Restaurant group spreading the word about liquor law changes

OKANAGAN – The lobby group behind the restaurants and bars in B.C. want to educate business owners about the provincial government's new liquor laws.

To that end, a series of town hall-style meetings, which will include seminars and networking, are being held by the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association in the Okanagan later this morning.

Former B.C. Liquor Control Board general manager turned liquor industry consultant, Bert Hick will be speaking at the events.

The province announced in the fall 2014 sweeping changes to the sale of booze based on 73 recommendations from a report to overhaul the liquor laws, including the sale of B.C. wine in grocery stores as of April 1, 2015.

As well, the government is making changes to the wholesale price for retailers, expanding the retail model and making changes to the regulations governing businesses with liquor licences.

“The B.C. Government took the bold step of modernizing the liquor laws of B.C. The production, serving and selling of alcohol is a key part of the economy,” Restaurant Association spokesperson Ian Tostenson says in a media release. “The Association is travelling around the province, hosting town hall meetings to ensure industry fully understands the changes and use them to grow their business.”

The meetings will be held in Penticton at White Spot on Jan. 20 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., in Vernon at Monashee’s Bar and Grill on Jan. 21 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and at Sandhill Wines in Kelowna on Jan. 22 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The event is free for members of the Association with a $35 fee for non-members. If you’re interested, an Eventbrite website has been set up for registration.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.