COVID-19 Liquor Industry Update: October 21, 2021
Dear ABLE BC Members and Industry Colleagues,
Here’s what you’ll find inside today’s update:
Update from ABLE BC: Halloween, Compliance and Enforcement
What to expect at the BC Liquor Conference next week
COVID-19 Capacity Limits and Standing Restrictions Lifting on October 25
Update on the Wage and Rent Subsidy Programs
Small Business Week and BC pandemic supports
Complete our Annual LRS Benchmark Survey
You’re Invited: IVSA New Product Salon on October 27
ABLE BC Update: Paid sick leave consultation
Licensee Retail Store Moratorium Extended until July 2032
Reminder: new TESA applications accepted until October 31
New rules protecting young workers in effect October 15
Destination BC Accepting Applications for Power Up! Program
Webinar on October 27: Tackling the Restaurant Labour Shortage with Tech
Take the 2021 Collective Perspective BC Businesses Survey
Tickets for BCHF Online 50/50 Raffle on Sale Now
BC Hotel Association Live Industry Updates
City of Vancouver Patio Public Hearing Update
Find all past COVID-19 updates here.
Update from ABLE BC: Halloween, Compliance and Enforcement
Halloween
ABLE BC has not heard of any new public health restrictions for Halloween. Please be assured that we are working with government to find out if there will be any changes, and will update industry as soon as possible if there is.
Compliance and Enforcement
Since the introduction of the BC Vaccine Card program on September 13, many of you have written or called with questions about enforcement and to express frustration about the lack of government support for your businesses and workers – who are on the front lines of enforcing this mandatory requirement. Please know we have shared these concerns with government directly.
Government has created a multi-agency enforcement task force and they meet regularly to discuss enforcement issues and coordinate efforts. ABLE BC’s Executive Director Jeff Guignard meets with them weekly.
Between September 13 and October 20 there were:
1266 complaints
903 investigated
536 resolved through education/compliance
81 warning letters
36 coordinated enforcement activities
18 Violation Tickets issues
4 closure orders issued
2 liquor licenses suspended
1 business license suspended
Thank you to everyone who has reported non-compliant businesses. We have forwarded these businesses to the enforcement task force. Every business we have reported is being inspected and enforcement actions are underway.
If you have concerns about an operator in your community not following vaccine card rules, you may reach out confidentially to Executive Director Jeff Guignard directly at jeff@ablebc.ca.
What to expect at the BC Liquor Conference next week
Join ABLE BC at the sixth annual BC Liquor Conference: Monday, October 25, 2021.
In-person tickets are sold out. Register here for virtual tickets. Attend the 2021 BC Liquor Conference from the comfort of your home or office.
What to expect at the 2021 BC Liquor Conference:
Industry update by ABLE BC’s Executive Director Jeff Guignard
Is Mandatory Workplace Vaccination Legal? presented by Ryan Anderson (Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark LLP)
LCRB update with Assistant Deputy Minister and General Manager Mary Sue Maloughney
Retail Trends and Consumer Insights with Arterra, Labatt, and Spirits Canada
Preventing Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace with WorkSafeBC
How to Win in the Bar and Restaurant Business presented by David Hopkins (The 15 Group)
Liquor Liability and BC’s No-Fault Auto Regime presented by Lorne Folick (Dolden Wallace Folick)
What’s next for BC’s tourism and hospitality industries: a panel discussion with Jeff Guignard (ABLE BC), Ingrid Jarrett (BC Hotel Association), and Walt Judas (TIABC) moderated by Bert Hick (Rising Tide Consultants)
Reserve your virtual conference spot.
Post-Conference Industry Dinner
ABLE BC is pleased to be hosting a post-conference Industry Dinner sponsored by Labatt Breweries at Stanley Park Brewing on October 25.
We invite you to a beer-paired dinner experience with Bennie Dingemanse, Stanley Park Brewmaster.
