Unfortunately, our Premier’s obsession with booze continues. We now have the billion-dollar booze boondoggle. We learned that the Premier is using tax dollars, up to a billion dollars, to break a contract early so that folks can get easy access to beer at convenience stores.

While parents struggle to cover child care costs and seniors search in vain for a family doctor, why does it make any sense for this government to hand out hundreds of millions to big breweries and discounts to mega-rich grocery store billionaires? They should be funding our public services instead. Lining the pockets of massive corporations should be at the very bottom of this government’s priority list. How does getting access to easy beer help a parent who can’t afford daycare for their kid? What’s the point of grabbing a six-pack easily if you’re stuck waiting for years to get a family doctor?

A government is supposed to focus on ensuring quality public education, child care, health care and ensuring citizens live with dignity. Why is this Premier prioritizing beer sales over any of our other crises? The health care crisis, the housing crisis, affordability crisis—people can’t afford baby formula in this province.

Really, Ontario deserves better than politicians who throw away our tax dollars on handouts to mega-corps when families’ basic needs remain unmet. It’s long past time that this government got their priorities straight, and I say no more corporate giveaways until the basic needs of all Ontarians are met.