'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
New guidance for drinking alcohol could speed up changing consumer drinking habits as younger generations drink less and non-alcoholic beverages become more popular, advocates and business owners in the beverage industry say.
A report released earlier this month by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, funded by Health Canada, stirred widespread attention with guidance that consuming more than two drinks per week constituted a moderate health risk due to evidence linking alcohol to cancer -- a significant change from previous guidelines in 2011 that said men could have up to 15 drinks per week with low risk, and women up to 10.
But the new guidelines aren't a nail in the coffin for the beverage industry, businesses say -- though they may hasten the shift in consumer habits that were already underway.
"I mean, the study really just reports what is obvious, which is there's a risk to drinking," said Nick Kennedy, owner of Civil Liberties, a cocktail bar in Toronto.
"I think it's good that we're taking a sober look at drinking culture," he said.
In recent years, customers have been looking to drink less and explore more non-alcoholic options, Kennedy said.
In the past five years, Civil Liberties has expanded its non-alcoholic offerings due to customer demands and a growing number of ingredient options, said Kennedy.
Having these options means the bar can serve a wider variety of customers, he said, and as the taboos around not drinking soften, more people are asking for no- or low-alcohol drinks.
Kennedy doesn't think drinking will ever go away because it's so ingrained in social culture, but he does think attitudes toward alcohol will continue to shift and businesses need to adapt.
Spirits Canada CEO and president Jan Westcott said customer habits around drinking are changing. It's a challenge for the beverage industry, he said, but he thinks that could be positive for the industry as it will force businesses to think a little differently.
The new guidelines have been met with mixed reviews from those in the industry.
Beer Canada, which has seen brewers investing in developing non-alcoholic beers to serve growing consumer interests in recent years, said in an emailed statement that it supports Canada's 2011 drinking guidelines, and urged the government to do an expert review of the new research.
Westcott said he supports the decision to review current advice around alcohol with the updated science, but he thinks the report should be reviewed before official government guidelines are updated.
The new guidelines felt misleading and heavy-handed, said Matt Johnston, CEO of Hamilton, On.-based brewery Collective Arts. While he's not disputing the science behind the risks, he said alcohol is one of many things -- like sugar, salt, or meat -- that are known to be unhealthy in large quantities.
Johnston said he thinks the new guidelines will have an impact on the industry, adding momentum to already-shifting consumer habits around alcohol.
"There's a long term shift towards reduced consumption," he said.
Now, with a "perfect storm" of inflation, economic uncertainty, and these changing behaviours, the market is down compared to pre-COVID, he's noticed.
This presents a difficult scenario for many businesses, said Johnston: customers are changing their habits faster than anticipated, but rising costs and lower sales make it harder to pivot.
Many businesses are likely nervous about the new guidelines, said Kennedy, and understandably so -- for many restaurants and bars, alcohol sales help subsidize other, less lucrative parts of the business.
The timing of the announcement in Dry January, which happens during the slowest sales month for the industry, is likely contributing to those worries, said Kennedy. And he does think some businesses will suffer in the coming years, especially those that are slower to adapt.
Bars and restaurants that don't have good non-alcoholic offerings are "losing out on cash," Kennedy said.
Like Kennedy, Johnston thinks the social nature of alcohol means sales won't "fall off a cliff," but he does think consumers will continue on their current path.
Over the longer term, Johnston said he wants to see health authorities take a measured approach at messaging that takes into consideration the broader scope of health risks to consumers.
Johnston said he's glad Collective Arts had already started to expand, and has been doing test runs of sparkling botanical water, non-alcoholic beer and non-alcoholic cocktails. They also have a sister company that sells cannabis beverages.
"I think the timing is right," he said.
He said as the options available to consumers evolve and grow, so too will consumer preferences, and businesses have to evolve with them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2023
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction or mental health matters, the following resources are available to you:
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.