The dinner will be held from 6:30-8:30pm at Stanley Park Brewing, located at 8901 Stanley Park Drive in Vancouver.
Only a few seats left. Purchase your ticket.
COVID-19 Capacity Limits and Standing Restrictions Lifting on October 26
As you know, on Sunday, October 24, 2021, full vaccination for everyone born in 2009 or earlier and presentation of your BC Vaccine Card will be required to access certain events, services, and businesses.
On Monday, October 25, more people will be able to come together at organized gatherings and events in parts of the province where vaccination rates are high.
GOOD NEWS: Effective October 25, the provincial health officer order restricting capacity limits for inside organized events and gatherings will be revised to allow 100% capacity in those settings where the BC Vaccine Card is in place and proof of vaccination status is checked.
In addition, the requirement to remain seated at a table in restaurants and pubs will be lifted. Indoor mask requirements remain in effect for all indoor gatherings and events.
ABLE BC has confirmed directly with the PHO’s team that this will also apply to nightclubs. Patrons will be allowed to stand and mingle in all liquor primaries, including nightclubs. Dancing is still not allowed and masks will be required when standing.
We know some members question the logic of prohibiting dancing while events such as concerts and hockey games are permitted at full capacity. Last night, ABLE BC Executive Director Jeff Guignard spoke to CTV News about this inconsistency.
Capacity limits remain in effect where regional orders are in place, including Fraser East and parts of Northern and Interior Health regions:
Interior Health: Gatherings and Events
Northern Health: Gatherings and Events
Fraser Health: Gatherings and Events
If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact ABLE BC: info@ablebc.ca.
Update on the Wage and Rent Subsidy Programs
Today, with CEWS and CERS set to expire imminently, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, announced that the federal government is replacing the current wage and rent subsidy programs with targeted support for the hospitality industry and other uniquely hard-hit businesses.
The government is proposing the following changes to business support programs:
Extend the Canada Recovery Hiring Program until May 7, 2022 for eligible employers with current revenue losses above 10 per cent and increase the subsidy rate to 50 per cent.
Deliver targeted support to businesses that are still facing significant pandemic-related challenges. Support would be available through two streams:
Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program: provide support through the wage and rent subsidy programs, to hotels, tour operators, travel agencies, bars and restaurants, with a subsidy rate of up to 75 per cent
Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program: provide support through the wage and rent subsidy programs to other businesses that have faced deep losses, with a subsidy rate of up to 50 per cent
Applicants for these programs will use a new “two-key” eligibility system whereby they will need to demonstrate significant revenue losses over the course of 12 months of the pandemic, as well as revenue losses in the current month.
Businesses that face temporary new local lockdowns will be eligible for up to the maximum amount of the wage and rent subsidy programs, during the local lockdown, regardless of losses over the course of the pandemic.
These programs will be available until May 7, 2022, with the proposed subsidy rates available through to March 13, 2022. From March 13 to May 7, 2022, the subsidy rates will decrease by half.
To better respond to the needs of businesses, including hard-hit businesses, the government is proposing to make legislative amendments to increase the aggregate monthly rent subsidy cap from $300,000 to $1 million (including any amounts claimed by affiliated entities) starting on October 24, 2021.
This new monthly cap would be available to all eligible employers and organizations that meet the new eligibility requirements for the rent subsidy under the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program and the Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program.
For more information:
Small Business Week and BC Pandemic Supports
Resilience, perseverance and innovation are the cornerstone of this year’s Small Business Week, October 17-23.
The Province recognizes the more than 500,000 small businesses in BC that continue to adapt throughout the pandemic to keep people safe and provide the services people count on.
Throughout the pandemic, the Province has provided financial supports to hard-hit industries and businesses. The Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery and the Circuit Breaker Business Relief Grants alone have now committed more than half a billion dollars to support BC businesses.
To date, more than 90% of successful Small and Medium Sized Businesses Recovery Grant recipients and more than 99% of the successful Circuit Breaker Business Relief Grant recipients have received their one-time payment to help keep staff working, implement safety protocols and adapt or innovate their services.
