Ontario Provincial Police responsible for liquor-law enforcement are investigating whether Norman Hardie Winery, the business at the centre of accusations of sexual misconduct, should be permitted to continue selling alcohol in the province.
The probe, conducted by OPP officers in the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s (AGCO) investigations and enforcement bureau, was launched to look at whether winemaker Norman Hardie has run his business in accordance with licensing requirements, including acting “with honesty, integrity, and [the] ability to act in the public interest.”
Marc Ratte, the OPP detective constable assigned to the probe, emphasized that this is a regulatory investigation, and not a criminal one.
The investigation was sparked by a Globe and Mail report last month detailing allegations from more than 20 people of misconduct by the Prince Edward County winemaker. The Globe report included the accounts of three women − two of them former employees − who say they were subject to unwanted sexual contact by Mr. Hardie in incidents that took place between 2013 and last summer. An additional 18 people said they witnessed sexual harassment in their time at the winery or around the winemaker, including incidents as recent as mid-2017.
In response to those allegations, Mr. Hardie said last month that “some of the allegations made against me are not true, but many are.”
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On Thursday, Norman Hardie Winery and Vineyard told The Globe that it will “fully co-operate with the AGCO if it initiates an investigation.” The company also referred to an independent workplace-culture audit the business initiated several months ago − an audit prompted by The Globe’s reporting − and which did not find examples of sexual harassment in the current workplace.
“We are confident the regulator will find the business is a safe, harassment-free place to work,” the statement said.
In the wake of the allegations, many of the country’s most prominent restaurants and retailers chose to cut ties with the winery. The government-controlled Liquor Control Board of Ontario said it would stop ordering Mr. Hardie’s wines. But without an Ontario liquor licence, the winery would lose the right to sell its products in the province, its home market, altogether.
AGCO regulations do not specifically mention sexual harassment or misconduct. The regulations do, however, make mention of ethical conduct and behaviour. The AGCO requires manufacturer licence holders, for example, to “conduct the business in accordance with the law and with integrity and honesty.”
Elsewhere, AGCO licensing regulations include criteria “based on factors related to public safety, the public interest, and the risk to the public.”
The Liquor Licence Act also sets out specific guidelines meant to ensure the responsible sale of alcohol, including rules against overserving and ”permitting drunkenness.” The Globe’s report included accounts from former winery employees who described raucous parties at the winery involving alcohol − an atmosphere that one former employee described as “hedonism.”
The winery currently holds several AGCO licences, including a manufacturer’s licence, and licences to sell wine on-site. Those licences are set to expire in June of next year.
Investigators are looking to speak with current and former winery employees as part of their probe. Depending on the findings, the probe could lead to results ranging from a warning or monetary penalties to the revocation of licences.
The AGCO has revoked licences from businesses in the past for reasons ranging from serving minors, to overserving and “permitting drunkenness,” to allegations of criminal activity.