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‘Constructive’ talks over Canadian Club centre

Beam Suntory has met with Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens for “constructive discussions” on the future of its Canadian Club Heritage Centre which is due to close this year.

The Canadian Club Brand Centre, from the campaign group’s Facebook page

Dilkens travelled to Chicago for talks after Beam Suntory announced the Canadian Club Brand Centre was to close as it “refocuses” investment elsewhere.

In response a group of locals, led by Windsor advertising agency Tango Creative and backed by both the Mayor and the city’s tourist board, started a #SaveTheBrandCentre online campaign calling for the site to remain open.

They say closing the facility, which features a whisky museum and is used for local functions, would harm the community.

“We had a constructive discussion about the Canadian Club Heritage Centre, and we look forward to further dialogue about ways we might be able to work together to support the Windsor community and Canadian Club’s unique role in the city’s history,” Clarkson Hine, Beam Suntory senior vice president, communications and public affairs, told The Spirits Business.

Mayor Dilkens said he was “pleased” with the outcome of the meeting, despite receiving no confirmation the centre would remain open.

“It was a very fruitful discussion. The door was not closed,” he told the Windsor Star.

“We’re working through some of the high-level issues that exist. But my goal is to try to find a solution to make sure that portion of our history and that story and that brand can still exist in the City of Windsor.”

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