When it comes to supporting local business, the Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant will provide approximately 1,250 BC-based professional service providers with almost $20 million through the grant program, to assist applicants with the development of recovery plans.
In addition to these grants, the Province also worked with small businesses over the past year to shift to a more digital-focused online presence.
Through the Launch Online Grant program, more than 5,500 businesses in BC were able to build their e-commerce capacity and market services online. The grant program, which wrapped up in September 2021, has provided nearly $40 million to improve online capacity and booking systems to help businesses reach their customers and expand to new markets. Nearly 50% of approved applicants are from regional or Indigenous, Black and people of colour (IBPOC)-owned businesses.
Complete our Annual LRS Benchmark Survey
Since 2018, ABLE BC in partnership with Paul Rickett, VARKeting! has conducted an annual LRS Benchmark Survey.
As BC’s private liquor industry association, ABLE BC works to collect data for our membership and create an economic snapshot of our industry. We survey our private liquor store members on an annual basis to help develop KPIs or benchmarks for your business.
We are conducting our third annual LRS Benchmark Survey and we need your feedback.
To ensure we can offer you valuable insights, we kindly ask that if you own and/or operate an LRS, you complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FX9RPYM
Deadline to complete survey: October 27, 2021.
Results will be shared with members and in the Quarterly Pour. Preliminary results will be presented at the BC Liquor Conference on October 25, 2021.
Individual results and any business information shared will be kept confidential. Results will be presented as aggregate data.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact ABLE BC: info@ablebc.ca.
You’re Invited: IVSA New Product Salon on October 27
Be the first to try newly imported arrivals to British Columbia at the IVSA New Product Salon: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at the Italian Cultural Centre (La Trattoria, 3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver).
Agents will be showcasing the newest imported wines, spirits, and beers. Also look for unique featured imports.
Please RSVP to admin@ivsa.ca and provide:
Full name (first, last)
Company name and website
Your company email address
Your company title
Buyers, sommeliers, and proprietors of restaurants, liquor stores, and bars are invited. BCLS Product Consultants are included. Due to PHO limitations, support staff will be excluded at this time.
This walk-around tasting is a closed event and space is limited. Access by confirmed RSVP only. All attendees must have proof of 2 vaccines to attend and matching ID. You must also wear a mask or face shield.
Each session will be 1.5 hours. Please book a requested session time with your RSVP:
Session 1: 10:00 am-11:30 am
Session 2: 11:30 am-1:30 pm
Session 3: 1:30 pm-3:00 pm
Session 4: 3:00 pm-4:30 pm
For more information please email: admin@ivsa.ca.
ABLE BC Update: Paid sick leave consultation
In May 2021, amendments to the Employment Standards Act laid the groundwork for establishing minimum standards for permanent paid sick leave. Following the public engagement process, paid sick leave will be established through regulation and come into effect on January 1, 2022.
In October, ABLE BC’s Executive Director Jeff Guignard met with Hon. Harry Bains, Minister of Labour about paid sick leave. He shared our members’ immense concerns that paid sick leave will add tens of millions of dollars to payroll costs at a moment when most of the industry is breaking even, or still losing money. We pushed him to delay any new costs to businesses, at least until our industry has recovered from the devastating financial impacts of this crisis.
On October 15, ABLE BC and other industry associations submitted a memo to the provincial government outlining the economic impacts of sick leave, including estimates for the annual employer cost of the permanent program.
Licensee Retail Store Moratorium Extended until July 2032
We are excited and proud to share some long-awaited good news: on October 4, Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, announced the moratorium on new Licensee Retail Stores will be extended until 2032. The moratorium was originally set to expire on July 1, 2022.
Read the government news release.
Existing LRS licenses may still be transferred with approval of the LCRB. Excluded from the license freeze are existing Independent Wine Stores licensees that may choose to convert their license type to a LRS by March 31, 2025, to sell beer, cider, and distilled products in their current locations.
