B.C. is expediting temporary approvals for extra patio spaces for bars, restaurants and wineries to help businesses bring in more revenue as they reopen.
New health and safety rules have cut the allowed number of seats in half and include social-distancing requirements.
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“This pandemic has hit our hospitality sector hard,” Attorney General David Eby said Friday.
“Our government has been working with industry on ways to support the more than 180,000 British Columbians who work in pubs, restaurants and other parts of the sector.”
Speeding up the process will help businesses and give people more options to eat out safely, while following the directions of provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, Eby said.
Restaurants, pubs, wineries and breweries began opening again this week after in-house service was prohibited in mid-March in a bid to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.
B.C.’s Liquor and Cannabis Regulation branch now permits outlets with food-primary, liquor-primary and manufacturer licences to apply through a simplified online process to temporarily expand their service areas until Oct. 31.
The change will allow businesses to increase the size of their seating areas, but it won’t affect the number of seats they are permitted. Municipal approval is required. Ian Tostenson, president and CEO of the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association said the change is “excellent news.”
“This pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for all of us, and it has been invaluable for government and industry to work together as they have, as we take these important steps toward recovery,” he said.
While some Greater Victoria establishments are eager to add outdoor space as the weather warms up, not all expect to benefit.
Natasha Richardson, general manager at the Brentwood Bay Resort on Verdier Avenue, said she has plenty of room to comply with provincial distancing standards, but is being hurt by the rule that demands a 50% cut in seating.
The pub has a licence for 120 seats, now reduced by half to 60, and plenty of space.
If it were permitted to meet the distancing guidelines only, then it could fit a total of 73 seats, Richardson said.
Every business is unique, she said. “That’s the piece that we are finding the most challenging.”
At the Loghouse Pub on Millstream Road in Langford, manager Darren Cross said the fast-track approval for outdoor space “will benefit a lot of places, for sure.”
No decision has been made at the Loghouse — which has a licence for 217 pre-pandemic — about whether to apply. It has a large patio, but it might seek to use a portion of the lawn, he said.
Allowing more seats outdoors will especially help small businesses, Cross said. For those, “it is hard to do enough business to pay the bills,” he said.
John Adair, one of the owners of Sooke Brewing Co. on Otter Point Road, was pleased to see the expedited approval process for patios.
“It would definitely be something that would help us out because we’ve lost a major amount of capacity within the tasting room,” Adair said.
“The business model here is really built around that.”
The company had 80 seats before closing in March, but is now at 30 — 15 indoors and 15 outdoors, Adair said. Extra room could be used in a parking lot and in front of the business to meet demand, he said.
It also has a patio. “To be able to increase that outside capacity would really help get us back to where we were before March,” Adair said.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
