The banker has been heard from. The other day we noted that Ontario wine drinkers were waiting to hear about liberalizing wine sales in Ontario. We have been waiting for a long time for this and it seems that we will be waiting even longer. It is turning into a bravura performance of incrementalism. The question we ask is it necessary? Is the public frightened of change? Or are the political manipulators raising the price of liberalism?
It makes us curious. What is the price of bidding for a licence to sell beer in Ontario? What is the price of bidding for a licence to sell wine? Is the payment by cheque to the Ontario Treasurer or in cash in a plain envelope? Is Ontario still back in the 1920s or is this the 21st Century? All that we are told just raises more questions.
Why the delays? When you make up your mind to allow one grocery store to sell a product, is it not fair to allow all grocery stores to sell the product? Favouring one store over another smacks of corruption. It fails the smell test.
In 50 years of being involved in Ontario politics, this is the most blatantly stupid process we have ever heard of. Having politicians blaming it on a banker is downright embarrassing. And the people who should be the most embarrassed are the editors of the Toronto Star. You wonder what has happened to their claimed concern for their readers?
The other day in a “Toronto Star Exclusive,” reporter Martin Regg Cohn tells us of wine industry fears of liberalized sales. Does that mean Ontario wine producers do not think they can compete? Regg Cohn should ask more questions.
But if they cannot compete, why should 40 grocery stores only be allowed to sell Ontario wines? Why penalize the grocery stores to support Ontario wines? Just think, in another five years wine in grocery stores might have a level playing field?
It is when they blame all these machinations on a banker, you wonder how much they are paying him to take the blame?
What is running this booze circus is greed. The civil servants want to protect the province’s revenue stream of about $2 billion a year from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores. The politicians seem to want the ongoing publicity and to protect their revenue stream from the liquor, wine and beer interests and their unions. Only the public gets the dirty end of the stick.
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Copyright 2016 © Peter Lowry
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