Liquor Industry Update: December 2, 2021

Dear ABLE BC Members and Industry Colleagues,

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

  • Updated Northern Health Public Order

  • We launched a new ABLE BC website!

  • 2021 Annual LRS Survey Results

  • More cannabis accessories coming to private retailers

  • Provincial State of Emergency and Fuel Order Extended

  • Compliance and Enforcement Update

  • BC Increased Employment Incentive: Applications Close December 31, 2021

  • Updated Messaging Guidance for BC's Tourism Industry

  • Save the date! 2022 BC Tourism and Hospitality Conference

  • BC Hotel Association: Workforce Survey

  • Three Common Employment Law Challenges

  • Up Front: Bringing Back Fun and Entertainment

Find all past COVID-19 updates here.

Updated Northern Health Public Order

On November 30, Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that the regional gathering restrictions in the Interior Health region have been repealed. Interior Health is now subject to the same rules as the rest of the province, including: province-wide mask mandate, Food and Liquor Serving Premises public order, and Gatherings and Events public order.

NORTHERN HEALTH

The restrictions in Northern Health have been extended to the entire Northern Health region and now expire on January 31, 2022.

For a list of restrictions in Northern Health, please read the updated regional order and provide-wide orders listed above.

Download this helpful comparison between NH regional and provincial COVID-19 orders for more information.

FRASER HEALTH

The gatherings and events restrictions for the Fraser East health region will remain in place.

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

Update from ABLE BC

We know many of you are deeply concerned about how current restrictions will impact the holiday season.

ABLE BC has been in regular contact and raised these concerns with the Provincial Health Officer and other senior government officials. Unfortunately, as public health assesses the Omicron variant, we do not anticipate dancing will not be reinstated in 2021. The current public health orders are also likely to remain in place until spring.

We know this is not the news you want to hear. ABLE BC continues to advocate on your behalf and we are pushing government for additional financial support, especially for those businesses impacted by regional public health orders.

For a summary of financial support currently available for businesses, please read yesterday's update.

We launched a new ABLE BC website!

We are excited to share the new Alliance of Beverage Licensees website is live! Visit us at ABLEBC.ca.

On our new website, you will find...

How to access your member account

With the transition to the new website, unfortunately we are unable to transfer over existing member logins.

ABLE BC's Director of Membership and Communications Danielle Leroux will be reaching out to all members in good standing with instructions on how to create a new member login and access our Members-Only website.

Thank you for your understanding. If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact Danielle: danielle@ablebc.ca.

2021 Annual LRS Survey Results

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.

Download a PDF summary of the 2021 survey results. A detailed report can be found here.

If you have any questions or concerns about this survey, please contact

ABLE BC: info@ablebc.ca.

More cannabis accessories coming to private retailers

Cannabis-related clothing, books and other items will soon be available for sale at private licensed cannabis retail stores (CRSs), providing customers with more choice and legal cannabis sellers with additional revenue streams.

Effective November 26, 2021, government will allow private CRSs to sell ancillary items that have a clear link to cannabis and meet certain conditions related to health and safety. Examples include books about cannabis and clothing or artwork featuring cannabis motifs. The sale of items unrelated to cannabis, such as snacks and beverages that do not contain cannabis, will remain prohibited.

Before amending its cannabis regulation, government considered industry input, federal legislation, public-health objectives and potential effects on minors. Notably, ancillary items sold through CRSs may not:

  • depict a real or fictional person, animal or character, or include a testimonial or endorsement;

  • sell items that are typically associated with, or could reasonably appeal to, minors - such as children’s clothing; or

  • associate cannabis with a lifestyle that may include glamour, recreation, excitement, vitality, risk or daring.

Further, CRSs are prohibited from selling tobacco, liquor or solvents.

Provincial State of Emergency and Fuel Order Extended

With coastal and southwestern BC facing heavy rainfall while recovering from severe flooding, the Province is extending the temporary measure to prioritize fuel for essential vehicles and the provincial state of emergency.

