B.C.’s hospitality and liquor industries say they’ve had enough.
With the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) strike now stretching into its eighth week.
According to the report by City News, business groups are pleading with the province to step in before more restaurants are forced to cut hours or close entirely.
Six major associations, including the Wine Growers of BC, BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association (BCRFA), Restaurants Canada, the BC Craft Brewers Guild, Import Vintners and Spirits Association, and the Alliance of Beverage Licensees (ABLE BC), called the situation “devastating.”
According to a new survey shared by the coalition, 44 percent of businesses are considering layoffs, and 29 percent have already reduced hours.
ABLE BC estimates the industry is losing around $10.5 million every day as liquor warehouses remain closed.
The BCGEU first began job action on September 12, with all liquor and cannabis distribution centers joining by September 22.
About 25,000 public-sector employees across 20 ministries and Crown corporations are now off the job.
BCRFA president Ian Tostenson warned that the strike’s effects could last months even after a resolution.
“The last time there was a strike — for two and a half weeks — it took three months to restore the system. We’re going into week eight.”
Premier David Eby has acknowledged the disruption, calling it an “incredibly challenging time,” and confirmed that the government and union are preparing for mediated talks.
But for restaurants and bars still struggling to recover from pandemic losses, industry leaders say the damage is already mounting and time is running out before the busy holiday season.