The wedding industry is worried about new restrictions put on liquor sales in B. C. In a measure that came into effect Friday, all government-owned BC Liquor Stores are limiting the quantity of alcohol that pubs, bars, restaurants, and members of the general public can buy in one transaction. Paige Petriw, founder and CEO of Spotlight Events, says the restrictions could end with weddings being dry, which will hurt their bottom-line. “It’s kind of crazy to think about. Maybe it’s going to mean that people aren’t able to have a bar at their wedding,” she said. “It is kind of mind boggling right now kind of almost like how is this going to work?” Petriw says all of their supply comes from BC Liquor and with special event permits, they are required to buy it from those locations. “I don’t know how caterers and people having a wedding are going to be able to get the amount of alcohol that they need for their one day. She says event planners will face a big financial burden without the bars being able to be there. “Often bar sales are a huge portion of their revenue and cover their overhead to even host these events. So it could it could have a really big economic impact as well. “Our industry just came out of COVID. We’ve only been operational for six months. And so just having some economic recovery, and getting out of the hole that we’ve been in from the last three years of event shutdowns. This is going to be a big blow. ” Related links: Alcohol sales limited at BC Liquor Stores due to strike action Expect more labour unrest in B. C. as inflation soars: expert B. C. cannabis stores grapple with delivery stoppage as BCLDB workers go on strike Restaurants and pubs in B. C. are still in recovery mode after the pandemic effectively shuttered businesses for months, and then COVID restrictions put further strains on their ability to make a profit. “With the pandemic, at least we had everybody on the same page and we were innovative, we could find solutions, and we could work through the uncertainty,” said Ian Tostenson, president of the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association, who calls this a “complete block by the BCGEU. ” “This industry, which is so brittle right now and is reliant on a strong summer to put a little bit of cash in the bank to get us through the fall, is now having to scramble with the labour shortage and scramble to find, if they can, alternate sources of product. ” “But the majority of products we get come from BC Liquor Stores,” said Guignard, adding the longer the strike goes on, the harder it will be on the hospitality industry. Guignard says it is “deeply frustrating” that the BCGEU strike is disrupting the entire industry. He warns if this strike goes on for another week, it will cost jobs. “You’re going to start seeing businesses having to reduce hours, close, or lay off staff as they run out of certain products,” Guignard said. BCGEU President Stephanie Smith is pushing back against the suggestion that fault lies with her union. “I would categorically disagree that this is the fault of my members in the public service. This is the fault of government, our employer, they have not called us back to the table,” said Smith. Smith is giving no timeline for how long strikes at liquor distribution centres could go on — saying it now lays in the government’s hands to call her union back to the bargaining table. “The restaurant industry, the bar industry, we have a shared goal here, and that is to get the strike over as quickly as possible. And so we’re calling on them to join their voices to ours in compelling government to get back to the bargaining table to get a deal for these workers,” Smith added. With files from Martin MacMahon, Denise Wong, Sonia Aslam.