Weekly Liquor Industry Update: April 7, 2022
Dear ABLE BC Members and Industry Colleagues,
Here's what you'll find inside today's update:
Reminder: Vaccine Card Mandate & COVID-19 Safety Plans No Longer Required as of Friday, April 8
Extension of Temporary Expanded Service Areas (TESAs)
Job Bank for Ukrainian Refugees
Government Announces Changes to Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Vancouver Island Liquor Industry Meetings April 19 & 20
LRS & LP Committee Meetings April 28
Seeking Feedback on the Possible Elimination or Revision of the Tied House Regulation in the Liquor Control and Licensing Act
Coors Light Announces Plans to Eliminate 6-pack Plastic Rings
DVBIA State of Downtown 2022
BCHF Scholarship Program - Deadline Extended!
BCHF Golf Tournaments Return with One New Addition!
Find all past updates here.
Reminder: Vaccine Card Mandate & COVID-19 Safety Plans No Longer Required as of Friday, April 8
On Tuesday afternoon, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that BC is lifting the remaining COVID-19 restrictions. Effective this Friday, April 8 at 12:01 am, vaccine cards are no longer required to attend events, visit bars, pubs, nightclubs, and restaurants, or visit other non-essential public indoor spaces.
Individual businesses may decide to keep the vaccine card requirement, for example, if they have a small location that is easily crowded. We know that ABLE members will make the right choice for their businesses, keeping the safety of employees and patrons in mind.
Proof of vaccination is still required for federally regulated travel, such as air travel.
COVID-19 safety plans will no longer be required as of Friday, April 8 at 12:01 am. Businesses will now transition to communicable disease plans. Download this resource from WorkSafeBC if you need guidance on your communicable disease plan. An effective plan includes general measures to reduce the risk of communicable disease and additional measures for when there’s an elevated risk of communicable disease.
Click here to read the government press release.
Click here to see the current health order for pubs, bars, nightclubs, and restaurants.
Extension of Temporary Expanded Service Areas (TESAs)
After months of sustained advocacy by ABLE BC and our industry partners such as the BC Craft Brewers Guild and the BCRFA, we are pleased to announce that the provincial government has extended the TESA provision to March 31, 2023.
This is excellent news for our LP members! Removing this red tape barrier will give industry the time it needs to plan for patio season. We are immensely grateful to our government partners for listening to and supporting our industry as we work to recover financially from the pandemic.
Licensees do not need to apply to the LCRB for an extension, and there will be no fee charged.
Approved TESAs must remain in compliance with local bylaws and requirements, and all other requirements related to TESA authorizations remain the same.
Click here to read the policy directive update and here to read the government press release.
If you want to make your TESA permanent past March 31, 2023, you will need to apply for a new outdoor patio, permanent structural change, or manufacturer endorsement. Approval for a permanent structural change can take up to 10 months to complete.
You can find more information on how to apply via the LCRB’s website.
To apply you will need:
An updated floor plan that clearly shows the structural change
These plans generally require an occupancy load
If you are a Liquor Primary or Manufacturer licensee, your structural change application will be sent to your local government for their comments.
To apply as a Liquor Primary or Food Primary licensee:
Log in to the liquor and cannabis licensing portal with a BCeID
Go to the "Licences and Authorizations" dashboard and find the licence you want to change.
Select:
"New Outdoor Patio" for an outdoor TESA or
"Structural Change Application" for an indoor TESA
Complete the application.
You can find more information here.
If you have questions about your expiring TESA or applying for a permanent structural change, we encourage you to contact a liquor licensing consultant. Check out the ABLE BC Buyer’s Guide for recommended consultants.
Job Bank for Ukrainian Refugees
With thousands of displaced Ukrainians expected to relocate to British Columbia over the coming months, the Province of BC is expanding services and supports to connect individuals and families to the help they need.
A new, dedicated Welcoming Ukraine portal provides information to Ukrainians who are moving to the province, as well as for British Columbians who want to volunteer or donate to show their support.
The Government of Canada has created a dedicated job bank to help connect Ukrainian refugees with employment opportunities. Employers looking to fill job vacancies can create a profile and post available employment opportunities.
Click here to post an employment opportunity for Ukrainian refugees.
