Liquor Industry Update: October 19, 2023
Dear ABLE BC Members and Industry Colleagues,
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s update:
Digital Age Verification Pilot
BC’s Pay Transparency Act – November 1
BC Government Introduces Legislation to Rein in Short-Term Rentals
Brand New Due Diligence Templates for ABLE BC Members
Possible Increase to the LDB Price Change Frequency
Executive Director Jeff Guignard Speaking at Comox Business Matters, November 2
go2HR on Tap: Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace – Starting the Conversation
Cannabis Corner with Nick Landells
Out and About with ABLE BC!
Save the Date: Upcoming Events and Webinars
Find all past updates here.
Digital Age Verification Pilot
Do you sell products online? Are you interested in participating in a fully funded pilot project to test digital age verification?
Join ABLE BC and the LCRB for an information session on Wednesday, October 25, at 1 p.m. To register, email ABLE BC’s Executive Director, Jeff Guignard, at jeff@ablebc.ca.
Recent regulatory changes allow British Columbians to order cannabis and liquor online. ID checks are required upon ordering and delivery, but these transactions aren’t secure or verifiable.
We are currently seeking members who do a reasonable volume through on-line sales who would be interested in incorporating BC’s technology into their software for purchases.
A pilot using the BC Wallet, namely the ‘Person Credential’ (derived from BC Services Card), to validate one’s age has now been officially approved for on-line/app purchase and delivery of restricted goods such as cannabis and liquor.
The Province of BC is looking for partners launch this exemplar age verification pilot. The pilot would be to validates one’s age upon ordering online and verifying age at the delivery location. Also in scope is the issuance of a ‘Serving/Selling it Right’ credential.
BC and other provincial jurisdictions continue to move forward on the adoption of compatible Verifiable Credentials.
This pilot could be a significant step to reduce liability and risk associated with serving minors. For more details or to register, email jeff@ablebc.ca.
BC’s Pay Transparency Act – November 1
On November 1, BC rolls out the Pay Transparency Act, which was passed on May 11, 2023. This act places new requirements on employers to help address systemic discrimination in the workplace.
Beginning November 1, 2023, BC employers are required to include expected pay or pay range in job postings.
All people deserve to be paid fairly and our communities are stronger when everyone is treated equally. However, too many women in B.C. are still making less than men. Last year, women in B.C. earned 17% less than men. The pay gap also disproportionately impacts Indigenous women, women of colour, and immigrant women, as well as women with disabilities and non-binary people.
Click here for more information.
BC Government Introduces Legislation to Rein in Short-Term Rentals
Earlier this week, the provincial government introduced new legislation aimed at reorienting short-term rentals (STRs) toward long-term housing – great news for BC employers struggling to access affordable housing for their staff.
Our partners at the BC Hotel Association (BCHA), who have led advocacy on this issue, applauded government for its “sincere commitment to improving access to affordable housing for all British Columbians.”
According to the BCHA: “We are thrilled to see the legislation incorporates every recommendation the BCHA has long championed:
Restricting short-term rentals to principal residences
Establishing a provincial registry
Ensuring platform accountability
Facilitating real-time data sharing.
This ground-breaking short-term rental policy could set a new national standard and serve as a model for other Canadian provinces. These practical, research-driven regulations are positioned to prioritize the housing needs of British Columbia's residents, returning rental housing to the long-term market – a move that benefits both our industry and employees who have faced housing challenges.”
Brand New Due Diligence Templates for ABLE BC Members
Visit the Member Portal to access brand new policy templates to ensure your hospitality, liquor retail, or cannabis retail store is duly diligent.
We understand the unique challenges and responsibilities of ensuring responsible alcohol and cannabis service and sales. To support you, we partnered with Associate Member Thrive Advisors to create new templates to help you develop comprehensive and stringent house policies that prioritize due diligence. These templates cover a range of topics, including age verification procedures, staff training, customer interactions, and compliance with LCRB regulations.
Implementing these policies will protect your business from legal liability and contribute to the responsible sale and service of alcohol and cannabis.
Templates are available free to all ABLE BC members. Not a member yet? Click here to sign up now!
SURVEY: Possible Increase to the LDB Price Change Frequency
The BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) only allows wholesale price changes once a month. You can view the current price calendar here.
