Weekly Liquor Industry Update: November 25, 2021

Dear ABLE BC Members and Industry Colleagues,

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

  • Five Paid Sick Days Coming January 1

  • Important LDB Service Update

  • ABLE BC Annual LRS Survey Results: Webinar on November 26

  • Federal government introduces Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program legislation

  • WorkBC Hiring Fair: Richmond Public Library on November 25

  • Help grade provincial liquor policies

  • BC Beer Con Returns In Person for 2022

  • BC Hotel Association Announces 2021 Board of Directors

  • Interim Policy for Large Cash Transactions at BC Liquor Stores

  • December 13 Vaccination Requirements for LDB Service Providers

  • Designing an Intimate Atmosphere

  • ABLE BC Member Feature: Angry Otter Liquor on 248th

Find all past COVID-19 updates here.

Five Paid Sick Days Coming January 1

On November 24, the provincial government announced paid sick leave will be standard for workers in British Columbia beginning January 1, 2022, with a minimum of five paid sick days each year.

BC becomes the first province in Canada to legislate this level of paid time off for workers who fall ill. This new workplace protection applies to all workers covered by the Employment Standards Act, including part-time workers.

The Province consulted with workers and employers around B.C. to find out what currently exists in the way of paid sick leave and to gather feedback on three options – three, five or 10 days of paid sick leave – to come into effect in the new year. More than 60,000 people participated in the engagement.

Feedback from the workplaces that already provide paid sick leave found that most workers take between zero and five days of sick leave each year.
Throughout the consultation process, ABLE BC advocated strongly that now is not the right time to add costs to BC’s struggling hospitality and liquor businesses.

While we are disappointed that government is increasing payroll costs while industry is still recovering from COVID-19 losses, we do recognize that many hospitality workers have been seeking paid sick leave and the flexibility to stay home from work when they’re sick.

Paid Sick Leave Details

  • Effective January 1, 2022, you are required to provide your eligible employees with up to five days of paid sick leave per year if they need to stay home because they are sick or injured.

  • The paid sick leave entitlement applies to all employees covered by the Employment Standards Act (ESA), including part-time, temporary or casual employees.

  • You need to pay your employees their regular wages for these days. They do not have to be taken consecutively.

  • Employees must have been employed for at least 90 days

  • Employers may ask for reasonable proof of sickness (i.e. a doctor’s note)

  • Employees are also entitled to 3 days of unpaid sick leave.

For more information please click here. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact ABLE BC: info@ablebc.ca.

Important LDB Service Update

On November 24, 2021, the LDB shared with us the following important service update: 

We are committed to continuing to inform wholesale customers of our ongoing efforts to mitigate impacts as a result of transportation disruptions. 

We are continuing to ship products from DDC to KDC including a mix of regular stocked items, non- stocked wholesale product and single bottle-picks. We can expect alternate shipment routes to remain slower than normal due to highway restrictions, volume of traffic and weather conditions. We anticipate these products being delivered within one week of their scheduled delivery time. However, in some cases this may be longer due to the above factors. 

The Delta and Kamloops Distribution Centres are maintaining regular inventory levels and will continue to service customers in the region. The opening of additional transportation routes will allow for domestic product within other regions of BC and outside of province to continue to be shipped to DDC. 

As always, we greatly appreciate your patience and flexibility as we work together to navigate these challenging and unprecedented times. We will continue to work with our vendors to identify alternative solutions to service our customers and maintain service levels, where possible. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Wholesale Customer Centre at: wholesalehelp@bcldb.com or 1-888-775-0681. 

We hope you are staying safe and well. 

LDB Wholesale Operations 

ABLE BC Annual LRS Survey Results: Webinar on November 26

Thank you to everyone who completed our 2021 LRS Benchmark Survey in October. Since 2018, ABLE BC in partnership with Paul Rickett (VARKETING!) has conducted an annual LRS benchmark survey. 

We are pleased to invite you to a complimentary webinar on Friday, November 26 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am PT where Paul will share the survey results in detail. We will also provide you with access to the survey results report.

During the latter half of this one-hour webinar, ABLE BC’s Executive Director Jeff Guignard will provide an update on the state of the industry, public health orders, and liquor policy, and answer any questions you may have about our advocacy work or current regulations.

Please RSVP to danielle@ablebc.ca. A Zoom link will be sent out prior to the webinar. 

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

Federal government introduces Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program legislation

Yesterday, on the first day of the Parliamentary Session, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, introduced legislation to enact the Tourism and Hospitality Relief Program.

The package, which includes the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program (THRP), is the first piece of legislation introduced in the House Commons by the new Liberal Government, and makes good on commitments to save valuable business and jobs that are critical to Canada’s economy. 

If passed, this bill would deliver targeted support to business through: 

  • The Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program, which would provide support through wage and rent subsidies to hotels, with a subsidy rate of up to 75%.

  • The Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program, which would provide support through wage and rent subsidies to other businesses that have faced deep losses, with a subsidy rate of up to 50%.

  • A Local Lockdown Program, which would provide businesses that face temporary new local lockdowns up to the maximum amount available through the wage and rent subsidy programs.

  • An extension of the Canada Recovery Hiring Program until May 7, 2022, for eligible employers with current revenue losses above 10% and increase the subsidy rate to 50%.