Government Announces Changes to Temporary Foreign Worker Program
As LRS and LP owners well know, BC is experiencing one of the tightest labour markets in a generation. To succeed, operators must be increasingly creatve in how they recruit and hire. It also underscores the importance of proper government programs to help you access foreign workers.
Earlier this week, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development & Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced an important change to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program under the Workforce Solutions Road Map.
Effective April 30:
Accommodation and Food Services will be among seven sectors in which employers will be allowed to hire up to 30% of their workforce through the TFW Program for low-wage positions for one year.
The policy that automatically refuses LMIA applications in regions with unemployment rate of 6% or higher will end.
Effective immediately:
Addressing seasonal peaks, there will no longer be a limit to the number of low-wage positions that employers in seasonal industries can fill through the TFW program. In addition, the maximum duration of these positions will be increased from 180 days to 270 days per year.
Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA’s) will be valid for 18 months, an increase from 9 months. (Prior to COVID-19, LMIA’s were valid for 6 months).
The maximum duration of employment for High-Wage and Global Talent Streams workers will be extended to three years. This will help workers qualify for permanent residency, contributing to our long-term workforce.
Click here to learn more.
Vancouver Island Liquor Industry Meetings April 19 & 20
This month, ABLE BC will be hosting our first in-person industry meetings since 2020!
We will be in Victoria on Tuesday, April 19th and Nanaimo on Wednesday, April 20th. We hope to see you there!
These meetings are open to owners, managers, and staff members from liquor stores, pubs, bars, nightclubs, hotels, and other liquor industry professionals. We are inviting both ABLE BC members and non-members, so please feel free to pass this invitation along to your hospitality and retail colleagues.
Come meet ABLE BC’s Executive Director, Jeff Guignard, for a discussion of:
What is ABLE BC and how do we work?
Update on current liquor industry issues
Learn about the issues ABLE BC is advocating for and our progress on key policy priorities
Learn about ABLE BC benefit programs
Connect with other licensees and ABLE BC members in your area
Question and answer period with ABLE BC Executive Director, Jeff Guignard
We look forward to meeting you face-to-face to hear about the issues that matter most to you and your businesses!
Victoria Details:
Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Time: 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Location: Spinnakers Brewpub, 308 Catherine Street, Victoria, BC
Nanaimo Details:
Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Location: Quarterway Pub, 1431 Bowen Road, Nanaimo, BC
Please RSVP by Monday, April 18 to Ann Brydle (Manager of Membership and Communication) at ann@ablebc.ca. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Ann.
LRS & LP Policy Committee Meetings
Interested in helping set ABLE BC’s policy priorities and government relations strategies? Join one of our policy committees and work directly with ABLE BC’s Executive Director, Jeff Guignard, to tackle our industry’s most urgent liquor retail and liquor primary issues.
ABLE BC members are invited to join our Licensee Retail Store and Liquor Primary policy committees, both meeting on Thursday, April 28, 2022.
Committees set their own agenda and, in concert with ABLE BC’s Executive Director Jeff Guignard, report directly to ABLE BC’s Board of Directors. Committee members will be asked to consider the most urgent and critical challenges in their respective sectors, as well as practical tactics to address these issues with government.
Licensee Retail Store Policy Committee:
Liquor Primary Policy Committee:
To join a committee, or to submit issues you’d like the committee to discuss, please contact Jeff Guignard at jeff@ablebc.ca.
Please RSVP to Ann Brydle (Manager of Membership and Communications) and indicate which committee you would like to join by Wednesday, April 27.
Seeking Feedback on the Possible Elimination or Revision of the Tied House Regulation in the Liquor Control and Licensing Act
The Liquor Control and Licensing Act currently permits a Tied House arrangement between a liquor manufacturer – brewery, winery, or distillery – and a maximum of three of its own offsite establishments. For example: A brewery can sell its products in a maximum of three licensed establishments that are under the same ownership as the brewery.
Several years ago the exception to allow sales in a maximum of three offsite establishments was introduced. The intent of this policy was to restrict manufacturers from giving themselves an unfair advantage. But it was designed before the emergence of craft manufacturing here in BC and has mainly inhibited smaller producers from gaining the same foothold in the market as larger manufacturers.
