Millions of dollars’ worth of imported booze stuck in warehouses, as BCGEU strike cuts off access

An Octoberfest event in Vancouver has been cancelled, the latest casualty of the ongoing BCGEU job action.

The ongoing B.C. General Employees’ Union strike has brought imported liquor distribution in B.C. to a standstill, trapping hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of wine and spirits in warehouses.

It’s also threatening the survival of small businesses that depend on sales during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season to stay afloat

“We’re completely held hostage by the system we have to work with,” said Stacy Kyle of the Import Vintner & Spirits Association.

Under provincial law, all imported liquor must pass through the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch before being sold, and right now that system is behind picket lines.

None of it can be sold directly to stores or restaurants, which are running out of stock.

“You would see millions and millions of cases of wine and spirits and beer sitting there,” said Kyle, describing the situation inside warehouses.

“My guess is that you would also see container cars and semi-trucks in their loading and staging areas that haven’t been able to unload because they’re starting to run out of room.”

Kyle described how the shutdown is causing harm to local businesses like Pacific Wine & Spirits, a B.C.-owned importer that has been operating for more than 50 years.

The company employs six full-time staff and typically earns more than half its annual revenue between September and December.

“This strike could not come at a worse time,” Kyle said, adding that big bucks have been spent on promotions that will likely now go to waste.

During the pandemic, liquor sales flowed because it was considered an essential service.

“To my knowledge, the government has the power to deem certain services essential,” said Davor Kovac of Dream Wines Corporation.

“That is why not all of B.C.’s workers are behind picket lines.”

When asked, B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma declined to comment on why liquor distribution wasn’t deemed essential this time.

“What I will say is that we’re hopeful that we can come to an agreement at the table, where it belongs,” she said. “As a government, we want to respect the rights of workers.”

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance said the circumstances are “very different” today than during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Liquor Distribution Branch’s services and products, while important, do not meet the requirements under the B.C. Labour Code to be designated as essential,” it read.

The BCGEU has lifted liquor story picket lines in the past, but union president Paul Finch argued the government took advantage of those moves.

“The willingness of my membership to take down any lines, under the rubric of good faith, is about zero,” he said.