Ontario Stores $80 Million U.S. Alcohol 16 Months After Removal, With 97 Percent Still Usable

Ontario has spent about $8 million storing nearly $80 million worth of American alcohol removed from LCBO shelves in March 2025, Cbc reported. Sixteen months later the province has not announced plans for the inventory. The LCBO said roughly $2.6 million worth of the products has expired, or 3.3 percent of the original stockpile.

About 97 percent remains in good condition and within normal shelf life, according to LCBO spokesperson Sebastian Skamski. Internal records show earlier estimates of spoilage risk declined after review. In June 2025 officials projected $2.9 million could expire within six months; by July 2025 that figure fell to about $2 million over nine months.

Ontario's Ministry of Finance requested a detailed breakdown of products nearing expiry. LCBO removed the alcohol from more than 660 outlets. The board continues to warehouse the inventory and monitor expiration dates while working with the provincial government, Skamski said.

Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador returned at least some U.S. alcohol to store shelves. Ontario's approach differs from those provinces. B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch removed U.S.

Alcohol from government stores but kept supplying private retailers. Staff there spent months sorting returned inventory that was not grouped by vintage, said Stacy Kyle of the Import Vintners and Spirits Association. Optimal wine storage temperature is 15 to 20 degrees Celsius, said Jennifer Kelly of Brock University's Cool Climate Oenology Viticulture Institute.

Any future return to shelves would require quality testing, she said.