‘Treating people like adults’: Ford dismisses raising drinking age to 21 in Ontario

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he disagrees with alcohol-related recommendations from the province’s top doctor, particularly raising the legal drinking age by two years.

In his annual report, Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, recommended adding new restrictions to legal substances like alcohol and vapes, while also looking at decriminalizing personal possession and use of illegal drugs.

The report, released at the end of March, called for warning labels on alcoholic drinks outlining the risks of drinking, including cancer. It suggested the idea of increasing the legal drinking age from 19 to 21 should also be on the table.

Asked about the recommendation on Wednesday, Ford praised his chief medical officer but said he disagreed with the suggestion.

“He has his opinion, we have ours. We believe in treating people like adults,” Ford said.

The province is currently expanding access to alcohol through plans to allow the sale of beer, wine and mixed drinks at convenience and grocery stores. From 2026 onwards, the government has promised alcohol will be available outside the Beer Store, Winerack and LCBO stores, although the latter will continue its monopoly in spirits.

“Right across the world, you get to go into a retail store, a big box store and buy a bottle of wine with your steak, maybe a six-pack of beer,” Ford continued Wednesday. “That’s what we believe in.”

In his annual report, Moore worried about a “disturbing trend” of binge drinking and vaping — including cannabis products — among Ontario youth.

The report, citing recently released data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, found 33 per cent of adults said they used cannabis in 2020, an eight per cent increase from 2019. And when