COVID-19 Update: September 16, 2021

Dear ABLE BC Members and Industry Colleagues,

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

  • BC Vaccine Card Program Update

  • Updated public orders for Interior Health

  • Updated province-wide public orders

  • Save the date: BC Liquor Conference on October 25, 2021

  • Employer and employee vaccination questions

  • TIABC Call for Board Nominations

  • PST Rebate on Select Machinery and Equipment: second application opens on October 1, 2021

  • Webinar on September 28: Sale and Purchase of a Winery in Canada

  • COVID-19 Sales on Premise Impact Report

  • BDL Delivery Delays

Find all past COVID-19 updates here.

BC Vaccine Card Program Update

As you know, British Columbia’s vaccine card program began on Monday, September 13. The program requires proof of at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in order to enter restaurants, movies, ticketed sporting events and many other non-essential venues.

As of October 24, those aged 12 and up will need to be fully vaccinated to access those same services and venues.

For more information on the BC Vaccine Card please click here.

Sample Messaging

Have you advised your regular customers and email list of the new proof of vaccination requirements? Download a template email to send to your customers. Please modify as needed.

Signage and Resources

Provincial Government Resources

ABLE BC Resources

Other Resources

For more information, please read ABLE BC’s update on the BC Vaccine Card, visit this BC Government Website, and download the BC Vaccine Card Guide for Businesses.

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

Updated public orders for Interior Health

On September 13, the provincial government announced the Food and Liquor Serving Premises Order for the Central Okanagan has been repealed. Establishments in the Central Okanagan must now follow the province-wide public order for Food and Liquor Serving Premises.

What this means for food and liquor serving premises in the Central Okanagan: 

  • You are no longer limited to 6 patrons per table

  • Physical distancing between patrons is no longer required

  • Patrons can sing and engage in karaoke, but no dancing is allowed

  • Restrictions on hours of liquor service have been removed; you must follow what is on your license

As a reminder, all food and liquor serving premises in British Columbia must continue to abide by the public order. The province-wide mask mandate also remains in place.

Updated restrictions for events in Interior Health

On September 13, the provincial government also announced that Interior Health is updating COVID-19 regional medical health officer orders to make it possible for larger events to go ahead in the Interior, as long as participants show proof of full vaccination.

The following updates have been made to the Interior region Gatherings and Events Order:

  • For smaller organized events, participants will be required to show proof of vaccination (minimum one dose) until October 24, 2021. By October 24, full vaccination (two doses) will be required. Indoor events may be held with up to 50 people, and outdoor events may be up to 100 people.

  • Proof of full vaccination will be required for participants at all large events, consistent with Step 3 of BC’s Restart Plan. This means indoor events may be held that include 50 people or 50 per cent of a venue’s capacity (whichever is greater); outdoor events may include 5,000 people or 50 per cent of a venue’s capacity (whichever is greater).

Note: if you are outside the Interior Health region, proof of vaccination is only required at indoor events. You can read more about the Gatherings and Events restrictions here.

The following regional medical health officer orders remain in place across the Interior region: 

  • Gatherings in vacation rentals are limited to five guests or one other household.

  • Outdoor personal gatherings (e.g., birthday parties, backyard BBQs, block parties) are limited to no more than 50 people, and indoor personal gatherings are limited to five guests or one other household.

Non-essential travel to or from the Interior remains discouraged until individuals are fully-vaccinated. The interval between first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses has decreased to 28 days for everyone. People can get vaccinated by dropping into any IH immunization clinic and are available here.

Updated province-wide public orders

New public orders for Gatherings and Events and Food and Liquor Serving Premises come into effect on September 13, 2021. 

Starting September 13, you must verify that people have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. By October 24, you must verify that people are fully vaccinated. 

Failure to follow the PHO order may result in a fine. The requirement is in place until January 31, 2022 and could be extended.

Download the new public orders:

The following public orders also remain in effect:

Food and Liquor Serving Premises Public Order

The public order has been changed to add requirements for checking/showing proof of vaccination at a wide variety of food and liquor serving premises. The order also describes where proof of vaccination is not required.

In addition to the new proof of vaccination requirements, the following conditions also remain in place: 

  • Patrons must be seated while on the premises

  • Patrons must be assigned a table, booth, or counter, and shown to their seats. Patrons must stay in the seat to which they are assigned.

  • Patrons can stand to use a juke box, self-serve lottery ticket dispenser, pay at a pay station, and play pool or darts

  • Dance floors must be closed with physical barriers or occupied with tables, unless they are being used for a dance performance

  • For a full list of conditions, please read the public order.

Gatherings and Events Public Order

The public order has been changed to add requirements for checking/showing proof of vaccination at a wide variety events. The order also describes where proof of vaccination is not required.

People must show their proof of vaccination before entering a gathering of more than 50 participants in an inside place. 

In addition to the new proof of vaccination requirements, the following conditions also remain in place: 

  • The conditions for hosting outdoor events remain in place, including no more than 5,000 persons, or 50% of the seated operating capacity of a place, excluding event staff, whichever number is greater, are present.

  • The conditions for hosting indoor events remain in place, including:

    • No more than 50 persons, or 50% of the seated operating capacity of the place, excluding event staff, whichever number is greater, are present.

