Advocacy Work

ABLE BC works hard every single day to advocate for your interests, protect your businesses, and help ensure the survival of the cannabis retail and private liquor industries.

Your Everyday Advocates

ABLE BC’s team of dedicated experts provide advice and guidance to our members daily. As the voice of BC’s private liquor and cannabis industries, we are always working to advocate for BC’s private liquor and cannabis stores, pubs, bars, nightclubs, and hotel liquor licensees.

We are available to decipher policies, Terms and Conditions handbooks, and to provide clarity about complicated industry issues. We also provide free resources to our members including signage, FAQs, and webinars on the issues that matter most to industry.

Download our 2024 Advocacy Report to learn more about how ABLE BC fights for your business!

Business Technical Advisory Panel (BTAP)

The Business Technical Advisory Panel (BTAP) was formed in 2018 to provide recommendations and advice to BC’s government with a shared goal of improving and modernising liquor policies and regulations.

BTAP engaged with industry stakeholders over several months to determine a list of 24 specific recommendations aimed at increasing efficiency and creating opportunities in BC’s liquor industry. The Panel provided a full report to government and industry in April 2018. Since then, the panel has provided ongoing advice and recommendations as needed.

BTAP is Chaired by ABLE BC’s Executive Director, Jeff Guignard.

BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) Strike

In August 2022, our industry was swiftly crippled by an unprecedented BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) strike at four vital Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) Warehouses lasting two weeks. Those warehouses supply all cannabis products and 60 per cent of the province's alcohol, including all imported wines and spirits, RTDs, and many beers. Cutting off the distribution of these products caused significant damage to our industry just when businesses were finally starting to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout the strike, we took several actions to support industry:

We met with government daily to explain the damage the strike was doing to industry, maintain pressure for a swift end to the labour dispute, and provide feedback on LDB restart plans
Provided near-daily updates and an FAQ to keep members informed
Produced a survey to measure the impact on our industry
Created free signage for LRS and cannabis retail stores explaining stock outages to customers
Collated a list of local producers offering direct delivery
Hosted a free webinar with go2HR on How to Navigate Employee Layoffs
Published an open letter to government and the BCGEU urging both sides to find a resolution and remove the picket lines while negotiations continued. Less than a week later, the BCGEU announced it would stand down strike action.

Historic Policy Wins

Hospitality Pricing: effective July 20, 2020, hospitality customers can purchase products at wholesale price. The policy was made permanent on February 23, 2021. This is one of the most important and significant liquor policy changes in a generation.

The pricing change will help thousands of pubs and restaurants walk back from the brink of bankruptcy and give them a legitimate chance at surviving the pandemic.

Selling to Special Event Permits: on July 13, 2021, the provincial government announced a significant policy win for liquor retailers. For the first time in our industry’s history, private liquor retailers can sell to Special Event Permit holders.

This change not only introduced a new revenue stream for private liquor retailers, it also corrected the previous unfair policy of forcing consumers to purchase only from the government’s BC Liquor Stores.

Although industry has been seeking both of these policy changes for years, these policies came as a direct result of ongoing advocacy work by ABLE BC and the Business Technical Advisory Panel.

COVID-19 Advocacy Work

In addition to the historic wins above, a number of policy changes made during the COVID-19 crisis were in direct response to the advocacy work of ABLE BC, the Business Technical Advisory Panel, and our industry partners:

Temporary authorization for hospitality customers to sell their existing liquor stock
Temporary extension of patio and service areas with expedited provincial approval and simplified online process
Temporary authorization for liquor manufacturers to direct deliver
Liquor and food primaries can permanently sell alcohol with takeaway and delivery meals
Liquor and food primaries can permanently sell cocktails with takeaway and delivery meals
Liquor stores can permanently extend their hours from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm

ABLE BC pushed for urgent and direct financial support for BC’s hospitality industry and helped you get access to funding:

$300 million Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant: grants up to $45,000 for businesses impacted by COVID-19. The fund was a direct result of work by ABLE BC and our industry partners.
$125 million Circuit Breaker Business Relief Grant: grants of up to $20,000 for businesses impacted by the April 2021 circuit breaker public order. The fund was a direct result of work by ABLE BC and our industry partners.
15 per cent cap on delivery service fees: in place until three months after the provincial state of emergency is lifted. This change was a direct result of work by ABLE BC and the BCRFA.
BDC loans: got the liquor and cannabis industries access to BDC loans
Federal support: successfully pushed to have the wage and rent subsidies extended

Download our COVID-19 Advocacy Report to learn more.

