Ontario Premier Doug Ford is expected to announce on Tuesday that the provincial government will reinstate "buck a beer" and expand the sale of beer and wine to corner and box stores throughout the province.
Premier Ford, who is touring a brewery in Picton, Ontario today, made buck a beer one of his central election campaign promises. Ontario previously had buck-a-bottle beer but the previous Liberal government hiked the minimum price in 2008 citing social responsibility.
A source with knowledge of the plan to return to buck a beer told The Canadian Press last week that the Progressive Conservatives will lower the minimum price of a bottle or can of beer to $1 from $1.25 by the Labour Day weekend this year.
Brewers would not be required to charge less, and the lower minimum price would not apply to draft beer, nor would it include the bottle deposit. The source said the government hopes to get brewers on board by launching what it calls a buck-a-beer challenge with incentives for those who cut prices to $1.
The Conservatives have said a return to buck a beer would see more competition in the beer market without affecting the province's revenues from beer and wine taxes, which the provincial government has said brought in $589 million in 2016-2017.
