July 22, 2020 Quick Links
![]() Wholesale liquor pricing for restaurants, tourism businesses takes effect Measures enacted by the Province in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that temporarily allow restaurants and pubs to purchase beer, wine and spirits at wholesale cost instead of liquor store retail prices came into effect on Monday, July 20, 2020.
“COVID-19 has been devastating for hospitality and tourism business owners, employees and their families throughout our province,” said David Eby, Attorney General. “We hope that the financial support that this change represents means the 8,500 restaurants and pubs that employ more than 190,000 British Columbians are able to survive this pandemic and be ready to thrive post-COVID.”
Hospitality customers who have registered with the Province’s Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) can now use a searchable hospitality price list to help with their buying decisions. A complete online hospitality product catalogue will launch Sept. 1, 2020. The temporary authorization will remain in effect until March 31, 2021. A provincial review of the program during this temporary reform will help government determine the financial costs and benefits of the change.
“The pandemic has required businesses to innovate in ways they never could have predicted, and it’s important that government is also flexible,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. “The hospitality sector asked for these changes and we acted quickly in order to protect jobs and help businesses stay afloat.”
Previously, hospitality licensees – including restaurants, pubs and tourism operators with liquor licences – paid full retail price (wholesale price, plus a retail mark-up set by the LDB) on most liquor purchases. The new model allows licensees to pay the wholesale price for the products they purchase, which is the same cost paid by government and private liquor stores in the province when they purchase stock for retail sale. ![]() Tourism sector asks B.C. government for $680M stimulus package By Richard Zussman, Global News
British Columbia’s hard-hit tourism industry is asking for a major bailout.
A coalition representing British Columbia’s more than 19,000 tourism and hospitality businesses has presented the B.C. government with a recovery stimulus proposal that would see the government put forward $680 million from its $1.5-billion recovery package towards the sector.
The funding would help the tourism industry, which has been impacted by severe travel restrictions during the COVID-19 crisis,including the closure of the US-Canada border to all but essential travel.
“Unfortunately, as the only industry almost entirely based on the discretionary movement of people, the tourism and hospitality sector has been the most severely impacted by far by COVID-19 due to business closure orders and restrictions on personal travel, as well as the closure of international borders,” reads a statement issued by the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC).
“Virtually the entire sector was shut down resulting in extensive layoffs, with many businesses having closed without the cash flow to reopen, and thousands more desperately trying to maintain solvency.”
In 2018, B.C.’s tourism sector generated $4.5 billion in direct tax revenues from $20.4 billion in direct visitor spending. The industry accounts for more than 300,000 workers.
The tourism sector’s long-term economic outlook is “the bleakest for any industry,” according to the TIABC. ![]() BCEDA Launches Economic Recovery Workshops The British Columbia Economic Development Association (BCEDA) is focused on supporting communities and their economic recovery post-COVID. The pandemic has provided an opportunity for the development of new course material as economies face increasingly unprecedented challenges like never before. It is a crucial time for communities to understand and respond to the need for growing strong local economies.
Topics include:
Training can be delivered virtually or in-person, adhering to social distancing measures with under 50 capacity.
![]() BC Ideas Exchange Webinars Harnessing the Power of Collaboration: Support Local BC
Businesses must meet qualifying criteria and be registered with the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness.
In 2019 the program helped over 230 B.C. businesses raise over $115 million in investment, and the Province issued $34.5 million in tax credits to investors.
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