An industry group representing British Columbia’s bars, pubs and private liquor and cannabis stores said it hopes get things can get back to normal within the next month now that a strike by about 25,000 public service workers has come to an end.
Workers at the B.C.’s Liquor Distribution Branch (LBD), which includes BC Cannabis Wholesale operations, were off the job for weeks as part of the strike.
The BC General Employees Union (BCGEU) announced on Sunday it had reached a tentative agreement with the province. It said members would vote to ratify the deal from Nov. 6 to 13.
Bo Chen, executive director of the Alliance of Beverage Licensees (ABLE BC), said businesses and provincial partners are working hard on getting back to normal operations.
Chen said the disruption caused by the BCGEU strike is significant, noting it was one of the longest public service strikes in B.C. history.
“It’s very unfortunate, because the industry is caught in the middle between two giants,” said Chen. “Everyone’s been impacted.”
He points to a survey conducted by ABLE BC and other industry groups that found more than three quarters of businesses were concerned they would have to close or shed staff if the strike dragged on.
Chen added there are also concerns that when B.C.’s cannabis industry sees a major disruption like this strike, the illegal market steps in to fill that gap.
He noted that products from illegal sellers not only steal market share from legitimate sellers, but the products are often untested for contaminants and hazardous ingredients.
Chen said the focus right now is on restarting the liquor and cannabis distribution systems back up so that businesses can stay viable and workers can keep their jobs.
“I think it’s about all of us working together to try to salvage what we can and make sure people in B.C. can still enjoy a very enjoyable holiday time,” said Chen.
He said previous industry estimates have said it could take about four months to fully bring B.C.’s distribution system back to normal.
“In our mind, that’s way too late,” said Chen. “Ideally we’d love to be able to see a very ambitious goal of trying to get everything back online in under three or four weeks.”
The LDB said in a statement they are pleased to welcome back employees. It said operations resumed at all its distribution centres and wholesale customer centres on Monday. BC liquor and cannabis stores also reopened their doors as of Monday.
LDB said it’s putting additional resources toward restarting operations, including temporarily bringing in 24/7 operations at wholesale liquor distribution centres to manage the higher volume. It said the focus is on fulfilling orders to wholesales customers, like restaurants, bars and pubs.
“We appreciate the continued patience and understanding of our customers as it may take some time for operations and service levels to return to normal,” said the LDB statement.
BC Cannabis Wholesale said on its website on Monday it was focused on fulfilling customer orders that were placed before Sept. 22, before its workers joined the strike action.
It said any orders that were placed between that date and Oct 27 were cancelled and will need to be reordered.
It also said temporary quantity limits are in place for certain products to ensure equitable access.
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