On June 12, 2024, the government of BC announced regulations to provide fairness, minimum-wage measures and basic protections for app-based ride-hailing and delivery workers in British Columbia. The regulations, a first in Canada, will come into effect on Sept. 3, 2024. They will apply to those who work for apps such as Uber, Lyft, Uber Eats, SkiptheDishes, DoorDash and others.

The regulations address the top concerns raised by workers, including:

• Low and unpredictable pay: The regulation sets a minimum wage for engaged time, and a minimum per-kilometre vehicle allowance to compensate workers for their vehicle expenses.

• Lack of workers compensation: All ride-hailing and delivery workers will be covered through WorkSafeBC.

• Lack of transparency: Companies must allow workers to see the locations and estimated pay associated with a job before workers accept it.

• Unfair deactivations and suspension: Companies must tell workers why they are being suspended or terminated. If they are terminated without cause, they must be given notice or compensation.

• Tip protection: Companies must pay 100% of tips provided by the customer to the worker.

Bridgitte Anderson, President and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, has issued the following statement: “Companies in B.C. already contend with some of the highest costs and strictest regulatory and tax environments in North America. We are concerned that the new regulations will impose additional burdens and reduce flexibility, inevitably leading to even higher costs for transportation and food delivery services.  These new regulations also risk resulting in less work for ride-hailing and food delivery workers and ultimately lower overall wages…”

Read Article Here

On the heels of the highly successful ‘Save BC Restaurants’ campaign, the call for a designated single point of contact within government for the hospitality industry has now been answered.

On June 4, 2024, Lana Popham was appointed as the designated Provincial cabinet liaison for the hospitality sector.

“Restaurants are such an important part of the fabric of our communities and our local economies, and we know the last few years have been tough on the industry,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “I am excited to be the point person into government for the BC Restaurants & Foodservices Association and Restaurants Canada to make it easier for the industry to access the support it needs.”

Having to engage with numerous ministries and government agencies in the past, restaurants and other stakeholders in the hospitality sector have faced significant challenges in addressing legislative and regulatory concerns. Now with a designated point person within government, the communication will be streamlined to one individual who will have a complete picture of all industry challenges. 

“We’re incredibly excited to work with Minister Popham,” said BCRFA President & CEO Ian Tostenson. “The Province has always been willing to listen to our concerns and work with restaurants to implement sensible changes – with today’s announcement, we’re looking forward to doing even more.”

This appointment builds on additional supports provided by government such as the Securing Small Business Rebate program, the cap on food delivery fees, providing more time to make temporary patios permanent, and wholesale liquor pricing saving food service businesses $244.9 million to date. In addition, government doubled the exemption threshold for the Employer Health Tax from $500,000 to $1M and prorated the tax for businesses with between $1 million – $1.5 million in payroll so now 90% of businesses will be exempt from the EHT.

We at Rising Tide Consultants are very pleased to see the positive steps in the right direction for our hospitality industry that has struggled very hard ever since the pandemic. Slowly, but surely, we are seeing things turn around for BC restaurants. 

The recent report by @pacificsolutionscontracting commissioned by the @bcrfa and the BC Coalition for Affordable Dependable Energy, shows that the cost could be upwards of $800,000 for an existing restaurant to convert to electricity from natural gas. This number includes all aspects of the process from hiring the experts required, new equipment, renovations, and installations, plus the revenue lost during the business interruption while all that is taking place.

The BCRFA is asking municipal governments to take this evaluation seriously and put the brakes on the zero carbon step code regulations that would ban the use of natural gas in new buildings ahead of provincial 2030 targets. Not only does this seriously question the economic impact on restaurants, but the feasibility of the proposal itself. Restaurants in 2024 do not have $800K sitting around in the bank; quite the opposite in fact. 

Rising Tide Consultants support our friends at the BCRFA, calling for a common-sense approach to energy which includes electricity, natural gas and renewable natural gas. 

For the full article: https://www.biv.com/news/hospitality-marketing-tourism/bc-restaurants-could-not-afford-natural-gas-ban-report-8892145

Rising Tide Consultants is pleased to announce that we offer design services to support our valued clients! By providing professionally drafted floor plans in AutoCad or Sketchup, you no longer need to engage an outside designer or pay your architect to do your floor plan drawings. This allows you to save time and money by streamlining the design process in presenting your drawings for your architect’s approval and facilitating a smooth submission to the city.

Rising Tide’s very own Meagan Morris completed the Residential Interiors program (DDA) at the University of Alberta and has extensive experience designing for residential and commercial projects across North America.

We are currently working on multiple projects for premiere Downtown Vancouver hotel locations. Get in touch to see how we can assist with your design needs.

We all love to cheer on our Canucks during the playoffs, but we are urging our clients to remember to create a safe and compliant environment for their patrons this season.

Responsible alcohol service is essential in keeping our city safe for these upcoming celebrations, so please be vigilant in enforcing your liquor service policies and ensure that proper ID practices are always adhered to.

Remember if you are caught serving alcohol to a minor you will be fined $7,000 on the spot! Over-service is a key factor in situations escalating to a point no one wants to see, so watch your guest’s consumption closely.