The Province is extending a temporary measure to limit non-essential vehicles to 30 litres of fuel (gas and diesel) per trip to a gas station until December 14, 2021.

Given the continued threats of flooding and the continued need of public safety measures under the Emergency Program Act, the provincial state of emergency is being extended until the end of the day on December 14, 2021.

Read more.

Compliance and Enforcement Update

Since the introduction of the BC Vaccine Card program, 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 November 26:

  • To date, 40 Violation Tickets have been issued. 19 issued under the COVID-19 Related Measures Act and 21 under the Public Health Act.

  • 2058 complaints have been received by Health Authorities and LCRB

  • 1605 complaints have been investigated

  • 1048 complaints have been resolved through education and compliance

  • 111 warning letters have been issued

  • 111 coordinated enforcement activities, including Health Authorities, Police, Bylaw, Compliance and Enforcement

  • 14 orders were issued to businesses

  • 2 liquor licences suspended

  • 2 business licences suspended

  • 1 injunction order granted by the Supreme Court of BC

BC Increased Employment Incentive: Applications Close December 31, 2021

Please be advised that applications for the BC Increased Employment Incentive must be received by December 31, 2021.

The BC Increased Employment Incentive is a one-time refundable tax credit for employers which encouraged the creation of new jobs for BC 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 requirements and access to the application, visit gov.bc.ca/employertaxcredit

Updated Messaging Guidance for BC's Tourism Industry

Destination BC has updated its Special Edition: Emergency Response to the bC Storm Messaging Guidance document, which outlines key messaging, information, and resources for BC's tourism industry.

It includes guidance for Regional and Community/City Destination Marketing Organizations, Sector Associations, and Tourism Businesses.

Please refer to the messaging guide for information on how you can support your community, residents, visitors, and each other during this difficult time. Messaging will continue to be updated as the situation evolves. Read more.

Save the date! 2022 BC Tourism and Hospitality Conference

Join the BCHA and TIABC at the 2022 BC Tourism and Hospitality Conference as they ‘Kickstart the Comeback’ and gather in-person to learn, tackle issues, forge new relationships, and work towards resiliency in the face of one of the hardest years in our sector’s history.

When: March 9 to 11, 2022

Where: Richmond Conference Centre

This year's conference will bring together hundreds of tourism owners and operators, hoteliers, destination marketing and management professionals, educators, government representatives, industry sectors, and other stakeholders representing all regions of British Columbia.

Sessions will explore:

  • Workforce and HR

  • Sustainability

  • Technology trends and insights

  • Marketing

  • Advocacy

Registration opens in early January 22. Visit bctourismandhospitalityconference.com for more information.

BC Hotel Association: Workforce Survey

The BC Hotel Association is once again seeking your voice for a critical survey that will help inform their advocacy surrounding the workforce file.

The survey addresses: hiring and recruitment, upskilling and education, employee pay, and additional employee benefits and incentives.

They need as many accommodations operators as possible to complete the survey: take the survey. Individual and business information will be kept confidential. Survey closes on December 9 at 5:00 pm.

Three Common Employment Law Challenges

Dealing with employees can have its challenges but keeping onside with employment law is critical.

Here are three key challenges faced by retail and hospitality employers: tips, overtime, and monitoring staff.

Read on in the Quarterly Pour for best practices to avoid trouble when dealing with these challenges.

Up Front: Bringing Back Fun and Entertainment

It's all fun and games until a pandemic public order stops bars and restaurants from providing live entertainment and puts a ban on dance floors. The good news is that Phase 3 of the BC Restart Plan and the introduction of vaccination passports have in most regions removed group limits for indoor and outdoor dining, venues can once again determine their own table limits, and liquor service hours have returned to normal.

But the remaining challenge is that there is no dancing, making it harder to create a fun, party atmosphere. So, how are pubs and licensed venues bringing back entertainment that is compliant with public health orders?

Find out in the winter issue of the Quarterly Pour.

Ann Brydle