The government-imposed moratorium on issuing new LRS licenses has been a vital investment protection for British Columbia’s liquor retailers – and our most important LRS policy issue, next to maintaining the 1 km distance rule.
Ending the moratorium on July 1, 2022 could have led to a flood of new liquor retail stores entering the market – unnecessarily increasing competition, undermining your profitability, and putting our industry’s long-term prosperity at risk.
For the past several years, ABLE BC’s Executive Director Jeff Guignard and our Board of Directors have been actively advocating that government extend the LRS moratorium by an additional 10 years. Today’s announcement comes as a direct result of our ongoing advocacy work.
As a sign of our productive partnership with government on these and other liquor policy issues, ABLE BC’s Executive Director Jeff Guignard participated directly in today’s announcement. We are immensely grateful that government has heard us, and our members welcome the long-term certainty this provides for BC’s liquor retailers.
Please join us in thanking Minister Farnworth for his personal involvement in extending the moratorium by writing to him at PSSG.Minister@gov.bc.ca.
While we work to support the survival of our hospitality members amid the worst financial crisis in our lifetime, ABLE BC has continued to successfully advocate for private liquor retailers. We ensured LRSs were declared an essential service so they would not be closed during the pandemic, and secured a new potential new revenue stream by ensuring LRSs may sell products to holders of Special Event Permits. We know that extending the LRS moratorium provides long-term stability for liquor retailers, particularly during this chaotic time.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact ABLE BC: info@ablebc.ca.
Reminder: new TESA applications accepted until October 31
The LCRB is accepting applications for new Temporary Expanded Service Area authorizations until October 31, 2022. For more information on applying for a TESA, please click here.
Approved TESA authorizations expire on June 1, 2022. To operate your TESA permanently past the June 1, 2022 expiry date, apply as soon as possible for a new outdoor patio or structural change (indoor). Please see Policy Directive 21-09 for more information.
New rules protecting young workers in effect October 15
Employers are reminded that changes to employment standards that better protect young people will be in force on October 15, 2021.
The changes raise the general working age in British Columbia from 12 to 16 and define the types of jobs that are appropriate for those under 16.
Youth aged 14 and 15 are able to do many “appropriate” jobs defined as “light work” with permission from a parent or guardian. In some cases, children aged 14 and 15 may be permitted to do work outside the definition of light work with a permit from the Ministry of Labour’s Employment Standards Branch.
The new rules do not prevent children from babysitting or delivering newspapers part time, or students from working in a work-study or work experience class, which are among the jobs excluded from the new rules.
Children aged 12 and older can continue to be employed in a business or on a farm owned by an immediate family member, as long as the work meets the safety criteria set out in the regulation.
Occupations that are now prescribed as light work appropriate for youth 14 and 15 include:
cashier
computer programmer
golf caddy
lifeguard or lifeguard assistant
messenger or courier
peer counsellor
performing artist
recreation or community program attendant
referee or umpire
salesperson, other than door-to-door
server of food or drink, other than alcohol
sports or recreational coach or instructor
summer or day camp leader
tutor or instructor
visual artist or graphic designer
writer, editor or similar
Occupations or situations that are now generally considered as unsafe for youth under 16 include:
repairing, maintaining or operating heavy machinery
places where a minor is not permitted to enter
sites of construction, heavy manufacturing, heavy industrial work
sites designed to retain an oxygen-deficient or toxic atmosphere
walk-in freezers or coolers, other than to place or retrieve an item
handling substances that minors cannot legally purchase, use or distribute
lifting, carrying or moving heavy items or animals
using, handling or applying hazardous substances like pesticides
These changes to the Employment Standards Act were initiated through legislation in the spring of 2019. Consultations were held with over 1,700 youth, parents and employers from multiple sectors before prior to finalizing the changes this year.
These new rules bring British Columbia in line with international standards for children’s employment. Prior to these changes, BC was the only province in Canada whose general minimum working age was as young as 12.