Alcohol products purchased to-go must be accompanied by a meal, and by this we mean not just a bag of chips. Want to know what constitutes a “meal” in this instance? Give us a call

Both the VPD and inspectors from the LCRB will be out in full force during the games so be sure to have the following items up to date and ready to show if they pay you a visit:

• Serving it Right certificates for all serving staff
• Your liquor & business license posted correctly
• Current floor plan
• Liquor register
• Alcohol Sense Materials
• Policy & Procedures Manuals that outline responsible liquor service

Missing some items? Have questions about getting this all organized in time? We are here to help!

Let’s all work cooperatively with our enforcement teams that are working hard to protect the citizens of Vancouver and prioritize mindful service and safety practices so that we can have a fun, successful Stanley Cup playoff season!

The Government Minors as Agents Program is targeting Cannabis Stores and if you are caught in non-compliance, it will cost you thousands of dollars!

The team at Rising Tide Consultants travels across the province to audit the existing policies and procedures of cannabis stores to ensure they have the best defence of due diligence in cases of compliance or enforcement issues. We then provide a comprehensive report detailing any inefficiencies found during the onsite visit and suggestions to resolve any potential issues.

We also offer presentations to cannabis store staff on how the MAP works. This ensures they know what to expect and look for in the “setup” of the trap and forewarning and how to set the team up for success if they are targeted.

The Branch is sending minors into cannabis establishments to see if they can catch staff members selling cannabis to a minor. If the minor is caught just on the premises, even without a transaction, the fine could be $3,000 to $7,000.This can be compounded if the minor is successful in purchasing cannabis without being asked for ID, with an additional penalty of $7,000 to $11,000. If the business is caught in non-compliance again, it could result in a potential 11-day suspension of their license or a $7,000 to $11,000 fine for having a minor on the premises and a $11,000 to $15,000 fine for a minor purchasing cannabis. There are even higher penalties for a 3rd offence!

Rising Tide Consultants can provide you with informative resources to help you stay one step ahead of the Branch.

Reach out to us if you would like our help to avoid the harsh penalties of the Minors as Agents Program. 

The Honourable Brenda Bailey – Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, speaks on the SAVE BC RESTAURANTS campaign:

“The first thing I want to say about the restaurant sector and their save B.C. restaurants campaign is: “Well done.” I think it was one of the most inventive campaigns that I’ve seen. The communications were very strong. I congratulate the restaurant sector for really quite a well-designed and engaging campaign.“

“Another request that the restaurant sector put in front of us was they had the experience that they had to go to a number of different ministers and lobby each individually on particular challenges that they were experiencing. They identified that it would be much better for them should they just have one contact. And so that’s something that we have put in place. That contact is Minister Popham. “

“The Solicitor General, the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture and myself will be working together on challenges that the restaurants faced, but it is the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture who is the number one contact. Then the information will share out that way.”

“But I do just want to really highlight that in addition to the many supports we put in place throughout the pandemic and since the number one request, the most important thing — and the restaurant sector really drove this home — was to change the EHT. I’m so grateful that we were able to do that for them.“

The EHT (Employer Health Tax) payroll threshold will be moved from 1/2 million to 1 million which will exempt a lot of small businesses from having to pay this tax. A very positive win for Industry!

This is a Crisis.

The Restaurant Industry is facing countless challenges and the BCRFA and Restaurants Canada have come together to show the Government that when you stack challenge after challenge, cost increase after cost increase, over debilitating debt from loans, the picture is a serious one and not easy to read.

“The Menu” below is being introduced to Government bodies, the press and the public on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, with the hopes that seeing everything that Restaurants face in one intense document will help people understand the severity of what Restaurants are going through.

It is our hope that “The Menu” will show the truth of the crushing impacts of what Restaurants deal with on a daily basis and encourage real support and understanding from our Government so that change will be imminent. 

The team at Rising Tide Consultants has been researching avenues to help industry in the defence against the Government’s Minors as Agents program.

The Minors as Agents program is funded and regulated by the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, whereby “youthful-appearing adults” are recruited to attempt to purchase liquor on the Branch’s behalf. The issue is the agents can often appear older, and if a judgment call is made to not ask for ID, the business can be in some very hot water.

One of the key resources Rising Tide has discovered is a revolutionary POS and Payment Processing System all in one convenient hand held device. Endorsed by Forbes as the #1 restaurant POS system with over 93,000 restaurant locations around the world, Toast is now available in Canada.

The functionalities are 100% geared towards hospitality venues with one very important one that will aid in prevention of a $7,000 fine and possible subsequent 21 day suspension of your liquor license, which are the penalties if you are caught in non-compliance with the Minors as Agents program.

You can customize the POS to default to an initial screen reminding the service staff to check for valid ID that requires acknowledgment before they are allowed to proceed to processing any order. This should not only prevent the service of alcohol to minors, but if an infraction does occur, then you have a strong defence of due diligence.

There is also an SOS functionality that the service staff can press a button that immediately communicates a distress message to your desired printer location in the event of an intoxicated, belligerent or difficult customer interaction. This is mapped to the table directly and is invisible to the customer.

For more information on Toast and deeper insight on how you can guard your business against the MAP, contact us directly.

We wish to thank you for choosing us as your licensing expert and consulting partner. It has been our pleasure to support the retail and hospitality industries for the past 35 years and we look forward to being here for all of your future needs.

Happy Holidays from the Rising Tide Team!