Province orders LCBO to use paper bags made in Ontario

Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) sign is pictured as a close LCBO store in downtown Ottawa on Friday, July 5, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Although paper bags have not yet returned to LCBO stores, the province is now ordering the Crown corporation to switch suppliers to a company within Ontario.

In a letter to Carmine Nigro, the chair of the LCBO board, Premier Doug Ford said the agency went “against our government’s direction” when it sourced paper bags from Quebec instead of within the province.

“Our government has made it a priority to champion Ontario-made products and support Ontario businesses, especially in public procurement. This is at the heart of our plan to support Ontario workers, create and protect local jobs, and ensure that our businesses are always on the front foot,” the letter read.

“As a government agency, the LCBO plays a key role in this effort. Your reach and purchasing power present a significant opportunity to support Ontario-based producers at every turn, and we have made this expectation clear.”

The liquor retailer announced in April 2023 that it intended to phase out the use of paper bags. About a year later, the province directed the LCBO to bring them back.

The premier previously said he wanted paper bags reinstated to make shopping at the LCBO “as convenient an experience as possible for customers.”

“At a time when many Ontario families are already struggling to make ends meet, every additional expense counts. That includes charging customers for reusable bags instead of the free paper bags that the LCBO previously offered,” Ford said in a letter to the president and CEO of the LCBO in April.

“This change has left people stuck openly carrying alcohol in public when leaving a LCBO store.”

In this week’s letter, Ford said the province’s “immediate priority” is to get paper bags back in stores “using the selected vendor.” He added that the LCBO must also “initiate a new tender process as soon as possible” and that process must only include Ontario suppliers.

“This process should ensure there are no delays or gaps in getting bags into stores, while ensuring they are produced by Ontario businesses at the soonest available opportunity,” the letter read.

“I trust the LCBO will act quickly on this directive and begin working with Ontario producers to get this done.”

It is not yet clear when paper bags will be available at LCBO locations around the province.