The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, Jan. 28, edition that Ontario Premier Doug Ford's plan to expand alcohol sales to corner stores will cost taxpayers $1.4-billion over six years, says the Financial Accountability Office. The Globe's Jeff Gray writes that this figure is much higher than the $225-million in potential payments to the Beer Store chain initially disclosed when the plan was announced last May. The new alcohol deal permitting early beer sales in corner stores fulfills a 2018 Progressive Conservative promise, but critics argue it may be a taxpayer-funded move toward a snap election. The government could have allowed beer in corner stores by waiting for the Beer Store's 10-year deal from 2015 to end this year, right before the next election in June, 2026. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie criticized the deal's cost, previously estimated by her party at $1-billion, citing the FAO's higher estimate of $1.9-billion and arguing the funds should have supported the struggling health care system instead of Mr. Ford's "American billionaire buddies who own 7-11 and Costco." NDP Leader Marit Stiles told reporters in Brampton that the alcohol deal shows Mr. Ford is a bad negotiator.