COVID-19 Update: April 8, 2021

Dear ABLE BC Members and Industry Colleagues, 

Here’s what you’ll find inside today’s update:

  • Good news! New grants for BC’s hospitality industry

  • WorkSafeBC prevention officers delegated powers of Public Health Act

  • New policy: Liquor and Food Primaries can sell growlers with takeaway and delivery meals

  • Info session for hospitality industry: how to apply for Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant

  • Deloitte refreshed review of LDB Distribution

  • Join us at the next monthly Q&A with ABLE BC: April 29

  • Complete BC Chamber of Commerce Pulse Check Survey

  • New BC PST Rebate on Select Machinery and Equipment

  • New BC Increased Employment Incentive

  • Tell us your story: how has COVID impacted your business?

  • New mental health resources for tourism, hospitality, and community social services

  • Extra Drivers License ID Checking Guides Available

Find all past updates from ABLE BC here.

As always, if you have any additional questions or need to reach us you can email: jeff@ablebc.ca or danielle@ablebc.ca.

Good news! New grants for BC’s hospitality industry

This afternoon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation Ravi Kahlon announced a new $50 million fund with grants of up to $10,000 for businesses impacted by the ‘circuit breaker’ public order announced last week.

This new fund is a direct result of work by ABLE BC and our industry association colleagues over the past week.

The new Circuit Breaker Business Relief Grant will provide affected businesses with up to $10,000 in one-time funding to help with expenses like rent, insurance, employee wages, maintenance, and utilities. The grant can also help cover unexpected costs that resulted from the restrictions, such as the purchase of perishable goods.

Applications are expected to open the week of April 12, 2021 at:www.gov.bc.ca/business-relief

Since the new restrictions were announced last week, ABLE BC has been working tirelessly behind the scenes, pushing for urgent financial support for BC’s beleaguered hospitality industry.

In direct response to industry feedback, we are pleased to share the application process will be streamlined so affected businesses can access the funds quickly. The grant is open to eligible businesses of any size that have been in operation since February 1, 2021.

For more information, please refer to the grant website and government news release.

ABLE BC expresses our immense gratitude to Minister Kahlon and his team for working around the clock since last Monday to do in days what normally takes months to achieve. This is exactly the sort of support our industry needs to help weather the direct financial costs of this ongoing crisis.

To register to receive an email notification when applications open, businesses can visit: www.gov.bc.ca/business-relief

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact ABLE BC: info@ablebc.ca.

WorkSafeBC prevention officers delegated powers of Public Health Act

Today, Dr. Bonnie Henry announced an order delegating specific powers of the Public Health Act to WorkSafeBC prevention officers. The powers delegated to prevention officers are limited to serving a closure order on a business with a known COVID-19 outbreak. The closure order will be in effect for a period of 10 days or more, as prescribed by the health authority’s medical health officer on a case-by-case basis, and served when directed to do so by a provincial medical health officer.

WorkSafeBC writes they are “providing this support to help the province manage the recent increase in COVID-19 cases. When serving the closure order, the WorkSafeBC prevention officer will engage the employer on a discussion regarding their COVID-19 safety plan and provide the employer with the Reviewing and Updating Your COVID-19 Safety Plan resource guide.

The prevention officer will advise the employer that they should review and make improvements to their COVID-19 safety plan. Once the workplace has re-opened, the prevention officer will conduct an inspection to review the employer’s updated COVID-19 safety plan to ensure the employer is effectively implementing measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in the workplace.”

For more information on WorkSafeBC inspections and consultations during COVID-19, click here.

New policy: Liquor and Food Primaries can sell growlers with takeaway and delivery meals

On April 7, government announced additional support for the hospitality industry: Liquor and Food Primary licensees can package draught beer in growlers for sale to patrons with the purchase of a meal for offsite consumption until June 6, 2021.

This temporary authorization was made available earlier in the pandemic, when the Provincial Health Officer’s orders prohibited on-site service. It was rescinded on July 13, 2020, after on-site serve was resumed.

