The federal Budget is around the corner and we need your help!
I hope you had a relaxing and nourishing Thanksgiving weekend!
We are less than a month away from the new federal government’s first official Budget, which will be tabled November 4. With that, the Restaurants Canada team is redoubling our efforts calling for the removal of GST from all food, including restaurant meals.
We have collected thousands of signatures on our petition, but we need more. We will be delivering the signed petitions to the Department of Finance and key MPs on October 17. If you haven’t signed and shared the petition yet, now is the time to do it so we can have the biggest impact possible in the lead up to the federal budget.
The campaign has not gone unnoticed in Ottawa. Over the past few months, the government relations team has met with MPs and staff from all the major parties to raise our ask, with very positive reactions. Last week, former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps wrote about our campaign in her regular Hill Times column.
We need to use this momentum to create more pressure on the government to deliver this important affordability measure for Canadians and foodservice businesses.
So what can you do?
- Sign the petition at foodisfood.ca.
- Download one of our shareable graphics and post it on your social media.
- Share the campaign with your network.
- Write your member of Parliament and tell them you want all food to be tax-free.
For more information on how removing the GST from prepared food would bolster the foodservice industry and the Canadian economy, read our GST two-pager.
Canada Post Strike Update
Restaurants Canada has shared this brief outlining the impacts the Canada Post strike is having on foodservice businesses with the federal government. Restaurants are already operating on thin margins, and the inability to reach customers or process payments through the mail adds unnecessary strain. This strike highlights how dependent small and medium-sized operators still are on reliable postal services for marketing and cash flow. We are calling on all parties to reach a quick resolution.
Building Canada’s Workforce: People and skills for a stronger nation
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | 12:15 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. ET
The Globe and Mail Centre, Toronto, ON
On October 22, I will be taking part in a panel discussion of business leaders, policymakers and workforce experts organized by the Globe and Mail to discuss the labour challenges faced by Canadian industries and solutions for a resilient and future-ready workforce. Register for a free virtual ticket or to attend in person here.
Getting Paid: Relief for Small Business Challenges webinar
Join Interac experts Sophie Lambert and Sopana Selvachandran, along with fellow operators, on Wednesday, October 21 at 1 pm ET, as they unpack small business payment pain points like cash flow, supplier invoice deadlines, and changing guest habits. This solution-driven webinar offers real stories, strategies, and free resources including Interac’s SMB e-book. Register so you can focus on your guests and grow your business.
Celebrating World Food Day on October 16
This year’s World Food Day theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future,” underscores the important role of collaboration in strengthening global food systems. Here in Canada, our agricultural sector stands at the forefront, driving sustainability and food security from coast to coast to coast. As we recognize the contributions of Canadian farmers, producers, and agri-food innovators, we also invite you to listen to our MENU Unplugged episode featuring Chef Bashir Munye, who reflects on how Canada’s agricultural innovation and cultural diversity fuel a stronger foodservice industry.
Welcome, Matt Triemstra!
We wish a warm welcome to Matt Triemstra, Restaurants Canada’s new Vice President of Federal Affairs, whose first day is today. In this new role, Matt will lead our advocacy priorities with the federal government from our new Ottawa office. Read our following CEO Note for Matt’s first update.
SUSTAINABILITY UPDATE
From Jillian Rodak | Vice President, Sustainability
Packaging EPR Updates and Key Dates
This month, Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) are hosting webinars to provide updates on provincially regulated Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs across Canada, along with the 2026 fee rates.
As a reminder, EPR makes businesses responsible for the packaging they supply to consumers (i.e. packaging that enters the residential waste stream). Compliance with regulated programs includes annual reporting of packaging types and weights and paying fees.
October 16 – Annual Producers Meeting
- On October 16 at 2:00 p.m. EST, Circular Materials, Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM), SK Recycles, and Recycle BC will co-host the 2025 Annual Producer Meeting.
- The meeting will provide updates on program performance and present the 2026 fees for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia (new program launching December 1), New Brunswick, and the Yukon (new program launching November 1).
- Fees for Ontario’s Blue Box program will not be presented at this meeting. They will be shared directly with producers by their selected PROs, as Ontario operates under a competitive program model.
- To register for the 2025 Annual Producer Meeting, please click here.
