Ontario halts US alcohol sales as Trump tariffs take hold

Liquor bottles are flying off the shelves in Canada, but not because they are being sold.

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario says it is pulling American-made spirits in response to the U.S. and Canada's escalating tariff feud.

"As part of Ontario's response strategy to U.S. tariffs, the government of Ontario has directed LCBO to take operational steps to implement restrictions on all U.S. beverage alcohol sales and related imports into Ontario, effective immediately," the liquor board said in a statement Tuesday. "Our in-store teams can help customers find alternative products from our extensive selection of products from Ontario, Canada, and around the world."

The LCBO’s main website was changed to a brief disclaimer page Tuesday afternoon.

“Our site is temporarily unavailable while we remove U.S. products in response to U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods,” the site read. “Our in-store customer service remains unaffected.”

President Trump's 25 percent tariff plan affecting most Canadian imports went into effect at midnight, sparking retaliatory actions across the U.S.'s northern neighbor. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Trump's tariff push "dumb" and announced a 25 percent increase on American imports in retaliation.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who separately ordered LCBO — one of the largest alcohol purchasers in the world — to stop selling American liquor, told reporters Tuesday that he knows it will hit American businesses’ bottom lines.

“They only have President Trump to blame,” Ford said. “We have no choice. We have to respond.”

Ontario shares a border with five U.S. states: Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers' Association, said the new tariffs will have "far-reaching consequences" beyond Ontario's decision to pull American liquor. Kentucky produces about 95 percent of the world's Bourbon.

"That means hard-working Americans – corn farmers, truckers, distillery workers, barrel makers, bartenders, servers and the communities and businesses built around Kentucky Bourbon will suffer,” Gregory said in a statement. "Retaliatory measures against Bourbon harm these markets and jeopardize growth for years to come, including the unjust and disproportionate removal of American spirits from retail shelves and prohibition on new purchases of alcohol from American companies.”

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