B.C. restaurants and alcohol importers welcome a tentative deal to end the strike at the wholesale liquor distributor, just in time for the holiday season.
Agreement reached in public-service job action
A tentative mediated agreement was announced on Sunday between BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) and the provincial government of British Columbia, nearly eight weeks after the public-service strike began on Sept. 2.
Agencies impacted and supply bottlenecks unwind
During the strike, the Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB)—the provincial agency that supplies alcoholic beverages for retail and hospitality in B.C.—was effectively shut down, leaving restaurants and importers without their usual wholesale source.
These disruptions triggered concerns about stock-outs heading into the holiday season, as wholesalers scrambled to service clients via alternative channels.
Holiday season urgency for restaurants and importers
Holiday sales account for as much as half of the year’s total for many alcohol importers, said Stacy Kyle, Executive Director of the Import Vintners & Spirits Association. She described the deal as “a relief,” while cautioning it is still subject to final ratification.
For restaurants, the stakes were high: according to Ian Tostenson, CEO of the B.C. Restaurant & Foodservices Association (BCRFA), many operators had to pivot to local producers during the LDB shutdown—a stop-gap that couldn’t sustain full service.
Logistics plan set in motion to restore retail supply
As picket lines are expected to come down Monday, the BCRFA released a co-ordination plan with the LDB to activate 15 “hospitality hubs” at major B.C. Liquor Stores across the province, enabling restaurants and hospitality operators to immediately place orders for top-selling spirits, liqueurs and imported wines.
Operators are encouraged to contact their nearest hub to confirm product availability and timing.
Industry fears and calls for system reform
Some restaurateurs say the strike exposed structural risk in the province’s alcohol-distribution model. One Vancouver-based owner, Ignacio Arrieta of La Mezcaleria, said he ran out of mezcal and nearly ran out of tequila during the job action, forcing a shift away from his concept’s signature agave-spirit offerings.
He called for legislative reform to allow restaurants to purchase directly from third-party warehouses—rather than relying entirely on the LDB—arguing the current system “uses us as leverage” during labour disputes.
What happens next and how the industry will respond
Pending ratification of the deal by the union membership, the LDB will begin a phased return to normal operations. Restaurants and importers are preparing for a busy ramp-up and aiming to avoid the supply-backlog delays seen during a similar 2022 LDB strike, which took months to resolve.
The coming days will test the system’s ability to recover in time for the holiday rush—but for now, the relief is palpable among B.C.’s hospitality and alcohol-import sectors.
