Meeting Jeff Ryan – Labatt

When I told my colleagues in my MPP’s office that we, the interns,
were going to Labatt’s for a meeting, I was met sceptical looks, to
say the least. But yes, it is true that Labatt’s is a proud sponsor
and supporter of OLIP. We were invited to their beautifully situated
offices on Toronto’s Harbourfront. I for one had no idea that Labatt
is part of a larger family of beers (Anheuser-Busch InBev) which
includes other famous brands like Stella, Budweiser, Leffe, and
Keith’s. Jeff Ryan, Director of Corporate Affairs, hosted us with
great generosity. Over lunch, he told us a bit about his career
trajectory and we also ‘talked shop’. Who knew us political interns
had such a ‘thirst’ for knowledge – supply management, production
costs, demographics, and advertising were all issues we discussed. We
also covered some of the more traditional ‘GR’ territory – using local
products, government incentives for small brewers, regulation of the
beer store, and proposals to privatize the LCBO. Informative and fun –
my kind of meeting!