Twitter push on beer sales by Ford and MPPs fizzles in a social media backlash
(The Star Golf)

A co-ordinated push on Twitter by Premier Doug Ford, his cabinet ministers and MPPs picturing themselves in convenience stores promoting the looming sale of beer and wine has fizzled in a backlash of negative comments.The new social media campaign was widely met with derision as the government hopes to pass legislation Thursday to cancel a 10-year contract with the Beer Store and clear the way for corner store booze promised in last spring’s Progressive Conservative election campaign.Finance Minister Vic Fedeli blamed “Beer Store insiders who will do anything and say anything to stop this contract from being broken” but would not say when sales would begin in convenience stores, big box stores and more grocery stores.“You’re going to hear more news about that later on.”Fedeli himself Tweeted several times about meeting with several corner store operators eager to sell beer and wine in his North Bay-area riding of Nipissing on the weekend.“It was a great job done over the weekend to get the message out that this isn’t just about beer and wine,” Fedeli told reporters. “It’s about choice and convenience, and it’s about fairness.”Hundreds of detractors replied to tweets from Ford and his MPPs, raising a potential penalty of up to $1 billion for scrapping the Beer Store deal and other concerns, such as increased risks of convenience store robberies.“Cannot believe they are back at their stupid photos. Thought the general mocking of the gas station selfies would have maybe taught them something?” said a tweet from Barb Hickey, a self-described “political junkie and rebel” in Toronto. That was one of several references to a previous social media campaign in which Conservative MPPs pictured themselves filling up at gas stations before a federal carbon tax took effect on gas prices.Many tweets slammed the government for paying too much attention to alcohol as it is cutti ...