A “furious” Premier Doug Ford says his government will clamp down on price-gouging by profiteers hoping to cash in on the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re coming after, we’re going to come after you hard – and I’m going to protect the people of this province,” Ford said Thursday, taking aim at one of Toronto’s most posh grocery stores.

“I have zero — zero — tolerance for price gouging. I’m calling them out — Pusateri’s. I hear that they’re selling hand wipes for $30 a tin. That’s disgusting, absolutely disgusting,” the premier said.

“A company like that would be selling hand wipes for that cost? People would have the nerve to actually jack up their prices to $30 a container for hand wipes? It’s beyond belief,” he said.

“Nothing gets me more furious than someone taking advantage of the public that are in desperate need of these items. That hits a nerve when people are being taken advantage of.”

Ford said “we’re bringing this to cabinet and we’re going to put an order that it is going to be illegal for price-gouging.”

His comments came after a photo went viral on social media of the Lysol disinfecting wipes being sold at Pusateri’s for $29.99. Retailers typically sell them for a fraction of that price.

When contacted by the Star, an employee at the Avenue Rd. and Lawrence location, where the picture was apparently taken hours earlier, said Lysol wipes were sold out.

Another employee at the Bayview Village location also said the wipes were sold out, but they didn’t know how much they were being sold for because they had to scan the item for the price to register.

Pusateri’s president and CEO Frank Luchetta insisted in a statement that it was all a mistake.

“While no excuse, our stores are facing immense pressure on all levels of operation. As a result of this mounting pressure, critical elements were overlooked including the incorrect pricing of the product,” said Luchetta.

“This was our mistake, our error, our oversight and we apologize to everyone impacted,” he said.

“We are promptly reviewing and adjusting any and all products that may have been improperly listed.”

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Luchetta said refunds will be issued to anyone who asks.

“We are a family-owned and operated and we share in the concern of the new realities that COVID-19 has created for everyone,” he said.

“This should never have happened and it will never happen again.”

Robert Benzie is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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