In early August 2018, Doug Ford held a press conference at Barley Days brewery in Picton, Ontario, to announce the official launch of the policy.
"[11] A protest was held outside the brewery that day, demonstrating against Ford's government's repeal of the sex-ed curriculum, a broken campaign promise to continue the basic income pilot, as well as the cancellation of a local wind farm.
[12] Most craft brewers in the province rejected the policy, arguing that it would be impossible for them to reduce their prices to that extent without losing money or having to take steps such as lowering the quality of their beer or firing employees.
[16] Some craft brewers also expressed concerns about the government's plans to give away prime shelf space in LCBO stores to companies that participated in the policy, arguing that it could significantly impact the sales of smaller breweries.
[17] The policy also received opposition from public health and safety groups in the province, concerned about the impact the government's promotion of cheap beer would have on drinking habits.
[18][19] Tim Stockwell, director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, stated that "From a populist political point of view, it might do (Ford) some good because a lot of people like the idea of cheap beer.
[23][24] By the end of January 2019, Cool Beer Brewing was the only brewery still participating, however they restricted the buck-a-beer pricing to holiday long weekends only, stating that it was otherwise unsustainable.