Labour Crisis

Our industry continues to struggle with a labour crisis that was amplified during the pandemic. The labour crisis is a long-term problem with immediate effects that are more challenging to address.

ABLE BC works closely with the BC Hotel Association (BCHA) and has secured support for our members from BCHA’s Workforce Strategist, Alison Langford. Alison offers a complimentary consultation to ABLE BC members, with priority given to dual BCHA & ABLE members, to offer assistance with recruiting and hiring Temporary Foreign Workers.

LRS & LP Committees

The LRS and LP policy committees are made up of key ABLE BC members who help shape our priorities and government relations strategies. Committee members are industry experts who represent businesses of different sizes, corporate structures, and regions of BC. They work directly with Executive Director Jeff Guignard and the Board of Directors.

The LRS policy committee is chaired by Director Mike McKee (JAK’s Liquor) and the LP policy committee is chaired by President Yvan Charette (My Pub Group). These committees identify key priorities and strategies for ABLE BC and regularly discuss current issues, policy changes, and future plans. Priorities raised by both committees include: the ongoing labour crisis, a lack of affordable housing for workers, supply chain inefficiencies, permitting licensee-to-licensee sales, eliminating the licensee transfer limit, and inaccurate public information about Canada’s Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines.

The LRS Committee has highlighted the need to:

Improve distribution efficiency, particularly for non-stocked products (NSWP),
Address outdated IT systems and process at LDB Wholesale,
Curtail unfair retail practices and pricing strategies from BC Liquor Stores,
Secure allocation or exclusivity on in-demand SKUs,
End the LDB’s monopoly on distributing RTDs,
Increase SKUs available for single-bottle picks, and
Increase data transparency from the LDB.

The LP Committee has highlighted the need to:

Address unsustainable costs of property crime and vandalism,
Reduce LCRB timelines and municipal bureaucratic delays,
Maintain license distinction between LPs, FPs, and manufacturer tasting lounges,
Develop clear and fair policies for ordering product from BC Liquor Stores,
Extend operating hours for special events such as FIFA World Cup,
Permit site-wide licensing for private LP-clubs,
Increase compensation from BC Lotto, and
Stabilize skyrocketing insurance premiums.

Cannabis Committee

The cannabis policy committee is made up of founding ABLE BC Cannabis members. These dedicated professionals represent different business sizes and regions, each bringing key perspectives that help shape our priorities and government relations strategies. This committee works directly with Executive Director Jeff Guignard, Head of Cannabis Membership Nick Landells, and the Board of Directors.

The Cannabis Committee has highlighted these priorities:

Protect investments and expand business opportunities by:
- Working with the LCRB to implement a province-wide minimum distance criteria between cannabis stores; and
- Preventing large-scale discount cannabis chains from entering the BC market.
Modernise cannabis licensing and regulations by:
- Addressing the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Resolution to permit municipalities to opt-out of providing a local government recommendation as part of provincial licensing applications; and
- Addressing licensing inefficiencies with the LCRB.
Create due diligence materials and best practice guidelines by:
- Hosting webinars on hot topic issues such as the Minors as Agents Program; and
- Working with licensing consultants to develop templates and signage.
Reduce taxes and regulatory burdens on cannabis retailers by:
- Ensuring the LDB lowers the 15% mark-up on the Direct Delivery Program; and
- Working to increase the allowable THC limit in edibles and personal possession limits.

Donate to our Advocacy Fund

Are you interested in further supporting our advocacy work? Make a one-time donation to our advocacy fund at ablebc.ca/donate.

ABLE BC is funded by membership dues and donations. We can’t do our work without the support of our members, our industry, or our community.

If you are invested in BC’s cannabis retail and private liquor industries, consider making a donation today.