Molson Coors locks out employees at Toronto brewery

(Steven Senne/The Associated Press - image credit)

Molson Coors has locked out employees at its Toronto brewery, after the union rejected what the company called its "best and final offer."

The brewing company has been in negotiations with the union for 17 weeks.

"We are disappointed that we have not been able to reach an agreement," company spokesperson Frédéric Bourgeois-LeBlanc said in an emailed statement on Saturday.

While Bourgeois-LeBlanc would not say whether the company is hiring non-unionized workers, he said: "We have implemented a contingency plan to ensure the Toronto brewery will remain open and we will continue to brew, package and ship beer to meet consumer demand."

CBC has reached out to the Canadian Union of Brewery and General Workers but has not yet heard back.

However, the union has scheduled a virtual meeting with its members for 10 a.m. on Sunday.

The lockout comes as Canada approaches the one-year mark of the coronavirus pandemic, which Ontario's fiscal watchdog said has caused the single largest annual job decline on record for the province.

More than 355,000 people in Ontario lost their jobs in 2020.