Some members have suggested that government should eliminate tied house restrictions. This opinion is based on consumer choice and necessity to provide a selection of product options (i.e. no pub or restaurant is only going to sell just one alcohol product given today’s competitive market).
But we want to hear from you. Is this a policy you would like to see changed?
Click here to fill out a short survey and share your opinions on Tied House regulations. The survey will close on Friday, April 15th.
If you would like more information about Tied House and the implications of the current restrictions, contact Carmen MacKeage of Rising Tide Consultants at carmen@risingtideconsultants.ca or 604-669-2928.
Coors Light Announces Plans to Eliminate 6-pack Plastic Rings
Coors Light has officially announced plans to eliminate 6-pack plastic rings from packaging globally, where Molson Coors owns brewing operations, and is set to become the largest beer brand in North America to move away from plastic rings.
With an investment of nearly $85 million from Molson Coors to upgrade packaging machinery, Coors Light and the company’s entire North American portfolio of brands will advance to fully recyclable and sustainably sourced cardboard-wrap carriers. In total, the move away from plastic rings will save 1.7 million pounds of plastic waste every year.
In Canada, Coors Light’s transition from plastic rings to its new cardboard packaging will begin in the next year and is planned to be completed by the end of 2023.
Click here to learn more about Molson Coors’ sustainability targets and programs.
DVBIA State of Downtown 2022
The State of Downtown event is back!
Join a panel of industry specialists as they share their insights and expertise on how downtown Vancouver fared during the past year, as well as their outlook for the future.
Date: Wednesday, April 27
Time: 3:30 pm- 6:00 pm
Location: Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Pacific Ballroom. 900 W Georgia St, Vancouver
Panelists:
Jeff Guignard, Executive Director, Alliance of Beverage Licensees (ABLE BC)
Andrew Petrozzi, Director Research, Western Canada Commercial, Altus Group
Paulina Cameron, CEO, Forum for Women Entrepreneurs
Moderator:
Nolan Marshall III, President and CEO, Downtown Vancouver BIA
FREE for DVBIA members. Refreshments and two drinks per person included.
Click here to register.
BCHF Scholarship Program - Deadline Extended!
The BC Hospitality Foundation (BCHF) has extended the deadline for applications until April 30, 2022 for select scholarships.
Application deadlines are extended for the following:
Culinary Scholarships for students starting or currently enrolled in culinary courses. Support by the Chefs’ Table Society of BC. APPLY NOW
BC WISE (Wine Industry Scholarship and Education Fund) Scholarships for students enrolled in programs such as winemaking, viticulture, or wine business executive. APPLY NOW
Indigenous and LGBT2Q+ Scholarships for Indigenous - APPLY NOW- and LGBT2Q+ - APPLY NOW - hospitality workers who want to increase their knowledge of the food and beverage, hospitality and/or tourism field through education.
Wine Legacy Scholarship in Memory of Terry Threlfall - APPLY NOW
Click here for details on eligibility and to apply.
BC Hospitality Foundation (BCHF) Golf Tournaments Return with One New Addition!
The BCHF is excited to announce the launch of our new Okanagan tournament. The inaugural Okanagan tournament kicks off the golf season on May 10, 2022, followed by legacy tournaments in Vancouver and Victoria this summer. Registration is now open for all three tournaments.
Annual Golf Tournaments are important fundraising events for the foundation. Funds raised help hospitality workers across BC each year that are in a financial crisis due to a medical condition.
BCHF Tournaments attract over 130 golfers in each city and are known to be a fun-filled networking event for owners, managers, and suppliers. These events are a great opportunity for team building initiatives and to celebrate your partners and suppliers.
Food and drinks will be provided at several holes throughout the course. The day of golf finishes with a networking reception, grazing dinner and silent auction. Thanks to our industry partners there are many great prizes to be won!
Important Dates:
Tuesday, May 10th
Okanagan Golf Tournament, the Harvest Golf Club, Kelowna
Monday, July 4th
Vancouver Golf Tournament, Westwood Plateau Golf & Country Club, Coquitlam
Tuesday, August 23rd
Victoria Golf Tournament, Olympic View Golf Club