Destination BC Accepting Applications for Power Up! Program
Destination BC is still accepting applications for Power Up!, an application-based digital mentoring program that provides 75 small- and medium-sized tourism businesses, sole proprietors and non-profits with free access to digital audit and technical services designed to improve digital marketing activities and use of digital technology.
Service costs are covered up to a maximum of $5,000 per participant. There are only a few spots left, so apply quickly to avoid missing this opportunity.
Webinar on October 27: Tackling the Restaurant Labour Shortage with Tech
Join Restaurants Canada for a free webinar on October 27 at 1:00 pm ET with UEAT and Foodtastic as they discuss how technology can play an integral part in a restaurant’s staffing strategy.
Learn how a robust tech stack for your front-of-the-house operations can take on many tasks previously performed by employees, enabling your restaurant to do more with less. This webinar will give insights into:
How contactless ordering and payments in your dining room can reduce pressure on waiters and enable you to facilitate section assignment
How online ordering technologies can help you better manage peaks and troughs to facilitate back-of-the-house operations
Why technology and customer data play a key role in optimizing menus and product availability
The importance of upselling and cross-selling menus to boost average ticket sizes – and improve margins – to invest in staff perks and compensation
Take the 2021 Collective Perspective BC Businesses Survey
The BC Chamber of Commerce’s purpose is to know what’s on BC’s mind. They’re asking you to use your voice in a big way – so they can advocate with intent in the year ahead.
BC’s most comprehensive economic snapshot – the 2021 Collective Perspective Survey – will capture insight from every sector, business size, and region in the province.
Results from the survey will:
Identify evolving trends and roadblocks
Brief government on the business climate in preparation for the 2022 budget
Inform the Chamber’s advocacy efforts
All BCMindReader members who complete the survey will be entered to win one of three $250 VISA Gift Cards!
The survey will close November 4, 2021, at 4:00pm PDT. Please reach out if you have questions.
Take the survey and be the voice of BC business (~8-min).
Tickets for BCHF Online 50/50 Raffle on Sale Now
Tickets are now on sale for the BC Hospitality Foundation’s 50/50 raffle. The raffle starts with a $1000 jackpot and will increase with every ticket purchased above and beyond until sales close on November 15, 2021.
The initiative is a fundraiser for the BCHF, the only charity of its kind in Canada, with a mission of supporting hospitality and tourism workers in need.
Tickets for the raffle cost:
5 for $10
2o for $20
150 for $40
The winning name will be drawn at noon on November 16 and will be posted on the BCHF website and social media shortly thereafter, pending notification to the winner. Please support our hospitality and tourism sector by purchasing tickets and by spreading the word about the raffle among your friends, family, and colleagues!
BC Hotel Association Live Industry Updates
The BC Hotel Association is back on the road in November to deliver important updates to the accommodation community, stopping in Victoria, Kelowna, Penticton, and Kamloops.
Tailored to each region, these information and networking sessions will include food & beverages along with hundreds of dollars worth of prizes to be had. Engage with fellow accommodators, the BCHA team, and special local guest speakers.
Included in the events:
Updates on advocacy efforts both provincially and federally
Information on emerging issues and ways to mitigate risk
Tools, resources, and benefits available to our members
Recovery strategies for the tourism and hospitality sector
A townhall Q&A session with special guest panelists
A catered networking portion and many door prizes to be won!
Open to all types of accommodators, members and non-members.
City of Vancouver Patio Public Hearing Update
On October 19, Vancouver City Council approved zoning regulations to allow liquor manufacturing patios on private property. Enactment of the by-law will occur on October 21.
City staff will be sending future emails on next steps, including how to apply. The City encourages operators to apply as early as possible to allow sufficient time to process the permit applications.
If you indicated you want a permanent patio, you will be able to keep your existing patios active as the City processes your application.
For more information please contact:
street.activities@vancouver.ca