So, in Ontario, we are lucky enough to have the LCBO (yeah, right!). Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Well, they’re public employees (in other words, part of my taxes pay them). They’re going on strike- thursday before a long weekend. Bastards. Not that I spend the entire weekend at the liquor store however, the timing is strategic and the reason stupid. They want a job guarantee should LCBO put some private liquor stores around Ontario. Who the hell else gets job guarantees!
It’s time the stupid unions get a take on real life. No job is guaranteed. Come and work in the real world for a while.
While I more or less agree with your aggravation at the behaviour of their union, I’ll share the following observation:
I’ve travelled over about a third of NA, both sides and the middle, and have never seen single-site liquor stores, on average, as well stocked and presented as an LCBO store. (No, it’s not the whole continent. Sure, I’m probably missing places that invalidate my argument. These are just my observations).
Recent travels through the midwest (i.e. a month ago) indicate that the LCBO is close to price competitive after exchange (maybe 5% more expensive, 10% at most, for most stuff that I eyeballed the price on).
I happened to be living in Calgary during the few month period where the Alberta Liquor Board allowed the privatization of stores, and my experience was that prices tended to increase and selection tended to decrease after the move was made. (However, access did improve, as more stores were able to open.) Also, I believe the incidence of underage sales was found to go up, although I don’ t have a cite close to hand.
As much as I question the notion of gov’t run retail, and as much as the union’s position and incipient action frustrates and annoys me, I’m in no great rush to replace the LCBO with anything else.
I agree with this completely. In my years of temping, the whiniest bunch of slackers I’ve worked with has consistently been union offices. I truly don’t think they know how good they’ve got it, and what the rest of the working world is experiencing.
Every year, the LCBO takes in more money in revenue than it spends in operating expenses. Thus money is returned to Ontario’s General Revenue fund as a direct result of the LCBO’s operation. Increasing non-tax funding of the General Revenue fund lowers your tax burden, because your taxes don’t have to pay for whatever that non-tax money pays for.
What burns me is that the strike vote came in the same week the government shelved a $600,000 study it comissioned recommending privatization. Their jobs secured they then vote to strike. :mad:
I wrote a TV segment concerning the LCBO about a decade back. I don’t remember the figures, but I do remember that they made a pot of profit each year for the province, far in excess of what would have been brought in through business income taxes had it been privatized.
The greater selection came out of the ability to buy in volume – for example, the LCBO purchased more wine than any other purchaser in North America. That led to volume discounts that in turn permitted greater stocking of a greater variety of alcohol than found in surrounding provinces and states.
Not including any sin tax, the LCBO handed over $1.04 billion in profits to the Ontario government last year. I like that, because it means lower taxes for me.
Interestingly enough, my taxes won’t go down with the workers on strike…although my point was really, they are public servants - they work for a government organization which I contribute to (tax wise)…HOW CAN THEY DENY ME A SERVICE I PAY FOR? I pay them to be at work, not at home, not walking around the parking lot with their stupid signs trying to get job guarantees.
Or when Ontario teachers went on strike numerous times during the Mike Harris government, or when Canada Post has gone on strike, or when Toronto garbage collectors went on strike a few years ago, or when the UIC employees went on strike in the early '90s… Striking government employees at all levels in Canada are nothing new, and taxes never go down no matter who is striking this week.
The LCBO is going on strike on Thursday? Simple solution: stock up on Wednesday.
I kind of miss the LCBO. Nothing like big signs at the local Real Canadian Liquorstore (a branch of Loblaw’s Superstores for you Ontarians) screaming that Bombay Sapphire is on sale for $30.99 for a 40-ounce bottle, while the fine print reads “The price is $30.99 per bottle if you buy six or more bottles, otherwise the price is $33.99 per bottle.” And, of course, the posted price does not include GST or bottle deposit, which will be added at the register.
