Restaurants Canada continues to be actively engaged and make waves in the media
Off the top, I would like to acknowledge the tremendous loss to the residents and business owners due to the Jasper wildfire, with many restaurants and impacted foodservice operators and employees among them. The impact of this kind of devastation and displacement not only destroys the rhythm of day-to-day life, but the fibres of commerce that connect and support the local community, the provincial and national economy and the tourism product of Canada.
Jasper is a national treasure, and it will be rebuilt, but it will take time, care and support. Thank you to all members and associates who have pitched in with funds, food, lodging, logistics and other aid. It’s what we do best and a sobering reminder of how important a role we play in our communities.
Restaurants Canada has donated $10,000 to the YEG Hospitality for Jasper Fund, through the Edmonton Community Foundation. Every dollar donated (with a small admin fee) will flow through to hospitality and tourism workers displaced by the wildfire. You can also consider holding a fundraising event to raise funds, organized by the YEG Hospitality Fund, a collective of business owners from the Edmonton hospitality community.
As we all well know, the effective management of foodservice businesses has always depended on current data and real-world results. Now, as we look for ways to navigate the drop in consumer spending caused by lower discretionary income, it’s even more important to leverage timely data and intelligence. Restaurants Canada’s Fast Facts Dashboard is updated monthly and is designed to provide you with a range of insights to support sound decision-making. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to check it out and let us know what you think and how you’re using it.
With these and other economic challenges in mind, adopting new strategies to maximize profitability is no longer an option but a necessity. I’m excited to announce that tomorrow at 1:00 PM ET, Notch Financial will share practical, actionable strategies to boost your bottom line. This 30-minute webinar session will provide invaluable insights to help restaurants, distributors, and suppliers navigate these tough times, from slashing costs to driving revenue and streamlining operations. Register here to join us live or receive a recording if you cannot make the live session.
Given the ongoing discussions about changes to the TFW program, I’d like to remind our members about theimmigration toolkit we offer. This resource is designed to help you navigate Canada’s immigration system more effectively. In response to the increasing need for clarity and understanding within our industry, we’ve developed this toolkit to outline the various options available to you. Our aim is to simplify the immigration process.
Restaurants Canada continues to be actively engaged in the media, ensuring our voice is not only heard, but increasingly influential. In July, our team made several key media appearances and earned over 700 editorial mentions while advocating for our industry.
During a conversation with journalist Amanda Lang last week, I had the opportunity to discuss the recent decline in sector financial performance and the challenging sales period. As previously mentioned, this double hit has been attributed to a reduction in available discretionary income hitting our industry guest counts and an increase in costs. I was glad to be able to emphasize our urgent need for the government to ease the compounding pressures by lowering EI premiums for small and medium-sized businesses.
Urgent action is needed for the Federal Government to lower the EI Premium rate to 1.58%. There’s still time to lend your voice to our campaign, Lift the Strain on Small Business, but time is running out. Please take a few minutes to send your letter to your MP.
If you’ve already done so, thank you!
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS & PUBLIC AFFAIRS UPDATE
From Richard Alexander | Executive Vice-President, Government Relations & Public Affairs
Federal: Reducing EI Premiums Campaign Update
Our campaign to reduce your Employment Insurance Premiums continues in earnest. Next week you will begin to see our social media EI reduction campaign targeted toward our industry. The goal of the campaign is to increase the numbers of letters being sent from our website to local MPs. The numbers of letters sent is steadily increasing, but we need more—you can help. There are only a few weeks left to make an impact, MPs will be returning to Parliament Hill in September and government will decide shortly thereafter on EI premiums.
Act now by sending this letter. It only takes a couple of minutes.
Another part of our social media campaign is targeting MPs, asking them to support and champion a reduction in EI premiums. Your Restaurants Canada Regional Vice Presidents are meeting with MPs during August asking them to be champions for an EI premium reduction. Heading into the Liberal Party’s Ministerial and Caucus Retreats at the end of the summer, Restaurants Canada, together with other national business associations, will be publishing an open letter to the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, in the Financial Post asking for a reduction in EI premiums.
Your support is critical to this campaign’s success.
Please visit our campaign page and take action now.
