Shortly after cancelling the basic income pilot program, Ontario Premier Doug Ford made good on his campaign promise for “buck-a-beer,” a slap in the face to struggling residents across the province.
Nothing more than a marketing ploy concocted to somehow bring back the so-called good old days of 1992 when Hamilton’s own Lakeport Brewing offered a two-four for $24, the carnival-barker-style program pitched to Ford hanger-ons does a disservice to the government’s idea of protecting the public.
At the time, buck-a-beer was a gimmicky idea to sell watered down suds. It was also a time when beer giants Molson and Labatt were fighting among themselves for market share during a recession, tax hikes and the ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations.
The idea didn’t last too long. Eventually the province boosted the price of a case of beer from $24 to $25.60, eliminating the buck-a-beer suds. Thanks to both Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments the floor price for a case of 24 is now $29.35.
The Centre for Addictions Research in British Columbia has reported that every time the price of alcohol increases by 10 per cent, there is an eight per cent drop in alcohol-related hospital admissions. Studies have also shown that it is the lower-income people who are the most impacted by the changes to the pricing.
Currently, Ontario has about 201 people hospitalized for conditions related to alcohol per 100,000 in population, slightly below the average found in Western Canada.
By allowing companies to sell their beers at $1 per can, the logical conclusion is the people with the most to lose are the ones who will take advantage of the cheap beer. Ford is essentially cutting off financial help to needy people one week, while asking them to buy a beer in an effort to get loaded the next.
For the companies that follow Ford’s shaky business advice, they are being promised special bonuses at the LCBO such as prime shelf space and discounts. But as with any scheme, there is always a catch. The PCs won’t reduce the taxes on beer, nor does it include draft beer in restaurants or bars or impact the bottle discount.
It has prompted the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and various health professionals to express concern buck-a-beer will result in more deaths, hospitalizations and diseases.
This is another Ford idea that has fallen flat.
Shortly after cancelling the basic income pilot program, Ontario Premier Doug Ford made good on his campaign promise for “buck-a-beer,” a slap in the face to struggling residents across the province.
Nothing more than a marketing ploy concocted to somehow bring back the so-called good old days of 1992 when Hamilton’s own Lakeport Brewing offered a two-four for $24, the carnival-barker-style program pitched to Ford hanger-ons does a disservice to the government’s idea of protecting the public.
At the time, buck-a-beer was a gimmicky idea to sell watered down suds. It was also a time when beer giants Molson and Labatt were fighting among themselves for market share during a recession, tax hikes and the ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations.
The idea didn’t last too long. Eventually the province boosted the price of a case of beer from $24 to $25.60, eliminating the buck-a-beer suds. Thanks to both Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments the floor price for a case of 24 is now $29.35.
The Centre for Addictions Research in British Columbia has reported that every time the price of alcohol increases by 10 per cent, there is an eight per cent drop in alcohol-related hospital admissions. Studies have also shown that it is the lower-income people who are the most impacted by the changes to the pricing.
Currently, Ontario has about 201 people hospitalized for conditions related to alcohol per 100,000 in population, slightly below the average found in Western Canada.
By allowing companies to sell their beers at $1 per can, the logical conclusion is the people with the most to lose are the ones who will take advantage of the cheap beer. Ford is essentially cutting off financial help to needy people one week, while asking them to buy a beer in an effort to get loaded the next.
For the companies that follow Ford’s shaky business advice, they are being promised special bonuses at the LCBO such as prime shelf space and discounts. But as with any scheme, there is always a catch. The PCs won’t reduce the taxes on beer, nor does it include draft beer in restaurants or bars or impact the bottle discount.
It has prompted the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and various health professionals to express concern buck-a-beer will result in more deaths, hospitalizations and diseases.
This is another Ford idea that has fallen flat.
Shortly after cancelling the basic income pilot program, Ontario Premier Doug Ford made good on his campaign promise for “buck-a-beer,” a slap in the face to struggling residents across the province.
Nothing more than a marketing ploy concocted to somehow bring back the so-called good old days of 1992 when Hamilton’s own Lakeport Brewing offered a two-four for $24, the carnival-barker-style program pitched to Ford hanger-ons does a disservice to the government’s idea of protecting the public.
At the time, buck-a-beer was a gimmicky idea to sell watered down suds. It was also a time when beer giants Molson and Labatt were fighting among themselves for market share during a recession, tax hikes and the ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations.
The idea didn’t last too long. Eventually the province boosted the price of a case of beer from $24 to $25.60, eliminating the buck-a-beer suds. Thanks to both Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments the floor price for a case of 24 is now $29.35.
The Centre for Addictions Research in British Columbia has reported that every time the price of alcohol increases by 10 per cent, there is an eight per cent drop in alcohol-related hospital admissions. Studies have also shown that it is the lower-income people who are the most impacted by the changes to the pricing.
Currently, Ontario has about 201 people hospitalized for conditions related to alcohol per 100,000 in population, slightly below the average found in Western Canada.
By allowing companies to sell their beers at $1 per can, the logical conclusion is the people with the most to lose are the ones who will take advantage of the cheap beer. Ford is essentially cutting off financial help to needy people one week, while asking them to buy a beer in an effort to get loaded the next.
For the companies that follow Ford’s shaky business advice, they are being promised special bonuses at the LCBO such as prime shelf space and discounts. But as with any scheme, there is always a catch. The PCs won’t reduce the taxes on beer, nor does it include draft beer in restaurants or bars or impact the bottle discount.
It has prompted the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and various health professionals to express concern buck-a-beer will result in more deaths, hospitalizations and diseases.
This is another Ford idea that has fallen flat.