The restated questions are as follows:
If answers to any of the questions below can be supplied by my making a trip to the reading room in the LCBO Freedom of Information offices please let me know.
For those items which would not fall into the line above, please let me know whether I can access the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.
>>>>>>>>>>> I would like to know the amount of total LCBO management bonuses and incentives for each of the past 8 years
>>>>>>>>>>> I would like to know the salary ranges for all management (non-union) positions.
>>>>>>>>>>> I would like an official explanation of the changes in the jobs of employees appearing in the Salary Disclosure Act which have resulted in more than 100% increases in the reported taxable benefits under the Salary Disclosure Act between 2001 and 2006. Who is the single individual within LCBO responsible for such matters.
RESPONSE # 207115: Search & Preparation Time 4.5 hrs @ $30.0 = $135.00.
I opted to pay for this. The response to this question and my reaction are online.
>>>>>>>>>>> I would like a copy of any interim reports that LCBO employees have produced which relates to the promise made on page 32 of the LCBO Annual Report 2002-03 specifically
“The goals of the partnership are to build Ontario wines’ market share in litres to 50 per cent over the next five years, including sales through winery retail stores and direct delivery to licensees, and support the industry’s efforts to create a world-class brand.”
Also I would like the name of the person within LCBO who is ultimately responsible for achieving or failing to achieve this goal.
>>>>>>>>>>> Is it true that Cellared in Canada products are included in the measurement of the promise made in the item above? Are these products counted towards the achievement of this goal in the same manner as a product made from 100% Ontario grown product? ie does a $45.00 375 ml bottle of VQA icewine only count for 37.5% of the accomplishment attained by a $9.95 one litre bottle of Cellared in Canada which could be up to 99% imported product?
RESPONSE # 207116: Search Time 20 hrs @ $30.0 = $600.00. * additional photocopying charges applicable, to be determined at a later date.
The Paterson family budget does not have the $600.00 plus to pursue this request at this time. If anyone wishes to fund the request I would be happy to re-initiate it email me and we'll talk But for now this information will have to remain where it is as I am letting the information request lapse. In place of this I have tracked various information about Canadian wine sales at the LCBO over time and other information.
RESPONSE # 207117: Search Time 20 hrs @ $30.0 = $600.00.
Again I feel that this would make fascinating reading, and shed a light on LCBO ethics and morals where dealing with suppliers and foreign countries are concerned. $600.00 is not in my budget at this time, though again I'd be happy to pursue the matter if someone wants to fund it. It has lapsed.
>>>>>>>>>>> Are any samples or items of value mentioned in Question 7) above included in taxable benefits for Canadian Revenue Agency Income Tax return purposes, and are they disclosed in the amount of taxable benefits published under the Salary Disclosure Act?
RESPONSE # 207118: No charge.
Naturally I pursued this and my report on this matter is online here.
RESPONSE this request: No charge.
I was allowed to take copies of the pertinent price books when I went to the FOI office.
RESPONSE # 207119: Search & Preparation Time 2 hrs @ $30.00 = $60.00.
I decided not to pursue this particular question at this time. The request is lapsed.
RESPONSE # 207120: Search & Preparation Time .5 hr @ $30.00 = $15.00.
I paid for this request and have received 8 pages of information that I requested. The LCBO did not provide any information about whether any of these products sell more in their homeland than in Ontario, nor did I receive the information about litres that I requested (not a big problem). Either the products sell more here or the LCBO simply lacks the knowledge. Either makes a statement about the intrinsic quality of these products and the selection of the LCBO. I have created a standard "Basket"
of imported wines and the effects of currency and inflation changes on one bottle each of the top 50 selling imported wines from 1999-2000. It suggests that these brands may be overpriced, and that consumers should be paying less for the factory brands than they do. Ontario citizens should be aware of the PRICING SCANDAL IN QUEBEC which may have had similar effects in Ontario. Can anyone remember reductions in the price of imported wines as the value of the Canadian Dollar increased? They should have...
RESPONSE # 207121: Search & Preparation Time 1 hr @ $30.00 = $30.00.
I paid for this request and am awaiting the response, which will go online after I receive it.
RESPONSE # 207122: Search & Preparation Time 1 hr @ $30.00 = $30.00.
I paid for this request and have listed the response .
RESPONSE # 207123: Search & Preparation Time 1.5 hrs @ $30.00 = $45.00.
I paid for this request and by July 31st had the full response,
Some trends, huh? It would seem to me that in general since about 2000 it's been downhill. Especially troubling is the trend in "LCBO Prevents Sales to Those Intoxicated". But all three areas are down despite great LCBO PR about how they do this job better than anyone else could.