SUSTAINABILITY UPDATE
From Jillian Rodak | Vice President, Sustainability
Consultation Updates: Toronto Single-Use Bylaw and Circular Economy Roadmap, PEI Food Waste Reduction Strategy and Other Ongoing Consultations Continue
Last week, Restaurants Canada met with the City of Toronto to discuss the future of the Single-Use bylaw and the development of the Circular Economy roadmap. The city is considering a single-use ban that includes the same six items included in the current federal plastics ban (checkout bags, cutlery, specific foodservice ware, ring carriers, stir sticks, straws) and will report back on this by the end of 2024. The city will also be conducting a consultation in the fall to explore the expansion of the current single-use bylaw to potentially include reuse regulations for dine-in at restaurants. We will be working with the city in the coming months to ensure that the realities and interests of our industry are considered throughout the single-use bylaw expansion and circular economy roadmap consultations.
We also met with the PEI Department of Agriculture to discuss the food waste reduction strategy consultation. We emphasized the great work that foodservice is already doing to prevent and manage food waste. The consultation is in its early stages, and the government is eager to hear from and work with our industry in Stage 2 of its engagement plan in the Fall. They intend to release a “what we heard report” by the end of 2024.
We are continuing to work on other ongoing consultations, including: Chemical Hazards Bureau’s review of the voluntary food packaging program, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)’s roadmap to reduce textile waste and pollution, Health Canada’s and ECCC’s updated report and risk management scope on PFAS, and the Competition Bureau’s new greenwashing provisions.
Federal: Notice of Mandatory Reporting for Above-Threshold PFAS Manufacturing or Importing Issued
In addition to the current consultation on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the federal government has published a Notice in the Canada Gazette to collect further information on the use of PFAS (e.g., as a grease-proof coating for fibre packaging) to help determine whether they are toxic or capable of becoming toxic, and whether to control these substances and in what manner. Any person who manufactured or imported substances or items in 2023, above the thresholds listed in the Notice, must report no later than January 29, 2025. This can be done through the online reporting system available through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Single Window.
FEDERAL UPDATE
From Maximilien Roy | Vice-President, Federal & Québec
Federal: Restaurants Canada’s pre-budget submission
As Parliament’s return is less than a month away, the Standing Finance Committee is gearing up to hear from various stakeholders to help shape next year’s budget. In preparation for this, Restaurants Canada has submitted a proposal highlighting five key priorities for our industry:
- Lower the EI (Employment Insurance) premium rate to 1.58%.
- Expand the Canada Entrepreneur Incentive to all sectors.
- Implement a matching and training program for newcomers.
- Rejoin UN Tourism and attract the World Forum on Food Tourism.
- Promote jobs in the tourism sector.
Running a restaurant comes with numerous challenges, and we hear from our members and work to address a multitude of issues. That said, the government can only address a limited number of issues with its last budget before the next federal election. To optimize our effectiveness, we have prioritized the main concerns raised by our members that align with the government’s agenda so we can focus on delivering the changes that matter most to you.
Click here to learn more about our pre-budget submission and stay tuned for more information as the Standing Finance Committee begins its review of the recommendations.
Federal: Better Access to Information on TFWs Now Available
The Canadian Government has begun to publish its policies related to the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program on the Open Government information portal:
- Determination of Consequences
- Employer Ineligibility for the TFW Program Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
- Employer Inspection Process
- Non-cooperative Employers
- Administrative Monetary Penalties – Payment and Collection
- Language of Work
Statistical datasets for LMIAs are also available on the portal.
More TFW Program policies will be added in the future, and revised policies will be published as they are finalized.
For any questions regarding the publication of TFW Program policies and statistical data, the TFW Program can be contacted directly at: edsc.dgce.tet-tfw.seb.esdc@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
ATLANTIC UPDATE
From Jordi Morgan | Vice-President, Atlantic Canada
Nova Scotia: Government Mandates Completion of Responsible Alcohol Service Course for all Servers by December 1, 2024
On August 6th the government of Nova Scotia, through the Minister of Service Nova Scotia, announced all servers at licensed establishments will need to complete a responsible alcohol service course by December 1st. This brings Nova Scotia in line with similar requirements in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and most provinces across the country. Restaurants Canada is strongly supportive of responsible beverage-alcohol service training, and many operators already make this training a prerequisite for employment.
Unfortunately, this action was taken with virtually no consultation, so many questions remain unanswered. I sent a letter to the Minister asking for more clarity and made a request for an extension to the deadline to June 2025 to provide for a smoother transition as it may be difficult to get everyone trained during the fall staffing transitions.