October 28 – Eco Entreprises Quebec (EEQ) Webinars
Quebec’s packaging recycling fees will be shared separately by Eco Entreprises Quebec (EEQ) on October 28:
- Webinar on 2026 producer financial participation (fees) October 28 from 10:30am to 11:30am EST: link to register
- Webinar on 2026-2027 financial forecasts October 28 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm EST: link to register
City of Toronto Single-Use and Takeaway Items Bylaw Consultation
Restaurants Canada met with the City of Toronto to share industry perspectives on the proposed expansion to their Single-Use and Takeaway Items bylaw which would introduce reuse provisions, including allowing customers to bring their own food containers and requiring the use of reusable plates and cutlery for dine-in service.
As a next step in the consultation process, the City will host a virtual focus group for businesses and business associations on October 21 from 1:30 – 3:30pm EST. Restaurants Canada will participate in the session, and the City has encouraged our members to register and share their feedback as well.
October Sustainability Committee Meeting Recap
On October 9th, the Sustainability Committee welcomed Environment Climate Change Canada (ECCC) for a collaborative discussion on various policies impacting our members, including reuse policies, the Federal Plastics Registry, the challenges posed by the patchwork of municipal bylaws across Canada, and partnership opportunities with ECCC.
The next Sustainability Committee meeting is scheduled for November 6, 2025. Members are encouraged to join the Sustainability Committee to take part in monthly meetings and/or receive meeting materials to stay up to date on sustainability and regulatory developments. To join, please email jrodak@restaurantscanada.org.
QUEBEC UPDATE
From Marie-Pier Richard | Vice-President, Quebec
English Follows
C’est la semaine dernière que débutaient les consultations générales et auditions publiques dans le cadre de la planification de l’immigration au Québec pour la période 2026-2029.
J’ai eu la chance de présenter les demandes de l’industrie lors d’une présentation conjointe avec l’Association Restauration Québec à l’assemble nationale. La présentation nous a permis d’échanger et de sensibiliser les élus sur les besoins en main d’œuvre en restauration et les difficultés du système actuel et les impacts que pourraient avoir un resserrement du nombre de travailleurs étrangers temporaire.
Pour réécouter notre présentation, je vous invite à visionner le lien suivant : Séances des commissions – Assemblée nationale du Québec
Last week marked the start of the general consultations and public hearings on Quebec’s immigration planning for the 2026–2029 period.
I had the opportunity to present the industry’s requests during a joint presentation with the Association Restauration Québec at the National Assembly. This presentation allowed us to engage with elected officials and raise awareness about the restaurant sector’s labour needs, the challenges of the current system, and the potential impacts of tightening the number of temporary foreign workers.
You can watch a recording of our presentation here.
ATLANTIC CANADA UPDATE
From Janick Cormier | Vice-President, Atlantic Canada
New Brunswick
I’m happy to report that WorkSafeNB has responded to our ask and will be issuing $53.2 million in refunds to eligible employers. Additionally, average assessment rates for 2026 will remain at $1.10 per $100 of assessable payroll, the lowest assessment rate in the history of the organization.
Refunds over $1,000 will be issued by cheque. Refunds under $1,000 will be credited to employers’ WorkSafeNB accounts, lowering their 2026 premiums. For those who have amounts owing, the refund will be credited to their account.
At a time when operating expenses continue to rise, this refund is welcomed news for our industry!
Newfoundland and Labrador
As the provincial electoral campaign comes to an end, I wrote to the leaders of the major parties and provided them with three recommendations as to how they can help our industry, should they be successful on Tuesday, October 14th:
- Increase NLCC’s Licensee discount to 15% and include beer
- Expand the Loan Guarantee Program Eligibility Criteria
- Lower the small business tax rate
I have posted the full letter on X (formerly twitter) and invite you to read the details.
Nova Scotia
I have just gotten back from spending some time meeting with members in Wolfville and Halifax. I was pleased to join the team at the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia for their meet and greet at the Wolfville Library where we heard of the challenges operators are facing in the area. I heard it loud and clear: operating costs, labour shortages and NSCC’s culinary training program changes are all issues that need to be addressed.
Meeting with members and hearing their concerns and ideas is by far the best part of my job.
CENTRAL CANADA UPDATE
From Kris Barnier | Vice President, Central Canada and the North
Ontario
Alcohol: As the countdown to 2026 looms closer, the Government of Ontario will very soon have to land key decisions on how it will price and fulfill alcohol orders placed by restaurants and bars. We are heavily active in meetings with key government offices to protect member interests.
Crime: We are continuing to engage with government and other stakeholders to bring attention to matters of public safety that impact your businesses and the wellbeing of your staff and patrons. This includes collaboration with other stakeholders on building ‘asks’ to take to elected officials.
