The B.C. General Employees Union (BCGEU) has officially been on strike for six weeks. That means many restaurants and bars are running low on their liquor supplies, so much so that it appears like their stocks may be completely emptied before the strike ends.
B.C.’s running out of booze, and it seems like it’s only a matter of time before the province is dried out.
BCGEU STRIKE
The union’s 72-hour strike notice was issued on August 29, 2025. Following that, picket lines first went up on September 2, 2025. Job action has since spread across the province with escalations on September 4, 9, and then “sharply” on the 22nd.
“On September 25, the employer invited the union back to the table and negotiations resumed and immediately broke down again on September 29,” notes the BCGEU website. “Strike action continues to escalate each day.”
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The BCGEU consists of a wide range of workers in a number of fields. It represents over 95,000 members, with over a third of them working in “direct government service.”
As of October 8, all remaining B.C.-run liquor and cannabis stores shut down as job action increased.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS RUNNING DRY
Unsurprisingly, this has caused many restaurants and bars to have their liquor supplies choked. According to Restaurants Canada, 41% of B.C. restaurants are “operating at a loss or just breaking even” as of now.
This is further exacerbated by a number of restaurants having sold off their U.S. liquor inventory due to the emergence of the “Buy Canada” and tariff situation, said Mark von Schellwitz, Western Canada’s vice-president at Restaurants Canada.
Although private liquor stores remain open, that may not last for long. These retailers also get their supplies straight from provincial government distribution warehouses, which are also striking.
Nearly 25,000 BCGEU members are participating in the strike.
