Vancouver, Oct. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Restaurants and bars in BC are quickly running out of liquor inventory, as the BC Liquor strike enters its sixth week with no resolution in sight. Restaurants Canada is urging the BC government and the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) to reach an agreement. If one can’t be reached this week, the BC government should allow restaurants and bars to purchase liquor from private liquor stores so they can continue serving their customers.
Alcohol sales are important to the profitability of many foodservice businesses, many of which are small independent businesses. With 41% of restaurants operating at a loss or just breaking even, taking away their ability to serve alcohol, while consumers can still purchase it for home consumption, may push some to the brink of closure. This threatens not just the viability of the foodservice industry in BC, but also the jobs of the 183,000 British Columbians it employs, many of whom are youth.
Currently, the only way for restaurants and bars to purchase liquor is by going to an open BC Liquor store, where they are limited to three items per SKU per day. With picket lines closing different BC Liquor retail locations every day, this is not a tenable solution, and it puts foodservice owners and workers at risk as they scramble to secure product.
We need to see the BC government and the BCGEU reach a mutual agreement, but foodservice businesses can’t continue bearing the burden of this strike. If the BC government can’t find a solution to allow foodservice businesses to purchase alcohol, either from BC Liquor or from private liquor stores, it needs to consider back to work legislation.
- Mark von Schellwitz, Vice-President for Western Canada, Restaurants Canada
About Restaurants Canada
Restaurants Canada is a national, not-for-profit association advancing Canada’s diverse and dynamic foodservice industry. Restaurants are a $124 billion industry employing nearly 1.2 million Canadians and the number one source of first-time jobs in Canada. Visit restaurantscanada.org for more information.
