For Immediate Release
December 23, 2008

McGuinty’s Holiday Beer Price Hike

Simcoe -- While Ontario continues to spiral into economic decline, Premier Dalton McGuinty’s answer to the province’s financial woes is to jack up the minimum price of a case of beer.

“Our province has gone from first to worst in Canada – people are losing jobs and wondering how they’ll afford their property taxes and mortgages,” Barrett said. “And our Premier, in the dead of the night, eliminates buck-a-beer pricing.”

In late November, Premier McGuinty secretly raised the minimum price of beer from $24 for a case of 24 bottles to $25.60. The local MPP said that it’s a shame that the McGuinty government has eliminated companies’ abilities to market their creative ideas and business plans in this province.

“I would hope that one-hundred per cent of this price hike will be handed over to anti-drinking and driving campaigns,” Barrett said. “If this is about curbing drinking habits then I challenge Premier McGuinty to hand the revenue over to an organization like CADD, or MADD Canada.”

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