Is Windsor ready for spirits on grocery store shelves? Council says yes
Windsor city council is supporting a proposed pilot project to have some spirits available in grocery stores, after Spirits Canada president and CEO Jan Westcott contacted Mayor Drew Dilkens with the idea.
“We make spirits in Windsor — we’ve been making them there for longer than Canada has been a country,” Westcott says.
“It’s great that you’re selling beer from Mexico and the United States and wine from Chile… why can’t spirits made in Ontario by Ontario workers get the same opportunity?”
Westcott says Spirits Canada has been pressing the province on this in the years since beer and wine became available for purchase in grocery stores across the province.
“I don’t want to say that they’ve been unhelpful, they’ve been very helpful,” he says.
“But what they’ve said to us is it would be great if we could do something that garnered more information.”
This, he says, was raised in a conversation with government ahead of the 2023 provincial budget — giving him the idea to see if Windsor would raise its hand to host a hypothetical pilot of the sales.
"Spirits Canada is saying, we want our piece of the pie here,” Mayor Dilkens said in an interview on AM800’s The Morning Drive Tuesday.
"If they can get this pilot project off the ground and see if it makes sense … council last night said we want to be part of it.”
Westcott says he approached the city because of its storied history with the distilling industry.
He says council’s support does help, but whether or not the pilot becomes a reality is up to the provincial government.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING Police make arrests in grandparent scam that defrauded victims out of $739K
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Calgary man charged with manslaughter in death of toddler
Calgary police say Winston Campbell, 45, has been charged in the death of a two-year-old girl in 2022.
'Wild, wild west.' Families say organs of deceased Alabama inmates have been removed without their consent
The state Department of Corrections and the University of Alabama at Birmingham face disturbing allegations from the families of five inmates whose organs were removed and reportedly kept without consent, according to a series of lawsuits.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed from Trump hush money trial as prosecutors seek to hold former president in contempt
A juror in Donald Trump's hush money trial was dismissed Thursday after expressing doubt about her ability to be fair and impartial, and the status of a second New Yorker picked for the panel was in limbo amid concerns that some of his answers in court may not have been accurate.