Get out and vote February 27, 2025
Retail is the largest private sector employer in Ontario.
Find out why #RetailMatters in Ontario
Source: Statistics Canada
*Core retail excludes gas stations and auto dealer employees
Why Ontario Retail Matters
Retail is Ontario’s largest private-sector employer and plays a critical role in our economy. Our retailers continue to strive to provide consumers with the products they need at competitive prices. Recently, that has been quite a challenge, with unprecedented supply chain disruptions and product inflation over the past several years. Now, with uncertainty looming over the Canada-U.S. trade relationship, our sector is more important than ever in ensuring Canadians get the goods they need at affordable prices.
In the front window for retailers this election are the policies political parties announce to best position Canada to navigate tariffs and changes to our trade relationship with the United States.
We believe the government has a role in assisting retailers and our supply chain partners impacted by tariffs by supporting the necessary conditions required to adapt supply chains, minimizing the impact on Canadian consumers.
Retailers across Canada are continually evolving their operations and product offerings to meet ever-changing consumer demands. We look forward to understanding how political parties plan to support retailers in the face of increasing trade pressures to best serve our consumers.
Where the Parties Stand
Retailers can learn more about the relevant election issues affecting their businesses through the relevant party links below:
- Progressive Conservative News Releases
- Liberal Party Policy Announcements
- New Democratic News Releases
- Green Party News Releases
Ontario Key Retail Issues

Establish a “Made-in-Canada” Task Force
Retailers want to work collaboratively with the Ontario government, manufacturers and supply chain partners to support the diverse needs of Canadian consumer, in a manner that patriates elements of the supply chain where possible.
Retail is one part of complex economic system. Collaboratively, retailers would like to work with the government to building up local production where it makes sense, to protecting the Canadian economy from the threat of U.S. tariffs.
To that end, are encouraging political parties to endorse the notion of establishing a joint “Made in Canada” task force with the Ontario government, the manufacturing sector, multi-national suppliers, and retailers to explore solutions and incentives that can drive local manufacturing and accelerate this transition without disrupting supply chains. We believe this collaborative effort could pave the way for a stronger domestic market and a more resilient economy.
Further, such a taskforce can accelerate efforts already underway by of retailers working with small and medium-sized companies to scale them up; moving those companies from providing products for one or two local communities, to selling more broadly in the market place.
Recommendation
Establish a “Made-in-Canada” Task Force with government, retailers, and manufacturers to increase domestic production and accelerate the repatriation of key supply chain elements without disrupting the overall flow of goods.

Ontario Stewardship
Ontario’s stewardship programs have been transitioning to a new model of implementation, a shift set to be completed by January 2026. Instead of using the tried-and-proven model adopted by nearly every other province, Ontario’s transition experiments with a first-of-its-kind Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) model. This experimental policy has driven the cost of Ontario’s recycling system from being Canada’s most cost-efficient per dollar of recycling to the least efficient.
In 2018, businesses paid $287.6 million for all Ontario recycling programs under the Waste Diversion Transition Act (WDTA). RCC estimates that after the full transition of all stewardship regulations to the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act (RRCEA), businesses will pay well over a billion dollars a year for sustainability programs. This is particularly concerning since the total tonnage of recycled material has declined since the RRCEA’s implementation. Across all programs, 980,461 tonnes were recycled in 2018, compared to 908,445 tonnes based on 2021 data.
Retailers support increased recycling efforts, but Ontario’s current model results in higher costs without improving recycling outcomes. RCC estimates that due to rising Blue Box costs, between 2% and 15% of a product’s retail price now consists of environmental charges for recycling. For example, under this approach, 13% of the retail price of a bottle of water goes toward recycling charges. This price inflation extends to all products—including pasta sauce, milk, baby wipes, toilet paper, and electronics. Televisions, for instance, incur environmental charges exceeding $15.
Affordability is a key concern in this election, given the significant rise in the price of everyday goods and ongoing uncertainty surrounding Canada’s trade relationship with the United States. One area where Ontario has direct control is reducing the bureaucratic inefficiencies inflating recycling costs without improving outcomes.
By shifting away from the experimental IPR framework and adopting the proven program plan-based model used in Quebec, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, the industry can eliminate inefficient administrative processes and focus investments on genuinely increasing recycling rates.
Recommendation
RCC calls on political parties to adopt the best practices of nearly every other Canadian jurisdiction by implementing a program plan-based model for recycling.

Ontario Alcohol Reform
Ontario has expanded the marketplace to allow convenience and grocery retailers to sell beer, wine, cider, and ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages.
Unfortunately, in the province’s rush to expand alcohol sales, significant challenges remain within the alcohol retail system, making it difficult for grocery retailers to participate effectively.
By 2026, all grocery stores will be required to accept empty alcohol containers. Unlike other provinces where return-to-retail systems are more established, Ontario’s grocery infrastructure is not designed to handle the efficient return of alcoholic beverage containers. This is likely to place a significant strain on grocery retailers and may result in many grocery stores exiting the alcohol retail market altogether.
Additionally, while the LCBO and The Beer Store can negotiate sales with suppliers, grocery retailers lack this ability, leaving them at a perpetual price disadvantage.
When combined with restrictions on pricing flexibility, an inability to differentiate product offerings from competitors, and the prohibition on selling private-label alcohol, many grocers are questioning whether selling alcohol is viable at all.
Ontario’s alcohol modernization efforts must urgently address these issues before the 2026 recycling requirements take effect, or the province risks losing many grocery retailers currently selling alcohol.
Recommendation
RCC calls on political parties to reform the alcohol system to address major issues related to recycling, supplier sales, private-label availability, product costs, and product differentiation.
Get Involved

Use these tools to contact your local candidates and make your voice heard.
1. Find your candidates
Use the Elections Ontario tool to find candidates and their contact info for your electoral district.
Learn about your local candidates by visiting the party websites:
2. Print your sign
Show your pride in retail by posting a photo of your retail staff holding a #RetailMatters sign or a photo of your store.
3. Tell candidates #RetailMatters
Use these links to send your staff photos or customized tweets to political parties.
- Green Party of Ontario @OntarioGreens
- Ontario Liberal Party @OntLiberal
- Ontario New Democratic Party @OntarioNDP
- Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario @OntarioPCParty
Contributing to political parties – what you need to know
Contributing to a campaign can be an effective way to build relationships with candidates in your riding.
Make sure that you understand the rules before lending your support to a provincial political party and its campaign. Here is a quick summary:
Who can contribute?
Contributions to political parties, constituency associations, candidates, leadership and nomination contestants may only be made by individuals normally resident in Ontario using their own funds.
Contributions to third parties may be made by:
- individuals normally resident in Ontario using their own funds;
- corporations carrying on business in Ontario that are not registered charities; or
- trade unions.
Anonymous contributions are not allowed.
For more detailed information, refer to the CFO Handbooks
What is the contribution limit?
In the 2025 calendar year, a person can contribute up to a limit of $3,400 to each registered political party.
How can a contribution be made?
Contributions can be made through each party’s official website.
Who can receive contributions?
Political parties, constituency associations, candidates, leadership and nomination contestants.
What are the restrictions?
For information on limitations, please consult the Elections Ontario page regarding Political Financing.
Information from Elections Ontario
Contact Us

For questions or to find out more, contact Sebastian Prins, Director, Government Relations (Ontario) Sprins@retailcouncil.org or 416-467-3759.