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.”
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.”
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
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