With the new PHO restrictions prohibiting indoor service until at least April 19, 2021, with the possibility of extensions, we wanted to ensure you have the opportunity to sell perishable draft beer.

This policy change will provide licensees with an opportunity to sell draught beer that would otherwise be at risk of spoiling. It will also help mitigate financial loss by providing an additional short-term revenue stream to maintain operations and employment.

As soon as indoor dining was prohibited, ABLE BC advocated to government for this change. It’s encouraging to see the Province take such fast action to help thousands of small and medium businesses recover some of the revenue opportunities that would’ve otherwise been lost during this latest period of restrictions.

For more information:

Info session for hospitality industry: how to apply for Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant

In our recent survey, we asked you if you have applied for the BC Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant.
We were struck by the number of businesses who were either unaware of the grant or are encountering problems with and have questions about the application process.

ABLE BC in partnership with the BCRFA, BC Craft Brewers Guild, BC Craft Distillers Guild, Restaurants Canada, and Wine Growers British Columbia, are hosting a Recovery Grant info session for the hospitality industry on Tuesday, April 13 at 10:00 am PT.

Register for the free 1-hour session here. A Zoom link will be sent to attendees prior to the session.

We will be joined by Elizabeth Vickery (Executive Director, Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant Program) who will go over the application process and answer your questions about the grant.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact Danielle Leroux (ABLE BC’s Director of Membership and Communications): danielle@ablebc.ca.

Learn more about the grant here.

Deloitte refreshed review of LDB Distribution

The Liquor Distribution Branch has shared with us the following update on Deloitte’s refreshed review of LDB distribution:

Last June, the BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) welcomed the results of Deloitte Canada’s assessment of the LDB distribution centre in Delta and recommendations on how to improve operations. The review was one of several recommendations handed down by the Business Technical Advisory Panel (BTAP), that was tasked with improving BC’s liquor policies for both industry and consumers. Deloitte’s report can be found here.

Now that operational and efficiency improvements have been made at the Delta Distribution Centre to address the identified concerns, Deloitte will be conducting a refreshed review with respect to BTAP recommendations #1 and #3 (review of the LDB distribution centre and the process for managing non-stocked wholesale product) to assess the extent to which the recommendations are still valid in today’s environment. 

The LDB is grateful to those customers and stakeholders who contributed input and feedback to date. 

This refreshed review is an important step in the assessments of LDB’s distribution centre in Delta and process for managing NSWP as recommended by BTAP in 2018 and findings from the refreshed review will be used to help inform LDB and government decisions. 

Over the coming weeks the review team will be reaching out to only those customers and stakeholders who contributed to the initial review to obtain further feedback. Thank you for your continued collaboration.

We are committed to cooperating and collaborating with Deloitte, our agent warehouses and with our industry partners to grow and contribute to the province’s economy. 

If you have any questions about the refreshed review, please email communications@bcldb.com.

Join us at the next monthly Q&A with ABLE BC: April 29

ABLE BC members and industry colleagues are invited to join us at our next monthly Q&A with Executive Director Jeff Guignard: Thursday, April 29 at 10:00 am PT.

RSVP: danielle@ablebc.ca. A Zoom link will be provided once you RSVP.

What to expect during this one-hour meeting:

  • Catch up on anything you’ve missed over the last month

  • Hear directly from our Executive Director about the state of BC’s liquor industry

  • Get an update on our advocacy work and progress

  • Ask questions about liquor policy, regulations, public health orders, and government relations

  • We’ll also be joined by members of ABLE BC’s Board of Directors

Complete BC Chamber of Commerce Pulse Check Survey

We are at a critical stage in the pandemic. With a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, new provincial health orders announced, and the vaccination program well under way, the BC Chamber of Commerce is launching their next COVID-19 ‘Pulse Check’ Survey to understand how your business continues to be impacted during this critical time.

Government is listening. Have your voice heard and complete the survey before April 20, 2021 at 5:00 pm PT.

