Rural liquor outlets running dry as LCBO strike continues
'Agency stores' say they're having trouble keeping shelves stocked
At Kitley Grocery in tiny Toledo, Ont., about halfway between Ottawa and Kingston, the liquor supply is starting to run low.
"We've got some stuff on the shelf, but I know people came in and they bought what we had," said the store's owner Lynn Kerr.
As one of a few hundred "agency stores" dotting the province that are licensed to sell alcohol under the LCBO's convenience outlet program, Kitley Grocery serves a sprawling rural area with no stand-alone LCBO retail location.
I hope we have products to sell because if we don't, there'll be a lot of people who are going to be not very happy.- Dan Von der Hoeh, Golden Lake Variety Store
While the agency stores and their employees aren't directly affected by the ongoing LCBO strike, some say they and their customers are feeling the impact nonetheless.
Kerr said since LCBO workers walked off the job last Friday, shuttering LCBO stores across the province, she's been unable to order certain varieties of liquor for her own shop.
Of the roughly 100 different items she'd normally have access to, Kerr said "better than half were unavailable" for purchase from the LCBO.
It's a similar scene at Sherry's grocery and gas in Williamsburg, Ont., just north of Highway 401 and the St. Lawrence River, where Kayla Helliker is in charge of ordering LCBO products.
Helliker said leading up to the strike, the LCBO directly advised agency stores to stock up on products. That led to both a rush and a shortage, she said.
"So although the LCBO told us to order ahead and to stock up, they did not tell us that there was going to be limitations to the products available."
'Practically cleaned out'
A few bottles of whisky and vodka were all that remained Thursday at the Golden Lake Variety Store, about 120 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa.
Owner Dan Von der Hoeh said he, too, has watched his alcohol supply dwindle since the strike began.
"We're practically cleaned out," he said, adding he'll probably run out completely before receiving another shipment.
"I hope we have products to sell because if we don't, there'll be a lot of people who are going to be not very happy," Von der Hoeh said.
More than 9,000 Ontario liquor store employees and OPSEU members walked off the job one week ago after bargaining talks between their union and the LCBO failed.
The LCBO announced that due to the strike, all retail locations will be closed for two weeks. If a labour agreement is reached within the 14-day closure period, the stores will reopen and resume normal operations as soon as possible.
If the strike continues beyond two weeks, the LCBO plans to reopen 32 stores for limited hours and only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
LCBO thanks customers
In response to questions about the dwindling supply at agency stores, the LCBO referred CBC to a July 10 statement published on its website about the general impact of the strike.
"Our selection of inventory ebbs and flows as we continue to navigate products in and out of our warehouses and depots, and we appreciate our customers understanding in selecting alternate products if required," the statement reads.
The LCBO said it's doing its best to fill orders for retail and wholesale customers, thanking them for their patience "should their order take longer than anticipated due to high volumes."
The LCBO said it has provided a "focused list" of its most popular products to help streamline the ordering process.
"We apologize for the impact of OPSEU's strike on all our customers, including the small local businesses trying to shop with us, and on our partners," the LCBO said in its statement.
Some union members were angered earlier this week when Premier Doug Ford promoted an online map showing Ontarians where they can continue to purchase liquor during the strike.
Von der Hoeh said his country store, like hundreds of others across the province, is facing growing uncertainty with every day that passes.
"Nobody really knows what's going to happen, but I personally think that this strike is going to last a while," he said.
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With files from Joseph Tunney