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Liquor rationing has customers fuming as BCGEU job action continues – Vancouver Sun

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“Today we’re asking both sides to get back to the table immediately and find a deal because this is now impacting B.C.’s entire $15-billion liquor industry … and 200,000 workers that we employ.” — Jeff Guignard, executive director of the Alliance of Beverage Licensees

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Shoppers were upset Saturday after a major union’s job action forced them to ration their liquor purchases at government-run retailers.

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Although British Columbians are now confined to buying three of the same item, with the exception of beer, it was the lack of products on store shelves that was the cause for frustration.

“I couldn’t even get what I came for,” one woman told Postmedia upon exiting a B.C. Liquor Store location in East Vancouver.

“The only thing I drink, Okanagan apple cider, was sold out. I was forced to buy another kind —— I’m not happy about it.”

Another customer, a man, told Postmedia he bought two bottles of Smirnoff vodka as the product’s larger variety he normally buys was sold out. 

“The shelves are getting empty,” he said, noting the “temporarily unavailable” tag that labelled many areas of empty stock in the store.

The B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch’s rationing order came as 33,000 members of the B.C. General Employees Union launched limited job action, including pickets around the liquor distribution outlets, to back contract demands that include wage protection against inflation.

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Picketing began Monday afternoon at four BCL distribution centres — in Delta, Kamloops, Richmond and Victoria. Last Friday, the BCGEU handed the province 72 hours’ strike notice after months of bargaining.

The LDB said the “modest” limitations are meant to ensure there is enough liquor to go around “for as many customers as possible.”

In a statement Friday, Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon urged everyday customers against panic buying, encouraging them to “respect the purchase limits implemented to support equity.”

“Not everyone has the same capacity to make large purchases and we don’t want customers being at a disadvantage,” Kahlon said.

For Vancouver’s private retailers, bars and pub owners, the employment irresolution has ignited a new worry.

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Simon Fallick, the owner of The American and Hero’s Welcome, said if the job action continues for longer than two weeks, his next warehouse order could leave him short of vodka.

“Everyone that has a liquor license has to purchase from the government, all imported items going through their warehouses. Since the vodka we use, Absolut, is from Sweden, this break in the supply chain is a nuisance,” Fallick said.

“Thankfully, most of our business is based on selling local beer and wine.”

A person’s purchases are seen in a shopping cart at a government-run BC Liquor Store in Vancouver, on Friday, August 19, 2022. British Columbia’s Finance Ministry says government-run liquor stores are implementing limits on alcohol sales in response to job action affecting several distribution outlets, effective immediately. Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS

Jeff Guignard, executive director of the Alliance of Beverage Licensees, said that imported drinks will likely be first to run dry on the shelves of private liquor stores.

“Customers are going to start to see stock-outs this weekend,” Guignard said, noting that B.C. beer, spirits and cider are less affected.

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  1. BCGEU strike starts by targeting liquor, cannabis distribution


  2. BCGEU members reject 9.99 per cent pay hike over three years


  3. Vaughn Palmer: B.C. NDP challenger sides with striking union

He said some retailers had experienced limited “panic buying” as a result of the strike action, and news of the rationing could make it worse.

“Today we’re asking both sides to get back to the table immediately and find a deal because this is now impacting B.C.’s entire $15-billion liquor industry, thousands of small businesses and 200,000 workers that we employ.”

Although most private liquor stores don’t intend to impose purchasing similar limits, one Vancouver retailer, Legacy Liquor Store, has opted to restrict customers’ daily purchases to 12 bottles of wine and six bottles of spirits.

— with files from The Canadian Press

sgrochowski@postmedia.com

twitter.com/sarahgrochowski


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Cineplex reports $24.7M Q3 loss on Competition Tribunal penalty

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TORONTO – Cineplex Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year ago as it was hit by a fine for deceptive marketing practices imposed by the Competition Tribunal.

The movie theatre company says it lost $24.7 million or 39 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $29.7 million or 40 cents per diluted share a year earlier.

The results in the most recent quarter included a $39.2-million provision related to the Competition Tribunal decision, which Cineplex is appealing.

The Competition Bureau accused the company of misleading theatregoers by not immediately presenting them with the full price of a movie ticket when they purchased seats online, a view the company has rejected.

Revenue for the quarter totalled $395.6 million, down from $414.5 million in the same quarter last year, while theatre attendance totalled 13.3 million for the quarter compared with nearly 15.7 million a year earlier.

Box office revenue per patron in the quarter climbed to $13.19 compared with $12 in the same quarter last year, while concession revenue per patron amounted to $9.85, up from $8.44 a year ago.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CGX)

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Restaurant Brands reports US$357M Q3 net income, down from US$364M a year ago

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TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.

The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.

Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.

Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.

On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:QSR)

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Electric and gas utility Fortis reports $420M Q3 profit, up from $394M a year ago

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ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.

The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.

Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.

Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.

On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:FTS)

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