Manitoba
Residential Security Rebate Program: The provincial government is accepting new applications for the Manitoba Security Rebate Program. This iteration of the program is aimed at homeowners and tenants. See here for more details. From our discussions with the Government of Manitoba, we understand the government will move later this month to introduce the Business Security Rebate program it promised as part of its last Budget.
WESTERN CANADA UPDATE
From Mark von Schellwitz | Vice-President, Western Canada
BCGEU Strike Update
Unfortunately, after six weeks of escalating BCGEU strike action which has increasingly targeted the BC liquor distribution system, the strike seems to be no closer to a negotiated settlement as a planned return to the bargaining table Monday September 29th did not take place. Last week the BCGEU escalated resulting in the closures of all 194 BC Liquor stores preventing licensees from purchasing even limited amounts of liquor products. Members are growing increasingly concerned that they will run out of liquor inventory in the next couple of weeks and many are now selling out of previously held US liquor inventory to meet demand.
On October 6th Restaurants Canada met with both Premier Eby and Minister Popham (Minister responsible for LDB) urging the BC government to return to the bargaining table before the strike results in further damage to the already struggling hospitality industry. We offered some workaround solutions to ensure licensees can access liquor products before depleted liquor inventory results in further damage to our industry. Specifically, Restaurants Canada urged the BC government to urgently implement temporary variations of a couple of previous Business Technical Advisory Panel (BTAP) liquor stakeholder recommendations. These include allowing 3rd party warehouses to bypass LDB altogether to deliver non-stock liquor products directly to licensees. We also asked them to immediately allow licensees to purchase liquor from private liquor stores while the strike continues. At the meeting with the Premier, we were informed that government has been considering some workaround solutions but have run into legal obstacles.
Restaurants Canada has had follow up meetings with LDB executives, Container World, and other liquor stakeholders, on potential workaround solutions and was disappointed to learn that LDB is apparently legally not allowed to make any liquor distribution policy changes while the BCGEU strike continues. LDB and government understand our situation but seem to be legally handcuffed on implementing any workaround solutions. Currently LDB’s only advice for hospitality licensees is to maximize orders from direct delivery liquor distribution channels not impacted by the strike (ie. BDL and local BC beer, wine, and spirits producers). We made the point that there is not enough volume of these products to cover depleted liquor inventories for the entire industry.
On October 10th Restaurants Canada issued the following statement on the negative impact BCGEU’s strike is having on BC’s hospitality industry urging a quick resolution to the strike and recommending workaround solutions to access liquor should the strike not be resolved in the coming days. This resulted in several media interviews on the issue.
Restaurants Canada continues to engage with government and pressure them to resolve the strike as soon as possible and will continue to work with LDB to speed up processing the order backlog once the strike is over.
For more information and ongoing updates, please go to LDB’s Wholesale Operations website.
City of Vancouver Passes Property Tax Freeze Motion
On October 8th Restaurants Canada spoke to Vancouver City Council in support of Mayor Sim’s Zero Means Zero Property Tax Increase Motion to ensure a 0% property tax increase in the next budget. Restaurants Canada also co-signed the following business association letter to Council prior to the Council meeting in support of the 0% property tax increase to ensure predictable and affordable costs for Vancouver’s business community. Restaurants Canada praised the Mayor and Council for their commitment to fiscal discipline. We provided Council with data on our double digit operating cost increases over the past few years including a significant increase in lease costs due to municipal property tax increases and shared that many restaurants can’t afford to sign new leases.
After hearing all the speakers and Council debate, Restaurants Canada is pleased to report that the ABC majority on Council passed the Zero Means Zero motion which is a first step towards helping to ease property tax and lease cost increases in the City of Vancouver.
Premier Smith Defends Alberta’s Minimum Wage Freeze
In response to media questions on September 30th Premier Smith announced that Alberta would not be increasing its minimum wage during the current economic climate and youth unemployment rate. This is an example of defending good policy over politics on the issue. Restaurants Canada did media interviews defending the Premier’s position on freezing the province’s minimum wage given the cost pressures on our labour-intensive industry and the affordability crisis where members can’t afford to pass along more costs to increasingly value conscious guests.
Restaurants Canada meets with Alberta NDP MLA’s
On October 7th Restaurants Canada had a productive meeting with two Alberta NDP MLAs, Kathleen Ganley and Rhiannon Hoyle, as well as caucus staff to discuss the state of the industry and a few policy issues including minimum wage and the Ad Valorem Wine markup. While we did not agree on some issues such as minimum wage the NDP does support the industry on the Ad Valorem Wine markup issue. It was a good respectful conversation which provided Alberta’s opposition party with more information on the state of the hospitality industry.
With gratitude,
Kelly Higginson