Currently there is one course certified by Service Nova Scotia’s Alcohol Gaming Division, Serve Right, a course offered through the Nova Scotia Tourism Human Resources Council at a cost of $35 per server and $50 per manager.
Atlantic: Join us on August 19th for Restaurants Canada’s Atlantic Regional Engagement Session
If you have thoughts you would like to share with our Government Relations Team, our summer Atlantic Regional Engagement session is coming up on Aug 19 at 11:00 a.m.—we’d love to hear from you!
You may either join the call or simply send a note on relevant issues that concern you or you think should be brought to our attention. Please reach out to me directly at JMorgan@restaurantscanada.org.
CENTRAL CANADA UPDATE
From Kris Barnier | Vice President, Central Canada and the North
Nunavut: Tourism Business Mentorship Program, Call for Applications
The Department of Economic Development and Transportation is accepting applications for the Inuit Tourism Business Mentorship Program. This program supports tourism business owners in Nunavut in leveraging their skills, knowledge, and professional capacity to grow their businesses. The deadline to apply is August 26, 2024. For more information, see here.
Nunavut: Call for Nunavut Liquor and Cannabis Board members
The NLCB oversees the liquor licensing process in Nunavut, holds hearings for licence holders charged with infractions under the Liquor Act and manages the appeals process for licensed cannabis retailers in Nunavut. The NLCB also reports and provides advice to the Minister of Finance on matters of policy, legislation and administration relating to the responsible sale, distribution and consumption of alcohol in Nunavut. For more information and to apply, visit here.
Nunavut: Participate in the Nunavut Tourism Strategy Survey
The Department of Economic Development and Transportation is conducting a public survey to develop the Tourism Strategy for Nunavut. Share your input here.
Ontario: Meeting with Liberal Finance Critic and the Leader’s Office
I recently met with the Ontario Liberal Finance, Jobs and Economy Critic, MPP Stephanie Bowman, along with a senior member of Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie’s office. We had a great conversation about the state of the foodservice industry in Ontario and spoke on opportunities to help our sector with cost relief and labour challenges.
Ontario: Meetings with Federal MPs on immigration/labour and Employment insurance
As a top priority for the summer, my colleagues and I are meeting with federal MPs to ask their help in convincing the federal government to reduce EI premiums. We are also seeking their support to launch and provide funding for a Destination Employment program to help connect newcomers to Canada with available opportunities in the foodservice sector. I had the pleasure of productive and positive meetings with MPs Charles Sousa (Mississauga-Lakeshore) and Julie Dzerowicz (Davenport) to discuss our asks. I’ve also connected with several other MP offices and look forward to sharing more on upcoming meetings soon.
Ontario: LCBO Strike Update
On behalf of Restaurants Canada, I would like to emphasize how incredibly helpful it was to receive timely input from members about the challenges you faced during the LCBO strike. Your input gave us concrete, personalized information we could take to the LCBO and government to advocate on your behalf. These efforts positioned us to ensure that, in spite of its very limited employee resources, the LCBO made protecting the wellbeing of restaurants and bars a top priority during the strike.
While the strike represented yet another challenge for our industry and for your businesses, we’re thankful it was relatively short. Restaurants Canada was also able to capitalize on the situation to strengthen our crucial relationships with the LCBO and provincial government, and we remain in regular communication on the strike and its lingering impacts. We know that it will take several weeks for the LCBO and government fully catch up and return to full operating capacity. For that reason, they have asked us to flag any challenges or setbacks your businesses face, so please send me an email or give me a call if you run into challenges with the LCBO that you need help resolving.
With the strike behind us, we are turning our LCBO focus back to wholesale pricing. The expiration on the Master Framework Agreement (MFA) affords us an opportunity to advocate for deeper discounts on alcohol purchases for restaurants and bars.
Manitoba: Between the Buns Burger Competition
MFRA is proudly presenting Manitoba’s only local burger competition, from September 1-8, 2024, and we want YOU to be a part of it! Whether you’re a seasoned grill master or just love creating unique burger recipes, this is your chance to showcase your culinary skills.
Be sure to follow the competition on Instagram and check out the competition website here.
Register your business online by July 29th or email info@mrfa.mb.ca for more information. You may also contact Kim at 204-783-9955.
WESTERN UPDATE
From Mark von Schellwitz | Vice-President, Western Canada
Alberta: Donate to the Jasper Wildfire Hospitality Relief Fund
As a result of the devastating fire that destroyed parts of Jasper, we know that some restaurants were destroyed, and their families and employees have been evacuated. In times of need, we know our industry comes together, and once again our industry has stepped up.