RESPONSE # 207124: Search & Preparation Time 1 hr @ $30.00 = $30.00.
I paid for this request and have listed the response .
RESPONSE # 207125: Search & Preparation Time 1 hr @ $30.00 = $30.00.
I paid for this request and have received three pages with the requested information. This will be useful in many ways. A quick examination would show that this group of top twenty suppliers controls an immense portion of LCBO shelves, amounting in 2006 to combined sales of $1.7 billion, almost half of the total product sales declared in the Annual Report. I submit that no government organization in a free market with a choice of tens of thousands of suppliers worldwide should allow this to happen. In my judgement, the LCBO has become far too close to its major suppliers, with all that this relationship implies. It may or may not be efficient (usually not, fewer significant suppliers usually means higher prices) but it is certainly not ethical.
RESPONSE # 207126: Search & Preparation Time 1 hr @ $30.00 = $30.00.
I paid for this request and have listed the response .
RESPONSE # 207127: Search & Preparation Time 1 hr @ $30.00 = $30.00.
I paid $35 for this request and the response, at $11.67 per letter, was "Yes". Wonder how much it would cost to find out what colour the sky was? At any rate, I have never heard of any Ontario wine being in the consignment program, which in 2006, combined with private stock made 9,483 imported product listings available to the people of Ontario (according to LCBO Annual Report). There were 447 Domestic wines available to the General List in comparison. pg 18 of the Annual Report states " "growing Ontario wine sales" is one of the organization's six corporate objectives."
I was allowed to sort through folders of old circulars when I went to the FOI office and write down the pertinent information. I found further evidence that LCBO was showing favouritism to certain producers. Please take a look at this document and this report to see if there are any identifiable patterns. Please note that it is not the wineries I hold responsible (unless they used unethical methods of gaining favoured treatment). It is LCBO at large that should be held responsible for allowing such things to happen. Their policy of closeness to selected suppliers MUST result in such to-me unethical results. LCBO seems to believe that only a very limited number of Ontario wineries can make wine to their quality standards. I strongly disagree, and wonder just who is responsible for these decisions.
RESPONSE # 207128: Search & Preparation Time 1 hr @ $30.00 = $30.00.
I paid for this request and have received information which I will use in a future report on what exactly LCBO counts in their definition of revenues, profits and dividends. I believe that LCBO is counting up to or exceeding 20% of their dividends from items that I feel have nothing to do with the profits from the business of bringing beverages in the back door and selling them out the front. There are three levies, included in final retail prices of products, which are thus reported as "sales". These would be collected by the province even if the products were sold by Sam the Record Man. I will pursue this under a future FOI request, and will report the totals collected each year, which of course form a significant portion of the "Record Profits" trumpeted each year. It will be very interesting to see how Bottle Deposits are reported. Will they be "Income"?...
RESPONSE # 207129: Search & Preparation Time 1 hr @ $30.00 = $30.00.
I paid for this request and have listed the response .
RESPONSE # 207130: Search Time 2 hrs @ $30.0 = $60.00.
I have heard that only the larger suppliers are allowed to take part in the best locations, regardless of willingness to pay. But this was not among my more important questions. If someone wishes to pay for the pursuit of this question I'd be happy to take it up again. It has lapsed.
Larry Paterson
705-743-4153
Email me at littlefatwino@trytel.net if you wish to discuss any of this...
FOI Request # 207116) I would like a copy of the original promise made by the LCBO to the Ontario Wine Industry circa 1999 to help Ontario wineries gain 50% of LCBO market share. I would like to be able to see any additional information directly related to the 50/50 committee that is on file from before 2002-2003.
FOI Request # 207117) I would like a list of the trips made by senior LCBO employees that were funded either partially or wholly by producers associations or foreign countries during the past 8 years, including the amount of funding provided by such organizations.
FOI Request # 207118) I would like a copy of the documentation that allows members of LCBO management to accept product samples or any items of value (including sporting/cultural/other events, travel costs and/or meals) from suppliers. This need not include any product samples that LCBO itself provides directly to managers on paid employment time for product knowledge purposes, but should include those provided by suppliers or non-LCBO personnel or organizations or full bottles/containers that the manager is allowed to take home or events that managers or their families are allowed to attend on their own time that are in any way funded by suppliers.
11) I would like to obtain a copy of the LCBO price book which was in effect at the year-ending date of March 31, 2006 and a copy of the same publication which was in effect at the year-ending date of March 31, 2007.