This legislation was made possible because of the incredible efforts of the Hardest Hit Coalition along with the engagement of the federal Cabinet and the broad-base support among all Members of Parliament in the House of Commons. 

ABLE BC strongly supports these measures. We encourage Parliament to pass this legislation before the holidays, to help support our industry as we continue to struggle to recover from the devastating financial impact of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Stay tuned for more details.

WorkBC Hiring Fair: Richmond Public Library on November 25

Are you looking to meet and hire skilled workers?

WorkBC Richmond, the BC Hotel Association, and the Richmond Public Library are pleased to connect job seekers and employers for an afternoon of engagement and networking at the Tourism & Hospitality Hiring Fair: November 25 from 12:00 pm to 5:30 pm.

During this in-person, exhibition-format hiring fair, employers will have the opportunity to meet with over 200 candidates to cultivate employment interest, establish connections, and secure skilled workers.
Meet 200+ skilled job workers in one day. Register here. 

For more information please contact: 

Help grade provincial liquor policies

Restaurants Canada is conducting their annual survey of the country’s liquor policies.

Tell them how government policies on beverage alcohol and liquor licensing have been helping or hindering your ability to survive and recover from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Start survey.

BC Beer Con Returns In Person for 2022

BC Beer Con will return to an in-person format on February 3-4, 2022 at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster, BC.

The BC Craft Brewers Conference, hosted by the BC Craft Brewers Guild and presented by Great Little Box Company | Ideon Packaging, brings together key stakeholders from the craft brewing industry for an annual networking and educational event. The two days are divided into three themes: Brewing, Sales & Marketing, and Operations & Finance. Exciting program news including the lineup of speakers will be announced soon.

The conference will feature a different Keynote Speaker each day, educational seminars, Industry updates and an opportunity to network on the trade show floor with 50+ vendors. The BC Craft Brewers Guild community creates space for attendees to form new contacts directly with industry peers, connect with industry suppliers and gain insight into key industry issues, year-round. 

Tickets to BC Beer Con are now available HERE. BC Craft Brewers Guild member breweries and Associate Members, Canadian Craft Brewers Association Members, and Brewing School Students can attend for the early bird price of $159 plus applicable taxes, and public or non-member tickets are available at the early bird price of $219 plus applicable taxes. 

For more information on BC Beer Con, please visit www.bcbeercon.com.

BC Hotel Association Announces 2021 Board of Directors

The British Columbia Hotel Association is pleased to introduce its new Board of Directors, following the organization’s Annual General meeting onNovember 17.

The 2021 BCHA Board of Directors will provide strategic leadership, vision, and commitment to the sector, working towards industry resilience and recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, workforce shortages, and wildfire and flooding crises.

The 2021 BCHA Board welcomes three new Board of Directors and is comprised of a team of industry leaders from diverse regions across the province:

ABLE BC is proud to represent the liquor policy interests of the BCHA and we look forward to continuing our work with the organization’s Board of Directors and members.

Interim Policy for Large Cash Transactions at BC Liquor Stores

On November 17, the LDB sent out the following update to hospitality customers:

Please be advised that, effective immediately, BC Liquor Stores (BCLS) will no longer accept any cash transactions over five thousand dollars ($5,000). Transactions over $5,000 must be made using credit or debit card only. This applies to both retail customers and hospitality customers. 

Any changes to this interim policy will be communicated to hospitality customers. 

We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

December 13 Vaccination Requirements for LDB Service Providers

The LDB is reaching out to all customers who have or will pick-up product from BC Liquor Stores, the LDB Distribution Centre in Delta, or the Wholesale Customer Centre Victoria.

On October 5, the BC Public Service Agency (PSA) announced the BC Public Service would require its employees to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 effective November 22, 2021. 

In line with this policy, PSA and the LDB requires any service providers or customers entering employee-only areas of our indoor workplaces to be fully vaccinated effective December 13, 2021. 

Please note that customers are NOT subject to this policy if they are only accessing the sales floor or hospitality pickup area of a BCL location, entering the LDB Distribution Centre in Delta hospitality pick- up area or the hospitality pickup or reception are of WCC Victoria. All are considered common areas. 

All visitors are required to continue wearing masks in all areas of all LDB workplaces and maintain physical distancing guidelines. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your servicing location. Thank you for your support and consideration.

Designing an Intimate Atmosphere

Keeping guests separated and discouraging them from congregating goes against the instincts of every pub owner. While, at their core, the Provincial Health Officer mandates are meant to discourage the spread of COVID-19, businesses owners have had to make adjustments.

There are still ways to promote a sense of warmth and camaraderie for guests though, while remaining compliant with regulations.

Read more about designing an intimate atmosphere post-COVID in the Winter 2021 edition of the Quarterly Pour.

ABLE BC Member Feature: Angry Otter Liquor on 248th

Otter Co-op is no stranger to being Fraser Valley’s first choice, at least for gas, groceries, and hardware. With Liquor on 248th, though, loyal customers can now buy their beer, wine, and spirits from Otter Co-op too.

Officially called Angry Otter Liquor, this arm of the consumer co-operative operates 25 stores in the province.

Learn more about ABLE BC Member Angry Otter Liquor on 248th in the Winter Edition of the Quarterly Pour.

Ann Brydle