A member of Amherstburg's council hopes he can have a much bigger conversation with Ontario's premier about the closure of Diageo's Crown Royal bottling facility in the town.
Councillor Linden Crain says that Doug Ford called him Sunday evening, and they had a brief conversation about the situation in the town, Amherstburg's funding needs, that economic development is a top priority following the Diageo closure, and that Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Victor Fedeli is closely monitoring the situation.
"They're also looking at if there are any other ways the province can invest in Amherstburg. He really wanted to know what some of our needs are, and we wanted to hold that conversation at a later date," he says.
The plant officially closed February 25, putting 200 people out of work.
When the closure decision was first announced in August 2025, Premier Doug Ford vowed to remove Crown Royal from the LCBO's shelves after the Amherstburg facility closes if the company didn't present a plan to keep some labour in Ontario.
On February 13, the province announced a $23 million agreement with Diageo that kept their products in LCBO locations.
While there was no move to keep the plant open, the agreement included $500,000 to Invest WindsorEssex for economic development with a focus on Amherstburg and the surrounding area and $500,000 to other community projects to support residents of Amherstburg.
Crain told AM800's The Kyle Horner Show that he will be seeing Premier Ford in the next couple of weeks.
"I have a list of things that I do want to mention to the premier directly, face-to-face. It was really a high-level conversation, but the fact that he did call me up is appreciated. There is still a lot that our community needs, and the 200 unionized employees that lost their jobs need the support," he says.
In making the original closure announcement, the company said it was to improve its North American supply chain, with Crown Royal whisky destined for Canada and non-U.S. export markets now being bottled at Diageo's Valleyfield, Quebec, facility, while whisky bottling for the U.S. market shifts elsewhere.
Diageo said its Crown Royal products will continue to be mashed, distilled, and aged at its facility in Gimli, Manitoba.