In a letter on Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford told the LCBO its choice of a Quebec company went “against our government’s direction” to find an Ontario producer to handle the service.
“As a government, we are focused on making life easier, more convenient, and more affordable for the people of Ontario,” Ford wrote in April. “The decision to remove paper bags has had the opposite effect.”Communications written in the drafting of that letter, obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws, show staff in the premier’s office and other government departments weighed the idea of telling the LCBO to select an Ontario company to supply paper bags.
The finance minister, on Tuesday morning, was clear he didn’t believe his office should be involved in the details of procurement policy undertaken by a Crown agency like the LCBO. “Please keep the government informed of your progress as this transition takes place and ensure that all procurement processes going forward are fully aligned with our government’s direction to prioritize local businesses and workers.”