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“The shamelessness here is staggering. A patronage appointee gets caught red-handed in a scheme that potentially violates election spending laws, but he isn’t removed from the trough.” ― Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida, OPSEU First Vice-President/Treasurer
Toronto (19 Feb. 2020) ― The President and First Vice-President/Treasurer of the Ontario Public Service
Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) are renewing their demands that the Ford government remove Quinto Annibale from the board of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) for his involvement in the scandal surrounding anonymous ads attacking unionized workers.
Annibale involved in funding attack ads against Ontario teachers' strike
“We heard over the weekend that Annibale has resigned from the shadowy group behind all those expensive ads attacking education workers,” said Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President. “But that’s not good enough. He still needs to step down as the vice-chair of the LCBO. And if he won’t step down, the Ford government needs to show him the door.”
Scandal has surrounded Annibale – who was appointed LCBO vice-chair by the Ford government – since it was revealed earlier this month that he was involved in paying for anonymous newspaper and social media ads siding with the Ford government in its negotiations with education workers.
Possible violation of election spending laws
“The shamelessness here is staggering. A patronage appointee gets caught red-handed in a scheme that potentially violates election spending laws, but he isn’t removed from the trough,” said Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida, OPSEU First Vice-President/Treasurer. “When they redo those terrible new license plates, I’ve got a suggestion for a new logo: Ontario, open for corruption.”
Thomas pointed out that OPSEU/NUPGE represents more than 8,500 LCBO workers in communities across the province, and that it will be impossible for the Crown agency to bargain with them in good faith while Annibale is on the board.
Annibale’s presence on the LCBO board hinders fair negotiating
“Our members at the LCBO need to feel confident that the leaders of the LCBO aren’t out there doing secretive and underhanded things to undermine their Constitutional bargaining rights,” said Thomas, adding that all Ontarians should be concerned.
“Do we really want somebody who’s shown such questionable judgement running one of our most successful and important public services?”