    • There is seating available for each participant, and each participant is assigned to a seat or a table.

    • Participants stay in the seat to which they are assigned, and do not move from seat to seat.

    • No dancing

For more information please read the public order.

Save the date: BC Liquor Conference on October 25, 2021

ABLE BC’s annual BC Liquor Conference is back for a sixth year: Monday, October 25, 2021. A portion of the tickets will be available to attend in person and the remaining will be available for virtual attendance. No matter where you are in the province – tune in and get the liquor industry data, trends, and policy updates you can’t get anywhere else.

Registration opens soon! Stay tuned for more details.

Employer and employee vaccination questions

There have been a number of questions surrounding vaccinations and the foodservice industry. Restaurants Canada reached out to Mike MacLellan, Partner at CCPartners who helped answer some of the most frequently asked questions they have received from employers and employees.

Read the frequently asked questions. 

In addition, on September 2nd, CCPartners conducted a webinar providing a look at the current landscape of vaccinations. View the webinar (scroll to bottom of page).

TIABC Call for Board Nominations

The Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) is seeking nominations for its Board of Directors.

For the 2021-2023 term, TIABC is seeking a total of five (5) candidates:

  • From the DMO category one (1) is required for a two-year term. One board member is seeking re-election.

  • From the Sector Association category sector two (2) are required for a two-year term. Two board members are seeking re-election.

  • From the Business Membership category two (2) are required for a two-year term. Two board members are seeking re-election.

As per the bylaws, the Tourism Industry Association of BC requests that all nominations from members be received 45 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. All nominations for director positions therefore, must be received on or before October 2, 2021 at 5:00 pm.

About TIABC: the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) advocates on behalf of the 19,300+ tourism businesses and 161,000 employees that work in every community and region of our province for the interests of British Columbia’s $22 billion+ visitor economy (2019). 

As a not-for-profit tourism industry association, TIABC works collaboratively with its members – private sector tourism businesses, industry associations and destination marketing organizations – to ensure the best working environment for a competitive tourism industry.

More Information: to receive the TIABC Board Nomination Form, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Deborah Kulchiski (Manager, Special Projects, TIABC) at deborah@tiabc.ca.

PST Rebate on Select Machinery and Equipment: second application opens on October 1, 2021

The BC PST Rebate on Select Machinery and Equipment is a temporary provincial sales tax (PST) program to help corporations recover from the financial impacts of COVID-19. 

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. 

Please note – PST invoiced before the deadline but paid after September 30, 2021 does not qualify for the rebate. Be aware that some businesses may be closed on September 30, 2021 for the new federal statutory holiday, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. 

For more information, including eligibility requirements and access to the application, visit gov.bc.ca/corporatePSTrebate. Look for the ‘Apply Online’ box at the upper right of the page. 

If you have an eTaxBC logon for your PST account: 

  • Select the ‘Log on to eTaxBC’ option

  • Once logged in, select your PST account

  • Under ‘I Want To’ select ‘Apply for Select Machinery & Equip Rebate’

Webinar on September 28: Sale and Purchase of a Winery in Canada

The Canadian Chapter of the International Wine Law Association is holding a webinar on September 28 at 9:00 am PT on the “Sale and Purchase of a Winery” in Canada.

Register here.

Join AIDV Canada members Al Hudec of Farris LLP (British Columbia) and Lara Nathans of McCarthy Tétrault LLP (Ontario) as they discuss legal and business issues arising in the context of buying and selling a winery in Canada. Moderated by Chris Wilson, President, AIDV Canada. 

Topics include: 

  • Lessons from recent mega-deals

  • What motivates sellers?

  • The universe of potential buyers

  • Critical due diligence issues including vineyards, leases and grape supply, environmental and land reserve issues, and other regulatory issues

  • Preparing for a sale including tax and estate planning, management succession

  • The sale process

  • Deal points beyond pricing including working capital/inventory adjustments, indemnities and risk allocation

  • Non-competes and other restrictive covenants

Learn more and register here.

COVID-19 Sales on Premise Impact Report

Restaurants Canada has partnered with CGA to release new COVID-19 Sales On Premise Impact Reports, highlighting critical alcohol velocity trends across Canada. Released monthly starting September 2021, each report will help you better business decisions based on what Canadians prefer when it comes to dine-in alcohol orders.

In the latest report, they are evaluating the impact on velocity in on-premise. Understanding the different dynamics across cities and province as the situation diverges and evolves, and the impact that this has on on-premise trends.

The report covers on-premise sales trends up to the week ending August 28, 2021. Download the report.

BDL Delivery Delays

BDL has shared the following update with us on delivery delays:

Dear Valued Customer, 

With the recent transition to our new SAP system, we are experiencing delays in our supply chain out of our British Columbia warehouses. Our team continues to work diligently to mitigate delays in deliveries and we will attempt to deliver your order as closely to your regular delivery schedule as possible.  

We appreciate your understanding and support during this transition. If you have any questions, please call our Contact Centre at 1-800-661-2337 or email bdl@bdl.ca.  

Thank you,
Brewers Distributor Limited
Commercial Customer Support Team

Ann Brydle