Ontario NDP leader visits Windsor with Diageo closure among the reasons

Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles was in Windsor last week, with Diageo one of the topics she focused on.

Stiles met with Diageo workers last Wednesday and she said workers voiced a lot of frustration with her on how they were treated. The company announced in August 2025 they would close the Amherstburg plant and followed through with that in late February.

Stiles said many of the workers she spoke with were only months away from being able to retire and collect a pension. She accused the company of treating the workers “very badly” during a press event outside Titan Tool & Mold last Thursday.

The provincial NDP leader accused the Ontario Progressive Conservative government, led by Premier Doug Ford, of “doing absolutely nothing to help them” and that a focus should have been on helping workers.

Noting Ford’s pouring out of a bottle of Crown Royal and a threat to remove Crown Royal products from the LCBO, she said the $23 million agreement that allowed those products to stay didn’t help the workers.

The agreement saw $500,000 be earmarked for Invest Windsor-Essex for projects that would have a priority for Amherstburg projects and another $500,000 for community-related projects in Amherstburg.

Stiles also accused local PC MPPs of not doing enough to defend the workers from Diageo.

“The Diageo workers are very angry,” Stiles said.

Essex MPP Anthony Leardi said in the March 4 edition of the River Town Times that Amherstburg is his hometown and “I stand with my people.”

The Essex MPP stated the province  has made “historic investments” in the area, including Amherstburg.  

Regarding the $23 million deal and whether Amherstburg got enough, Leardi said in March “Premier Ford thinks about everyone in Ontario.” 

Leardi added Ford “took a lemon and he had to make it into lemonade. He successfully protected jobs across Ontario.”

The plant itself is an asset and that Ford “is open to talk to anyone. If you want to do something good for the Province of Ontario, Doug Ford will listen.”

“This decision reflects Diageo’s efforts to continuously improve its North American supply chain and ensure the company is best positioned for long-term sustainable growth. Through this process, the company will unlock additional productivity and increase resiliency and capacity to scale, effectively meeting demand across its markets and shifting some bottling volume to be closer to its many U.S. Crown Royal consumers. These changes are consistent with the strategic priorities in Diageo’s global Accelerate program, which sets out clear cash delivery targets and a disciplined approach to operational excellence and cost efficiency for the company,” Diageo said last year when it made its announcement to close the plant.

Diageo said it is continuing to invest in Canada through ongoing production, noting facilities in Manitoba, Quebec and the Toronto area. The company stated last August that attributing the decision to close the Amherstburg plant to the current trade environment between Canada and the U.S. “would be inaccurate.” 

Stiles joined workers outside of Titan Tool & Mold Thursday, noting they have been locked out for nine months. 

“They can’t even collect EI,” she said. “It is a shame what is happening.”

Stiles said “government has a role to play in this” and noted the NDP regularly introduces anti-scab legislation. Emile Nabbout, president of Unifor Local 195, said the matter will go before the Ontario Labour Relations Board May 7.

While in Windsor, Stiles also appeared at an OSAP town hall. She noted she regularly hears from students and families concerned about OSAP and the affordability of post-secondary education. 

Ontario NDP leader visits Windsor with Diageo closure among the reasons

By Ron Giofu