking to Sherbourne and Dundas streets, where he shot 35-year-old Elijah Mahepath from behind multiple times before fleeing.

Surveillance video confirmed the two had not interacted prior to the shooting. Mahepath, like Vasudev, was a stranger to Edwin.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Edwin, a registered gun owner, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2010 at age 28.

Following his arrest on April 10, 2022, police found five firearms in his residence during a search.

Dr. Penney said she interviewed Edwin and administered three standardized tests for malingering on March 13, 2025.

The assessment was done at the request of forensic psychiatrist Dr. Lisa Ramshaw, retained by the defence. Penney concluded there were no consistent evidence to suggest Edwin was making deliberate attempts to feign or exaggerate symptoms of mental illness.

Edwin told her he had not taken medication in years and was not experiencing any symptoms of schizophrenia. Penney noted that such a report was atypical and that people with schizophrenia rarely stop experiencing symptoms without treatment.

During cross-examination, assistant Crown attorney Sandra Duffey questioned Penney about a section of her report suggesting Edwin may also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Penney agreed Edwin had told her he experienced a past traumatic event that caused ongoing anxiety.

Penney clarified that her malingering assessment applied only to the time of her March 2025 evaluation. She did not ask Edwin about his mental state in April 2022, when the shootings occurred.

Edwin’s mother is expected to testify Thursday.

&copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.