'This is not fair': Hospitality industry urges BCGEU to end strike action, lift alcohol restriction
Shoppers at government-run British Columbia liquor stores will see purchase limits starting Friday amid a major union's ongoing job action.
The B.C. Alliance of Beverage Licensees, or ABLE BC, says it was told by the province that government-owned BC Liquor Stores will limit how much customers can buy in one transaction. Those limits, the group says, will impact pubs, bars and restaurants too.
B.C.'s Liquor Distribution Branch confirmed the limits will prohibit customers from purchasing more than three of an individual item per day.
"We are conscious of growing supply constraints and want to do what we can to ensure equal access to product for all customers during the (B.C. General Employees Union) job action," a statement from the LDB said.
"The implementation of modest quantity limits is intended to support the availability of liquor products for the hospitality industry, particularly smaller businesses, and retail customers while the LDB’s distribution centres continue to be impacted by job action."
Four-packs and six-packs of products count as one unit. Only beer will be exempt, and the restrictions are expected to be in place until distribution centres resume their operations.“They’re putting a stranglehold on 40 per cent of the supplies of alcohol that goes through this province. So this is not fair,” said Jeff Guignard, executive director of ABLE BC.
The BCGEU first handed the province 72 hours' strike notice Friday after months of bargaining. Picketing began Monday afternoon at four BCL distribution centres: in Delta, Kamloops, Richmond and Victoria.
Guignard said private liquor stores won't be forced to introduce limits. However, Legacy Liquor Store implemented new limits Friday, including 12 bottles of wine and 6 bottles of spirits per day.
Legacy Liquor Store general manager Kieran Baldwin says some items won’t last long.
“We might not make it a week,” said Baldwin, referring to top sellers including White Claw.
“We get three deliveries a week and we haven’t had three deliveries this week, so you can imagine it’s going to go pretty fast.”
Allura Fergie, Co-owner of Fets Whisky Kitchen, says some of her items could be gone by next week.
“We just got over the pandemic and our industry just seems to get the brunt of everything,” said Fergie.
"This needs to stop before it gets worse,” said Guignard. "We urge both sides to get back to the negotiation table immediately before this strike does further damage to B.C.'s economy."
“The tool in the toolbox that workers have in terms of leverage is withdrawing their labour,” said Stephanie Smith, president of the BCGEU. “That’s a tool we’re currently leveraging.”
CTV News reached out to the Ministry of Finance for a comment on the progress of negotiations but did not receive a response before deadline.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Regan Hasegawa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.