Doug Ford is moving public money out of schools and hospitals, right into billionaire pockets – we’re trying to stop him

Dear Ontario,

Take a moment to imagine a beautiful sunny day. Families are enjoying the Science Centre. Friends are sipping drinks on a patio. Well-resourced schools are on a break, and hospitals provide quick and accessible treatment.

This is the future LCBO workers want for our province, but Doug Ford is making it impossible. Piece by piece, he’s giving away our public assets to greedy billionaires and grocery chain CEOs. He tried to sell off the green belt, put Service Ontario in Staples, shut down the Ontario Science Centre, and is making us pay more for health care.

Now, he’s coming for the  LCBO too.

Whether you work or shop there, every Ontarian deserves to benefit from the $2.5 billion it generates to pay for our public services. You may not realize it, but your purchases at the LCBO help fund hospitals, schools, parks, and more. Doug Ford wants your hard-earned dollars to line the pockets of big-box grocery and convenience chain CEOs instead.

With so much at stake, LCBO workers have no choice but to act. We have exhausted every option in trying to protect Ontario’s future — and our own livelihoods. And because Doug Ford refuses to come to the table and do what’s right, we have been forced to strike. We’ll be back at the table as soon as Doug Ford tells the LCBO to put forward an offer that provides a future that protects good jobs in our communities and the revenues that fund the services we all rely on.

None of us want the LCBO closed this summer. We know it’s inconvenient. But let’s be real, there are worse inconveniences, like:

• Patients suffer long wait times at understaffed hospitals.
• Children getting heat stroke in overheated schools.
• Families missing out on meaningful memories at the Ontario Science Centre.
• Ontarians losing money that should go into the services we rely on.

OPSEU

Then there are the numbers. Earlier I noted that public alcohol sales bring in $2.5 billion in revenue that goes towards public services. It’s not always easy to recognize just how big a sum that is. For comparison’s sake, 2.5 million seconds equals just under 29 days, and 2.5 billion seconds equals just under 29,000 days. When you think of it that way, it becomes obvious just how significant an impact public alcohol sales have in funding public services.

If I could summarize what we’re asking for in one word, it would be investment.

We want the Ford government to invest in the LCBO by increasing our locations, expanding our hours, and creating good jobs. With these changes, we can grow our revenue and invest it right back into our communities.

In times of stress and insecurity, it’s easy to forget we’re on the same side. Doug Ford and his billionaire buddies want to pit LCBO workers against the rest of Ontario. They hope that if we spend our time arguing with one another, we’ll be too busy to notice their corruption and greed. I want to remind you that we have so much in common:

• We BOTH want to protect public services — like hospitals, schools, and critical infrastructure.
• We BOTH want public money to go to public services — not billionaire pockets.
• We BOTH want the best possible future for this province — and are willing to fight for it.

So please, join LCBO workers in this battle. Together I know we can win.

Sincerely,

Colleen MacLeod, Advertising Partner