Amherstburg’s largest employer is preparing to shut down, leaving roughly 160 workers facing an uncertain future.
Diageo announced Thursday it will close its Crown Royal bottling plant in the town by February 2026.
The site has operated for nearly a century, handling the bottling and packaging of Crown Royal whisky destined for Canada and the United States.
Inside the plant, crews have long been responsible for filling, capping and case-packing bottles of Crown Royal before finished cases are shipped to distributors.
The company said the closure is part of a plan to “streamline its North American supply chain” by shifting some bottling closer to U.S. consumers. Diageo added Crown Royal will continue to be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada.
“We appreciate our dedicated Amherstburg employees for their contributions to Diageo and the Crown Royal brand,” said Marsha McIntosh, Diageo’s president of North America Supply, in a statement.
“This was a difficult decision, but one that is crucial to improving the efficiency and resiliency of our supply chain network.”
For workers, the announcement came suddenly.
“We found out around 4:30 this morning … about five minutes before they were going to make the announcement,” said John D’Agnolo, president of Unifor Local 200, which represents the plant’s employees.
“To be quite frank with you, I was pissed off,” he added. “They just told us it was a business decision.”
D’Agnolo said the union intends to fight to keep the facility open.
“We’re going to get the leadership together. Then we’re going to ask for a meeting with the company. We’re going to sit at a table and see what it takes to keep that plant alive,” he said.
“It’s not only the largest employer in Amherstburg. You have generations of families that have worked there. Amherstburg has wrapped their arms around that facility.”
Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue said he first learned of the closure from the media.
“We’re very disappointed. I feel most for the people who are the 160 people who are losing their job,” he said. “I’ve asked the CAO and the treasurer to look at the economic impact that it’s going to have on Amherstburg, and that’s being prepared.”
Prue said he has already reached out to Invest WindsorEssex for help.
“We need to make sure that employment stays in Amherstburg,” he said. “It’s a huge factory, and we need to maintain the jobs. Without the jobs, we become a bedroom community, and I, as mayor, do not want that. We’re trying to increase our commercial industrial base. We’ve been very successful in the last year. This is a major blow.”
Diageo says Crown Royal whisky destined for Canada and non-U.S. export markets will continue to be bottled at its Valleyfield, Que. facility.
The company says it will support impacted employees through the transition and work alongside Unifor to provide assistance for its unionized staff.
“In the coming weeks, Diageo will be engaging with the community to find meaningful ways to provide support through this transition,” the statement said.
Crown Royal whisky destined for Canada and non-U.S. export markets will continue to be bottled in Canada, at Diageo’s Valleyfield, Quebec facility.
