FSSH researcher appears in film about alcohol retail and distribution in Ontario

Dr. Gary Genosko, Professor, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities (FSSH), University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), recently provided expert commentary in a privately produced documentary entitled Straight Up: The issue of alcohol in Ontario. 

The film, directed by Peter Lenardon, explores the system of alcohol retail and distribution in Ontario, and the debates surrounding the history and future of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). Dr. Genosko is the first person to appear in the trailer.

Straight Up was released for free streaming on November 13, in partnership with the Ontario craft beer blog Mom ‘n Hops.

Dr. Genosko has commented on the LCBO on many other occasions. In 2009, he and former master’s student Scott Thompson wrote a book entitled Punched Drunk: Alcohol, Surveillance and the LCBO, 1927-1975, which details the LCBO’s tracking of alcohol consumption and concludes that practice helped develop and foster persistent stereotypes around addiction in Ontario. Dr. Genosko has also appeared across numerous media platforms over the last five years to speak about the LCBO and the proposals to change its status within the province.