Alberta earns highest grade on pandemic liquor policy

EDMONTON, ALBERTA, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The grades are in: For the fourth time since 2015, Restaurants Canada has given every province a report card on how industry-friendly their liquor policy panorama is for bars and eating places.

Alberta nonetheless ranks on the high of the category, beating out all different provinces with industry-leading liquor licencing rules and insurance policies governing how alcohol could be purchased and offered. In this yr’s Raise the Bar report, the province’s grade improved from a B to a B-plus after decreasing pink tape by greater than a 3rd for licensed institutions.

“Alberta continues to be a liquor policy role model by implementing reforms that make selling alcohol easier for bars and restaurants,” mentioned Mark von Schellwitz, Restaurants Canada’s Vice President, Western Canada. “To potentially earn yet another bump in their grade by our next report, Alberta should stay focused on reducing liquor costs for foodservice businesses, continue to cut red tape, and re-introduce a liquor server wage.”

“Alberta has cut more than one-third of its total provincial regulatory requirements since 2019,” mentioned Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. “We are committed to cutting red tape for the province’s bars and restaurants, and once we cut it, we will prevent new red tape from creeping back.”

Here’s how Alberta’s efficiency report on Restaurants Canada’s Raise the Bar report compares with the remainder of the provinces:

How can Alberta increase the bar?

Restaurants Canada is constant to work with the Alberta authorities, particularly with the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), to enhance the liquor policy panorama for bars and eating places. Here’s how the province can enhance its grade by the subsequent Raise the Bar report:

• Reduce liquor prices for small foodservice and hospitality companies;
• Continue to chop pink tape for licensed institutions; and
• Re-introduce a liquor server wage.

Visit restaurantscanada.org/sources/raise-the-bar-2022 to obtain the complete report and be part of within the on-line dialog with the hashtag #RaiseTheBar2022.

About Restaurants Canada

Restaurants Canada is a nationwide, not-for-profit affiliation advancing the potential of Canada’s numerous and dynamic foodservice {industry} by way of member packages, analysis, advocacy, sources and occasions. Before the COVID-19 disaster, Alberta’s $12 billion restaurant {industry} was the province’s third-largest supply of personal sector jobs, usually using 150,000 folks. Alberta’s bars and eating places are nonetheless struggling to rebound from at the very least $5 billion in misplaced income and get well greater than 10,000 jobs within the wake of the pandemic.

• Raise the Bar 2022: Report Card on Provincial Liquor Policies for Bars and Restaurants