‘Still going to be banned’: Ford says on U.S. alcohol returning to Ontario shelves
Premier Doug Ford says U.S. alcohol will continue to be banned in Ontario “until they cut the tariffs or we make a deal with them.”
Ford made the comments at an unrelated press conference on Wednesday.
“It’s still going to be banned until they cut the tariffs or we make a deal with them. It’s not coming on our shelves,” Ford said, adding Ontario’s wine sales are up more than 67 per cent.
“If there’s a deal, another USMCA deal, which I don’t think is going to happen for the next few months, but you never know with President Trump, he could pull the carpet out from underneath us in a heartbeat like he has before,” Ford said. “Or they get rid of their tariffs and then we’ll bring the booze back into the LCBO. And if they don’t, then they’re aren’t getting any booze on our shelves.”
When asked about whether Ontario will have to dump any U.S. alcohol due to expiration, Ford said, “We still have a few months before anything expires, and we’ll take it from there.”
Canadian provinces and territories decided to pull U.S. alcohol products off their shelves in March in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
Those products remain unavailable in government-run liquor stores in Ontario, B.C., Manitoba, Quebec, Atlantic Canada and the northern territories nearly six months later.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States issued a statement shortly after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Friday he would remove most counter-tariffs on U.S. goods, which include American spirits, calling it a “very positive sign.”
However, they said that until all provinces put American spirits back on their shelves, it won’t have much of an impact.
In an interview with Global News, Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, said they have seen a 65 per cent decline in U.S. distilled spirits sales to Canada.
He also noted the U.S. and Canadian alcohol industry is “very intertwined together” and that there has been a broad impact on both the Canadian and U.S. hospitality industries.
“The immediate outstanding issue for great industry, and when I say great industry — the Canadian and the U.S. distilled spirits industry together — is hopefully the provinces will consider putting American distilled spirits back on the shelves,” Swonger said.
Swonger said distilleries in Louisville, Ky., have shut down business going to Canada after making investments.
“On behalf of the U.S. distilled spirits industry, I come with an open hand to continue our friendship. Our industry is not involved in the broader national politics that have been under play,” Swonger said.
“With great respect, we don’t want Canada to be the 51st state. We don’t have a view on that.”
— With files from Global News’ Colin D’Mello and Uday Rana
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
TORONTO – Toronto Blue Jays utilityman Ernie Clement suffered a “very small” hairline fracture to a small bone at the base of his left middle finger, manager John Schneider said.
Clement was not in the starting lineup for Toronto’s home game against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night but was available if needed.
“I don’t think it’s going to get worse or heal any differently if he was playing or not,” Schneider said in a media availability before the rubber game of the three-game series.
Related Videos
Clement was hit by a pitch in the hand in the opener on Monday night. He stayed in the game and had a run and a hit in Toronto’s 10-4 win.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
Clement had two hits in the Blue Jays’ 7-5 loss on Tuesday night. A CT scan after the game revealed the fracture, Schneider said.
“It’s pain tolerance,” he said. “Just giving him a day to day and hopefully tomorrow (he can return).”
Clement also needed 10 stitches in his left shin after he was spiked while making a tag at third base on Tuesday.
He has a .274 average with nine homers and 40 RBIs in 130 games this season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
A parks and forestry manager in Stratford, Ont., is asking residents to stay on the lookout as five of the city’s iconic swans remain at large.
Quin Malott says he first noticed the dwindling number of swans two weeks ago, when he went to feed the usual six floating on Lake Victoria in the city’s centre.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
He says all six swans were missing when he returned to the same area the following day, leaving no trace — not even feathers.
Malott says he doesn’t know if the birds were taken, but it is a possibility since they’ve become accustomed to being fed by humans.
He says close to a dozen Stratford residents called to report they had spotted one of the fugitive birds in the city’s north end earlier this week, and there are plans to recover it on Thursday.
Malott says the swans are not tracked with devices and asks anyone who sees one on the run to give him or the city a call.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Construction on Premier Doug Ford’s marquee Highway 413 will kick off in the coming months, the government said, even as the overall costs and completion date for the project remains a tightly guarded secret at Queen’s Park.
The Ford government announced two construction contracts — to upgrade Highway 10 in Caledon and the 401/407 interchange in Mississauga — have been awarded, paving the way for the premier’s long-promised 52-kilometre highway connecting drivers from Milton and Halton to Vaughan.
When pressed for construction timelines and overall cost estimates for the highway project, however, the government offered few details.
“What I have been told, this is going to start in the next few days. And the other the other interchange is going to start in the next couple of weeks,” Ford said.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the project falls under the government’s overall 10-year, $30 billion public infrastructure capital plan but declined to give a specific number citing the process of awarding contracts.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
“Over the next couple of years, you will see the contract has been broken up into many different pieces. That enables more workers to get to work quicker,” Sarkaria said.
“We’ll continue to work with, those in the industry to accelerate it and get it done as quickly as possible,” Sarkaria said.
Ford confirms effort to shift 413 Route
Ford also confirmed his efforts to shift a significant portion of the highway to accommodate a request from a Canadian developer looking to save a planned housing project in the area.
Global News revealed Ford was considering a “developer proposed alignment” which would have shifted the 413 by approximately 600 meters in Caledon to prevent it from cutting though the development.
At a news conference, Wednesday, Ford confirmed the effort and called it “common sense.”
“You’re taking away over 3,000 homes and good jobs and so on and so forth,” Ford said, adding the project could be saved “if they just moved it up 600 metres.”
Documents obtained by Global News showed the premier was warned by ministry officials that realigning the highway would trigger a two-year delay because portions of the project would require a new environmental assessment.
Any realignment from the current “preferred route” would have also impacted other road construction projects, regional infrastructure plans and home construction as well.
After Global News reached out to the government after the confidential document, the Premier’s Office said the route change was no longer under consideration.
“They’re saying it would take two years,” Ford said of the briefing he received. “They were giving me every excuse in the world for why it can’t be done.”
Caledon Mayor Anette Groves said the request from the developer “isn’t unusual” and had been considered by the town council as well.
“But as the premier said … if it’s going to delay projects and it can’t be done, it just can’t be done,” Groves said.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
-
Uncategorized3 months agoShop Proud, Eat Proud, Be Proud — Ottawa Canada Day Market This June 28th
-
2 months agoCanada’s world junior trial saw juries tossed, intense testimony. Here’s a recap
-
2 months agoRing of Fire road to bring prosperity to First Nation, problems for caribou: report
-
2 months agoMeasles circulating in northeastern B.C. community, health officials warn
-
3 months agoAnishinabek Nation chief says he briefed Ontario police on protests against Bill 5
-
2 months agoJagmeet Singh apologizes for attending Kendrick Lamar concert after Drake calls him out
-
2 months agoFormer major leaguer, Jays doctor Ron Taylor dies
-
2 months agoDreaming of a lakeside cottage but can’t afford it? Co-ownership could open that door