We would like to acknowledge the Restaurants Canada members who are offering free meals and discounts to Jasper residents and donating to Jasper wildfire victims as reported here. Restaurants play a crucial role in supporting communities during challenging times, and we deeply appreciate initiatives like these.
As we watch the devastating news from Jasper the hospitality industry has identified a desire to help raise funds for Jasper Tourism and Hospitality workers who have been displaced from their homes and livelihoods. The Edmonton Community Foundation will work with Banff Canmore Foundation to distribute funds to groups that are able to provide support to the hospitality sector.
Restaurants Canada is donating and encourages our members, sponsors and suppliers to do the same. Every contribution goes directly to those in need, ensuring 100% flow through. Please visit the Edmonton Community Foundation Hospitality for Jasper Fund webpage and make a donation today!
Members impacted by the Jasper wildfire are also encouraged to go the 2024 Wildfire Resources website for updates on evacuations and available supports.
British Columbia members impacted by wildfires can also register for Emergency Support Services at https://ess.gov.bc.ca/ and apply for financial disaster assistance.
Alberta: Provincial Food Safety and Licensed Facility Child Care Review Panel Report Released
Following the devastating E. coli outbreak at licensed childcare facilities in Calgary last fall, the Alberta government established the Food Safety and Licensed Facility-Based Child Care Review Panel to conduct a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding the event and recommend ways to prevent this from happening again.
Restaurants Canada Director Leslie Echino, of Annabelle’s Kitchen, was invited to be part of the review panel and we thank her for her contributions. Restaurants Canada also participated in the review panel’s consultations leading up to the July 29th enhancing food safety in child-care settings report announcement.
The panel’s seven-month review resulted in a final report that includes 12 primary recommendations and 27 sub-recommendations. The recommendations centre around three main themes:
- Fostering a culture of food safety that supports high-quality, safe and healthy learning environments for children.
- Public policy, legislation and inspection systems for food safety.
- System alignment and integration.
Members interested in the detailed food safety recommendations made in the panel’s report and how the implementation of these recommendations may impact your future food safety plans can review the full panel report and recommendations here.
British Columbia: WorkSafe BC Gratuities as Assessed Payroll Policy
On July 29th, BCRFA and Restaurants Canada had a follow up meeting with Tourism Minister Popham to further discuss progress on our pre-election Save BC Restaurants Menu of Issues restaurant industry policy priorities.
One concerning issue raised in our previous meetings was WorkSafeBC’ s new 2024 policy for employers to include all verifiable gratuities as assessed payroll. This policy was implemented without any consultation and the industry is largely unaware of the policy which would significantly increase foodservice industry WorkSafeBC premiums at a time when the industry can least afford it. We were pleased that Minister Popham reached out to her Labour Minister colleague and WorkSafeBC executives echoing our industry’s concerns and arranged for a BCRFA/Restaurants Canada meeting with senior WorkSafeBC officials to discuss our concerns and possible solutions on the verifiable gratuities as assessed payroll policy concerns.
On August 6th, we had a lengthy productive meeting with WorkSafeBC reiterating our concerns and received a commitment for WorkSafeBC to review the policy with the WorkSafeBC Board of Directors and possibly eliminate or postpone the policy given that there was no consultation and that most BC restaurateurs were unaware of the policy change that would significantly increase restaurant employer premiums and undermine the positive news of a 6% preliminary 2025 restaurant classification premium reduction. We will be following up with WorkSafeBC in the next couple of weeks and are cautiously optimistic that the policy will either be eliminated, amended, or at least postponed pending further consultations.
Western Canada: Lift the Strain EI Campaign MP meetings
Over the summer I continue to meet with Western Canada Members of Parliament to provide state of the industry updates and discuss Restaurants Canada’s “Lift the Strain” EI reduction campaign to ask for their support to lower EI premiums from 1.66% to 1.58%. Most recently, I had an informal productive sit-down meeting with Edmonton Riverbend MP Matt Jeneroux on the EI recommendation and other Restaurants Canada policy priorities.
As we approach the final days of summer, I hope you can take a moment to reflect on the vital role you play in shaping the Canadian economy, culture, and community. Your dedication and hard work and the special spaces and moments you create continue to make a significant impact, and we thank you for all that you do.
With best wishes for a prosperous season and looking forward to what’s next,
Kelly Higginson