FOI Request # 207119) What is the budget of the LCBO legal department? How much money did the LCBO spend on legal issues in 2005-2006? In 2000-2001? In 1995-1996? Was all this spending properly tendered out as the public normally expects of governmental spending? Is there a written policy at which anything above a certain dollar level is tendered?
FOI Request # 207120) I would like a list of the top 50 selling imported wines, by dollars and by litres, for each of the last 8 years. If the LCBO possesses the information, I would like a list of any of these wines which sell a higher dollar value in their country of origin than they do in Ontario.
FOI Request # 207121) Does the LCBO itself participate in the funding of special promotions for specific growing areas/countries or do the suppliers pay 100% of the costs involved? For example, the last time there was a general promotion for French products, to what extent did the LCBO fund this promotion. Who is the LCBO person responsible for making the decision as to which products or areas are allowed specific promotions?
FOI Request # 207122) When a wine writer (non-LCBO staff) prepares a piece for LCBO publication are they always free to choose which products they recommend, or do they do this on the advice of LCBO personnel. If so, which LCBO personnel give the advice?
FOI Request # 207123) When I worked for the LCBO the Board put up large sheets named “Strategic Scorecard Highlights Customer Ratings. In the bottom right hand section of this glossy oversized sheet was a section entitled “LCBO Social Responsibility”. In this section were three subsections, “Overall Performance Promoting Social Responsibility”, “Control of Sales to Minors”, and “Control of Sales to Those Appearing Intoxicated”. While I have copied down the numbers for 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004 I would like to obtain the results of such Customer surveys which were conducted prior to 2000, in 2001, or since 2004. What is the name of the person responsible for maintaining these figures.
Section: LCBO Social Responsibility Subtitle: Actuals 200x
Percentages are those answering 8, 9 or 10 on scale of 1-10 of "how strongly they agree" with statements, where 10 is agree strongly. From LCBO Customer Surveys.
Year
"LCBO Encourages Responsible Alcohol Use"
"LCBO Prevents Sales to Minors"
"LCBO Prevents Sales to Those Intoxicated"
1999
66 %
78 %
73 %
2000
70 %
79 %
72 %
2001
61 %
73 %
59 %
2002
62 %
76 %
63 %
2003
64 %
76 %
62 %
2004
64 %
73 %
59 %
2005
63 %
76 %
60 %
2006
not provided
not provided
not provided
FOI Request # 207124) I would like a list of all promotions by suppliers in which LCBO store staff could earn prizes of any type based on either store sales of a specific product or products during a given timeframe, or on personal sales of any given product or products. Who pays for these prizes: the LCBO, the taxpayer or the supplier? Someone else? To what extent are these LCBO products or products containing alcoholic beverages.
FOI Request # 207125) I would like to know the value of dollar sales through LCBO of the top twenty suppliers in 2006. Also the same information for 2001, and for 1996.
FOI Request # 207126) Small wineries have told me that when LCBO audit staff visit them they are required to track the flow of wine down to detailed amounts (sometimes to the exact number of litres). Is this standard of enforcement followed to the same level of detail in the largest wineries? If not, is there an official explanation of why not?
FOI Request # 207127) Are Ontario wineries allowed to participate in the Consignment program?
21. I would like access to view all the marketing/merchandising bulletins which have been sent out to LCBO stores since 1995, and to make notes based on the information therein. I am quite willing to come to the reading room at the LCBO Freedom of Information Centre to see these.
RESPONSE this request: No charge.
FOI Request # 207128) I would like a list of any sources that have been included in the overall LCBO revenue figure in the past five years which amount to more than $1,000.00 and which do not come through direct sales of LCBO product to LCBO retail customers. This should include the total amount of any levies or taxes included in revenues, any sales credited to LCBO from other retailers, items collected at border crossings, or in fact anything that is part of “LCBO Other Income”. This should also include the amounts reported as revenue which are attributable to the Bottle Levy, Environmental Levy, the Wine Levy or any other Levy.
FOI Request # 207129) Is the LCBO Environmental levy being charged on any items that are part of the current Bag it Back deposit – return system. Have any products sold charged both a deposit and an environmental levy at the same time?
FOI Request # 207130) I would like to know how the system works for choosing which companies are allowed to participate in end-aisle promotions at the LCBO? Who is ultimately responsible for making the final decision, or who does any decision-making committee report to? How are the decisions made as to which Ontario wines are chosen for Vintages or Classics Catalogue inclusion? Again, who is the responsible individual. I would like a written copy of these decision-making criteria.
July 26, 2007
1325 Royal Drive
Peterborough, Ontario
K9H 6R6