COVID-19 Update: August 4, 2020
Dear ABLE BC Members and Industry Colleagues,
We hope you enjoyed a safe, happy, and profitable long weekend. Here’s what you’ll find inside today’s update:
Recap of last week’s updates
Urgent: revised public health order effective immediately
New private cannabis retail store regulations: sell products online for pickup in store
Temporary authorization for liquor manufacturers to direct deliver
LDB Wholesale: Monthly price update
Dr. Bonnie Henry’s ‘Good Times Guide’
Federal extension of Canada’s Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program
Vancouver City Council approves liquor consumption at four public plazas
Downtown Vancouver BIA: COVID-19 Economic Impact & Recovery Snapshot
BDO Webinar on August 20: How the retail and hospitality industry can rise above the current landscape
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.
Recap of last week’s updates
Here’s what you may have missed from ABLE BC last week:
Industry recommendation: all front of house staff should wear masks
New Provincial Health Officer Public Order: clarifications and reminders
Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy extended to December
WorkSafeBC Safety Committees
Federal government tax updates
Free Webinar: Navigating the extended Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy
ABLE BC in the news
BC Hospitality Foundation online lottery
BC Liberals introduce legislation to support BC’s hospitality sector
SAQ closes 3 retail outlets after employees catch COVID-19
BC Hotel Industry’s Response to BC’s Recovery Plan
Restaurants Canada submits recovery recommendations
Province Responds to Tourism & Hospitality Recovery Submission
Federal government update: Over $95 Million in Relief and Recovery Funds Flow to Businesses in Western Canada
BCHA and Ministry of Labour Webinar: August 6
Find all past updates from ABLE BC here.
Urgent: revised public health order effective immediately
This morning, we shared some very good news. After a week of working with the office of the Provincial Health Officer and LCRB, Dr. Henry released a new public order for licensed establishments.
This order took effect July 31 and replaces and repeals the public order released on July 23.
ABLE BC successfully secured several important changes for our industry, reflected in the new public order.
Important changes:
Clarity on who the order is for: the public order is for owners and operators of restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, cafeterias and food primary and liquor primary establishments, including pubs, bars, lounges and nightclubs, as well as manufacturing facilities that have tasting rooms and lounges.
Clarity on who the order does not apply to: the public order does not apply to events, which are not held in restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, cafeterias or licensed premises, including pubs, bars, lounges, nightclubs and tasting rooms, nor does it apply to meetings or conferences held in hotels or anywhere else.
Clarity around rules for manufacturer licenses: patrons do not need to remain seated in a premise with a manufacturer’s license (i.e. do not need to be seated during a tasting). Please see sections 2-6 for more details.
Clarity around rules for cafeterias and private clubs: patrons do not need to remain seated in a cafeteria or private club. Please see sections 2-6 for more details.
Dance floors must remain closed with physical barriers or occupied with tables. Patrons must not song, engage in Karaoke, or dance on the premises. The new public order also clarifies that jam and open mic sessions must not be held on premises.
Extended hours and more events allowed: an event may be hosted between 5:30 am and 11:00 pm on the same day. No more than four events may be hosted in one day on the same premises or in an area of the premises. There must be at least one hour between events during which there are no patrons present to permit cleaning and sanitizing. Please see pages 4-5for more details.
Please review the full Provincial Health Officer Public Order here.
The amended public order is an example of the Provincial Health Officer and government being very responsive to our industry’s concerns. We thank government for yet again supporting our industry during this crisis.
New private cannabis retail store regulations: sell products online for pickup in store
On August 4, the Province amended regulations to allow private cannabis retail store (CRS) licensees to sell non-medical cannabis products online for pickup in store.
This follows a request from private retailers related to concerns of customers about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, customers could reserve cannabis products online, but they were required to be physically present to complete payment and obtain their purchases. The new regulation will allow for payments to be made on a website, app or by telephone, limiting customer time in stores and permitting physically distanced pickup.
For more information, please read:
Temporary authorization for liquor manufacturers to direct deliver
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Province is temporarily authorizing liquor manufacturers to deliver products directly to individual consumers from their registered off-site storage facilities, in addition to their on-site stores.
Previously, liquor manufacturers were only permitted to deliver products stored off-site to hospitality customers, such as restaurants and pubs.
However, because of the pandemic, many manufacturers are now storing large volumes of product in their off-site storage facilities that would normally have been destined for hospitality customers. This temporary change will help manufacturers reduce this inventory by allowing them to sell to individual consumers.
The measure is one of the emergency recommendations put forward to government by the Business and Technical Advisory Panel, in order to mitigate some of the challenges BC manufacturers have had in getting their product to BC consumers as a result of the pandemic.
People will still be required to complete transactions through a licensee’s on-site store online or by telephone. They will not be able to physically purchase product at off-site storage locations, as per current policy.
This temporary measure will expire on October 31, 2020, and government has said no extension will be considered.
For more information please read:
LDB Wholesale: Monthly price update
The LDB has shared with us the following update about the LDB Hospitality Product Catalogue:
Please note prices change on a monthly basis, with the next hospitality price list update on August 2, 2020.
