ABLE BC Board of Directors Update

Dear ABLE BC members and industry colleagues,

Earlier this week, ABLE BC’s Board of Directors hosted its first in-person quarterly meeting since 2020. It was an exciting day with focused discussions around our progress over the past quarter, recent meetings with government, current policy priorities, reports from our LRS and LP Committees, and new ideas for how we can best serve our members and protect your investments. 

The Board also began planning our three-year strategic plan for our association’s future. We are excited to grow our membership, increase our resources, and expand our services to support you and your businesses. 

As part of our growth strategy, the Board is seeking your feedback on re-launching membership for cannabis retailers. We know many members own or operate cannabis retailer stores, and some of you have asked that we bring cannabis retailers into the ABLE BC family. To ensure we continue to effectively advocate for our liquor licensee members, we would bring in additional team members and resources to effectively serve cannabis members as well.

Do you own a cannabis license? Would you like ABLE to advocate for cannabis stores? Let the Board know by emailing Executive Director, Jeff Guignard at jeff@ablebc.ca. 

LRS & LP Committees Update 

Prior to the Board meeting, ABLE BC’s LRS and LP Committees met to discuss current industry issues and ABLE BC’s ongoing policy priorities. 

The LRS Committee is chaired by Mike McKee (JAK's Liquor) and is comprised of a strong team of retailers representing different business sizes and regions around BC, including: 

·     Chair: Mike McKee, JAK’s Liquor

·     Darryl Lamb, Legacy Liquor

·     Ed Boettcher, Urban Liquor

·     Nicole Altsmannshoffer, Northgate Liquor Store

·     Shannon Gavin, Innhouse Group

·     Dylan Palmer, Otter Co-op

·     Todd Arbuthnot, TAG Liquor Stores

·     Lynda Johnston, Heartland Group

·     Yvan Charette, Haney Hotel

·     Keith Barbon, The Truffles Group

To date, the LRS Committee has identified the following key issues (in no particular order) as priorities for ABLE BC:

·     Eliminate/increase licensee transfer limit

·     Explore removing requirement to accept bottle returns

·     Curtail unfair retail practices from BC Liquor Stores

·     Supply chain issues

·     Increase SKUs available for single bottle picks

·     Increase data transparency from LDB

·     Amend trade practices/inducement rules to permit marketing support

·     Permit licensee-to-licensee sales

ABLE BC's LP Committee is chaired by our President, Yvan Charette (Haney Hotel group). Similar to the LRS committee, Yvan has assembled a strong group of ABLE members representing a variety of LP businesses across BC, including: 

·     Chair: Yvan Charette, Haney Hotel 

·     Rebecca Hardin, Thrive Advisors

·     Brendan Bonfield, Darby’s Hospitality

·     Bert Hick, Rising Tide Consultants

·     Kristy Wawryk, Sundance Pub

·     Owen Coomer, The Taphouse

·     Simon Fallick, The American

·     Scott Farwell, Crest Hotel

·     Laura Balance, HVA

·     Vince Marino, Hogwartz Entertainment

So far, the LP committee has identified the following priorities (in no particular order):

·     Eliminate/increase licensee transfer limit

·     Reduce LCRB timelines and municipal bureaucratic delays

·     Supply issues, including shortages and restricted stock

·     Review LP vs. FP constraints/opportunities

·     Stabilize skyrocketing insurance premiums

Do you have an issue you would like to raise with the Board or one of our committees? Please contact Executive Director Jeff Guignard directly at jeff@ablebc.ca.

Policy Priority Update: Licensee-to-Licensee Sales

As members know, ABLE BC has been actively advocating to permit licensee-to-licensee sales, i.e. the ability of an LP or FP to purchase products directly from a private liquor retailer. In our opinion, it has never made sense that a pub or restaurant should be prohibited from buying liquor from a private liquor store. Instead, they are forced to buy from government’s BC Liquor Stores (or direct from domestic BC manufacturers). 

Unfortunately, Government recently indicated it will not be moving forward with this policy change at this time. While we are obviously disappointed, Government raised several concerns we need to address before we can expect to see any movement on this policy.

We still believe that forcing hospitality licensees to purchase products from government liquor stores is a blatantly unfair, illogical, and anti-competitive policy. It needless restricts choice and convenience, particularly since certain specialty products are only available from private retailers. 

Some members have suggested we raise this issue with Canada’s Competition Bureau. The Board is currently assessing our next tactics on this issue, and we will offer further updates in the coming months.

In the meantime, should you have any specific questions please feel free to contact us at info@ablebc.ca.