This information will inform the Chamber’s discussions with government and help secure the critical supports that your business needs.

Take the survey here. It will take approximately 8 minutes to complete.

New BC PST Rebate on Select Machinery and Equipment

As part of BC’s Economic Recovery Plan, the Ministry of Finance has opened applications for two new programs to help corporations recover from the financial impacts of COVID-19.

One of these programs is the BC PST Rebate on Select Machinery and Equipment. The rebate is a temporary provincial sales tax (PST) program that acts like a refund but is separate from the existing PST Refund process. 

Under this temporary program, corporations can apply to receive an amount equal to the PST they paid between September 17, 2020 and September 30, 2021 on qualifying machinery and equipment that are considered capital assets.
PST paid on leases (both capital or operating leases) of qualifying machinery and equipment also qualifies.

Examples include:

  • Furniture

  • Appliances

  • Tools costing $500 or more per tool

  • Some fixtures

  • Machinery

  • Outdoor advertising signs

  • Refrigeration equipment

  • Other equipment used in business

  • Kitchen utensils costing less than $500

  • Chinaware, cutlery, tableware

  • Linen

  • Uniforms

For more information, including the application and eligibility criteria click here.

New BC Increased Employment Incentive

As part of BC’s Economic Recovery Plan, the Ministry of Finance has opened applications for two new programs to help corporations recover from the financial impacts of COVID-19.

One of these programs is the BC Increased Employment Incentive. This is a one-time refundable tax credit for employers which encouraged the creation of new jobs for B.C. workers or increases in payroll for existing low- or middle-income employees in the last quarter ending December 31, 2020.­­­ 

The tax credit is calculated at 15% of the amount that the employer’s eligible remuneration for the last quarter ending December 31, 2020 exceeds the employer’s eligible remuneration for the quarter ending September 30, 2020.

For more information, including eligibility criteria and to apply, click here.

Tell us your story: how has COVID impacted your business?

A growing coalition of tourism and hospitality businesses and sectors from around the province is adding its voice to a BC version of the “Hardest Hit” campaign to compel federal and provincial governments to work with our sector on a restart plan that includes the lifting of travel restrictions for immunized people and for those that have tested negative for the COVID-19 virus. 

As part of our advocacy efforts, TIABC is aiming to collect information in the form of stories from businesses like yours to inform government on the extent of the impact that travel restrictions have had on the visitor economy since the start of the pandemic. 

We encourage you to write your story using the format (template) found here to a maximum of two pages. Be as candid as you feel comfortable. By telling your story, you give us permission to share the information with government. We may also call on you to tell your story through social and/or traditional media channels, as well as via industry communiques. 

Please send your (maximum 2-page) summary to info@tiabc.ca by April 10, 2021. Find the story template here.

New mental health resources for tourism, hospitality, and community social services

Employers and employees throughout BC who work in the tourism, hospitality, and community social services sectors now have access to vital mental health resources with the creation of a digital resource hub: BC’s Workplace Mental Health Hub.

This online hub offers a range of tools to help address common workplace concerns, such as bullying, harassment, COVID-19 exposure, coping with stress, and more.

The new hub provides workshops, webinars, and information to help employees manage stress and build resiliency. It also provides tangible steps for workers at all levels to improve their overall mental health, as well as navigation support to connect to other mental health services, including counselling and peer support. Access the hub.

The new hub is being developed in partnership with the BC Division of the Canadian Mental Health Association and health and safety associations, including go2HR. ABLE BC was an active member of of the steering committee for the Workplace Mental Health Hub from the start.

Extra Drivers License ID Checking Guides Available

Did you miss placing an order for 2021 North American or 2022 International Drivers License ID Checking Guides?

We have limited extra copies of both guides available at the ABLE BC office. If you would like to place an order, please contact danielle@ablebc.ca.

2021 prices:

  • North American Guide Book: $21 per book

  • International Guide Book: $46.50 per book

  • Please note these prices do not include shipping and handling

For more information about the guides, please click here.

Ann Brydle