Customers with LDB Hospitality Product Catalogue accounts who have downloaded and saved July’s hospitality price list to their computer or device are advised to replace it with the August hospitality price list when it becomes available on August 2, 2020.
If you have not yet registered for the Hospitality Product Catalogue, please do so now. Visit the LDB Wholesale website for details on how to register.
If you have any questions about the onboarding process, please email wholesalehelp@bcldb.com or call 604-775-0681 or 1-888-775-0681.
Dr. Bonnie Henry’s ‘Good Times Guide’
Last week, the Province released Dr. Bonnie Henry’s ‘Good Times Guide:’ an online resource to stop community outbreaks of COVID-19, while encouraging people (particularly those in their 20s to 40s) to have a good time outside and at bars and restaurants.
We understand and hear from many of you that, while you have protocols in place, not all customers follow them. ABLE BC and our industry partners are currently working on a public campaign to help address this issue.
The first part of this campaign was a video shared by Vancouver Canucks Bo Harvat on social media, encouraging people to limit their groups to 6 people or less at establishments, follow the rules, and keep BC safe. Stay tuned for more details on this public campaign.
Federal extension of Canada’s Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program
On July 31, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced that the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program will be extended by one month to help eligible small businesses pay rent for August.
Those who qualified for the CECRA based on existing program parameters can now apply for the additional one month based on having a 70 per cent revenue decline for April, May and June, without reassessing whether they continue to have a 70 per cent revenue decline in July or August.
Participation in the one-month extension is voluntary. Both existing applicants to the CECRA and new applicants are able to opt for the August rent reduction. This program is designed to support businesses that have been hit hard by the pandemic while encouraging them to reopen when possible.
The CECRA provides forgivable loans to qualifying commercial property owners, whether they have a mortgage on their property or not. The loans cover 50 per cent of three to five monthly rent payments that are payable by eligible small business tenants during April, May, June, July and August.
For more information please read:
Government of Canada news release
CECRA application page
Vancouver City Council approves liquor consumption at four public plazas
A temporary pilot program allowing the public to legally consume alcohol in select public spaces will launch this month in Vancouver.
Last week, Vancouver City Council approved designating four public plazas as places where public drinking is permitted. The pilot will operate between August 10 and October 12 of this year.
Similar policies have been enacted in North Vancouver City and Port Coquitlam.
As well, in the second quarter of 2021, city staff will determine the feasibility of enabling licensed restaurants to allow customers to consume an alcoholic beverage while waiting for a table immediately adjacent to the food establishment.
Earlier this week, Vancouver Park Board commissioners approved a pilot to allow public drinking in certain areas at 22 public parks. But due to the provincial changes required, the Park Board’s pilot project might not happen until 2021.
Downtown Vancouver BIA: COVID-19 Economic Impact & Recovery Snapshot
As BC entered Phase 3 of its Restart Plan, the DVBIA has been monitoring the impacts of the pandemic and downtown Vancouver’s gradual economic recovery.
Download the new DVBIA COVID-19 Economic Impact & Recovery Snapshot report.
The primary focus of this report is downtown office and hotel occupancies, pedestrian traffic and retail mix. The preliminary analysis highlights downtown’s ‘hockey stick’ shape recovery granted it varies between sectors and levels are still well below the same period last year. April was the lowest point in terms of regional employment, hotel occupancies and pedestrian traffic.
Office occupancy rates remain low as most of the downtown workforce continues to work from home or on a rotating office/home schedule.
Although many street-level businesses are open, there has been a wave of closures, which may intensify as increasingly more retail chains file for bankruptcy and independent street-level businesses struggle with decreased sales. Nonetheless, new street-level businesses have opened, and foot traffic along retail corridors is increasing, especially on weekends.
Download the full report here.
BDO Webinar on August 20: How the retail and hospitality industry can rise above the current landscape
Join BDO for a free webinar on August 20 at 10:00 am: How the retail and hospitality industry can rise above the current landscape.
Register here.
Since the re-opening, we have seen an increased number of high profile retailers that are going into financial distress seeking court protection from creditors. The hospitality business continues to struggle with occupancy rates, leaving the stakeholders scrambling to work out how they will pay their debt-related obligations. However, despite these outcomes, it is still not over for the majority in the industry.
In part three of BDO’s Business Rebound series, they will focus on the retail and hospitality sector. Hear from BDO’s panel of experts as they share their industry insights and outlook as well as discuss key issues businesses are facing when it comes to their long-term viability with their customers and suppliers. The webinar will also cover things to consider when restructuring to avoid costly pitfalls.
What you’ll learn:
Current trends and opportunities for retail and hospitality businesses;
Restructuring and insolvency processes commonly seen in the retail and hospitality sectors;
Actionable steps and considerations businesses should make in navigating the new normal in dealing with their customers, suppliers and lenders.
Presenters:
Jervis Rodrigues, Partner, Western Advisory Service Leader, BDO Canada
Kevin Meyler, Partner, Financial Recovery Services, BDO Canada
Eric Matusiak, Partner, National Retail Leader, BDO Canada
Learn more and register here.