A customer purchases Crown Royal and other liquor items at a Manitoba Liquor Mart location. (MBLL / HANDOUT)
The Manitoba government is throwing its support behind Manitoba jobs and a major clean energy investment at the Crown Royal distillery in Gimli.
Premier Wab Kinew made the announcement during a tour of the Diageo-owned facility on Tuesday, highlighting the importance of Crown Royal production and related jobs in the province amid national attention surrounding potential changes to Diageo’s operations elsewhere in Canada.
While Diageo has announced the possible closure of a bottling facility in Ontario, the company says Crown Royal will continue to be mashed, distilled and aged in Manitoba.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said he will remove Crown Royal from provincial liquor store shelves after Diageo announced it would close the plant that bottles the whisky in Amherstburg.
“Crown Royal is made right here in Gimli and supports good Manitoba jobs,” said Kinew. “When people buy Crown Royal, they’re supporting Manitoba workers, and our government is proud to stand with them.”
During the visit, Kinew also announced a clean energy upgrade at the Gimli distillery in partnership with Manitoba Hydro. Diageo intends to replace natural gas boilers with electric systems to operate the facility on 100 per cent renewable electricity.
As part of the project, Manitoba Hydro will build a new 20-kilometre transmission line from Silver Station near Fraserwood to the distillery on Seagram Road. Construction is expected to begin in January and be completed in 2027. The project is estimated to cost about $19 million and will be fully funded by Diageo.