To fit the current calendar, agents and manufacturers need to submit price changes 60 days in advance. This 60-day lead time doesn’t allow agents and manufacturers to include the fluctuating costs of shipping and other goods in their products. It also limits the number of times a product can be offered on Wholesale Price Promotion (or Limited Time Offer).
The LDB has been asked to consider increasing the price change frequency to weekly or twice a month.
To be clear, an increase in price change frequency does not mean that all products will see a price change at every price change date. It is unlikely this change would have a significant impact on labour and administration for hospitality and retail businesses (updating menu prices, shelf tags, and POS systems more frequently).
According to agents, this change would create more opportunity for discounted products. It could also create opportunities for deeper discounts and more profitable bridge buying opportunities. Retailers and agents would be better able to plan for seasonal sales and react to real-time cost fluctuation.
Please submit your thoughts here. This survey will close on October 20, 2023.
Executive Director Jeff Guignard Speaking at Comox Business Matters, November 2
Attention Island members!
Comox Business in Action (BIA) is hosting a series of fall speaker sessions to tackle business challenges and learn ways to grow your bottom line. Click here to learn more about this series.
ABLE BC’s Executive Director, Jeff Guignard, will be speaking at the November 2nd session, alongside Ian Tostenson of the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association (BCRFA).
Join Jeff and Ian for ‘ Tips, Trends and Tackling Challenges for Food and Beverage Businesses’ on Thursday, November 2nd 9:00 am at Church St Tap House in Comox.
Comox BIA members can register for free. Email comoxbia@gmail.com for your promo code.
go2HR on Tap: Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace – Starting the Conversation
Just like physical health, we all have mental health. Mental health is a state of well-being that includes our thoughts and emotions. Our mental health can affect our ability to solve problems and overcome difficulties, our social connections, how we “show up” at work, and even our physical feelings. Anyone can experience mental health challenges (e.g. a very stressful week) or a diagnosable mental illness (e.g. depression).
Employers, managers, and employees all play an important part in contributing to a workplace that supports positive mental health and wellness for all.
To learn more, watch go2HR’s Mental Health Awareness, a Safety Talk for Tourism. This 5-minute video and accompanying handout introduces the topic of mental health awareness in the workplace: what it is, why it matters, risks to mental health at work, and provides practical tips to help support wellness in the workplace.
Share it with your employees today!
If you have any questions or would like more information, support or resources to help support mental health awareness for your employees, please feel free to contact Valerie Lister, go2HR Workplace Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S) Coach, at no cost.
Questions? Reach out to go2HR's HR Consultants for free advice at hr@go2HR.ca. go2HR is the Human Resources and Health and Safety Association for BC’s tourism and hospitality industry.
Cannabis Corner with Nick Landells:
It has been five years since Canada legalised recreational cannabis. While we have made significant progress on licensing, taxation, and retail policy issues, we all know that the current federal framework creates too many needless barriers to success. To help correct this, the federal government appointed an independent panel of experts to review the federal Cannabis Act. Their mandate is to examine how things are working and recommend ways to make federal rules more effective.
A few days ago, the expert panel released their first What We Heard report, summarizing the evidence, opinions, and perspectives the panel has gathered to date. The report flagged many of the same concerns ABLE has heard from you, such as: THC quantity limits are too low, taxation and fees are too high, and the various restrictions on labelling and promotions are hindering industry’s ability to compete with the black market—which is still thriving.
The report also highlighted the various passionate industry opinions on the best path forward. As ABLE BC works to support BC’s cannabis retailers, these diverse perspectives will help inform our own advocacy priorities with the LDB, LCRB, as well as our municipal, provincial, and federal government partners.
Do you own a cannabis retail store? Sign up now for an ABLE BC cannabis membership to support the work we do on your behalf. Sign up with code ABLECAN1 to save $100 off a cannabis membership for your first store, and code ABLECAN2 to save $50 off a membership for each additional store. Offer ends at the end of October.
Click here to join as a cannabis member now!
Out and About with ABLE BC!
On Monday and Tuesday this week, we hosted the SPARK 2023 conference with our partners at the BC Hotel Association. After months of planning and organizing, we finally saw the result of our hard work – a fabulous event with engaged delegates, inspiring speakers, and innovative ideas. The incredible success of this conference wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated organizing committee, our generous sponsors and vendors, our speakers, and of course, the delegates. Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in SPARK, we can’t wait to see you next year!