The future of our industry depends on political recognition of our workforce needs.

27 octobre 2025 Share on your social channels

Last week, Restaurants Canada opened registration for RC Show 2026 and announced this year’s Show theme: Into the Beyond. These aren’t just evocative words or a marketing slogan; they’re a call to accept the truth: we’re not going back to where we’ve been. It’s time for our industry to move forward together, readying our businesses to face the challenge and embrace the promise of the future.

We’ve also announced the lineup of 2026 keynote speakers. Chockie Tom, Bar and Beverage keynote, Indigenous Drinks Advocate, and founder of The Cornsilk Road will speak on reconnection and forging sustainable, responsible systems for the future. Janet Zuccarini, Founder and CEO of Gusto 54 Restaurant Group’s unfiltered fireside chat will explore fearlessness, scaling with creativity, and driving a future-ready culture. And Canadian astronaut and author Colonel Chris Hadfield—an unlikely restaurateur who warmly recalls his experience operating a small restaurant on the International Space Station—will share an inspirational presentation on leadership, thinking big, and building an agile, future-ready industry.

RC Show Competitions: Invest in Your Talent

More exciting announcements about this year’s Show are on the way—but right now, I want to shine a light on one of the most valuable and often underestimated aspects of the event: RC Show competitions.

Competitions aren’t just a stage for culinary flair or technical mastery; they’re a platform for professional growth. When you encourage your chefs, cooks, baristas, or bartenders to compete, you’re investing in their confidence, career trajectory, and sense of purpose.

For operators, this is an opportunity to turn talent development into brand impact. Team members who compete gain exposure to new techniques, products, and industry leaders. They return to your business inspired, motivated, and equipped with fresh insights that elevate the guest experience. It’s a rare form of professional development that’s both practical and energizing. By sponsoring or supporting your staff’s participation, you’re sending a powerful message: that growth, creativity, and excellence matter. You’re not just running a business—you’re building a culture of possibility. And that’s exactly what the future of our industry depends on. I encourage you to take a look at the RC Show competitions and think about who on your team is ready to take the next step. Because when they rise, your whole business rises with them.

GST Campaign Update

As you know, over the past several weeks, our team has made significant progress pushing our GST campaign, resulting in a substantial increase in signatures. Thank you to those who helped amplify and support the campaign. We continue to actively engage Members of Parliament from both sides of the aisle, receiving positive, receptive responses. This initiative has been a key focus throughout the summer and fall, and we remain committed to advancing this issue, especially if no movement occurs in the upcoming budget—because it just makes sense!

The core of our advocacy centres on the permanent removal of the 5 per cent GST on all food, including restaurant-prepared meals—a measure that addresses long-standing economic challenges faced by Canadians: food inflation, persistent affordability issues, youth employment and a lagging economy.

As we know, this policy change could save Canadian households $5.4 billion annually, create up to 80,000 new jobs (40 per cent of which would benefit youth), and generate an additional $1.5 billion in government revenue through increased economic activity and reduced Employment Insurance claims.

Over 80 per cent of Canadians support making this exemption permanent, recognizing its potential to improve affordability, support small businesses, and foster growth in the foodservice sector. Restaurants Canada strongly recommends that the federal government adopt this policy as part of its broader economic recovery and affordability strategy.

Our work will continue. You can read the Restaurants Canada press release detailing the full impact of permanent tax exemption on prepared food here, and the most recent letter we sent to the Minister of Finance here.

Globe and Mail Events: Building Canada’s Workforce

Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of speaking at The Globe and Mail Events: Building Canada’s Workforce, joining a panel of business leaders to discuss innovative workforce solutions and needs. In a time of political and demographic change, collaboration has never been more important.

The future of our industry depends on political recognition of our workforce needs, addressing geographic and demographic challenges, and understanding the economic and community impact we generate. A smart, strategic immigration approach is essential to ensure a resilient, diverse, and accessible workforce—one that supports long-term success. Alongside smart immigration, I shared how our sector is embracing workplace best practices, enhancing our people practices and spearheading innovative, technology-driven solutions that strengthen our industry.

Conversations like these provide an invaluable opportunity to ensure the foodservice sector is strongly represented around the workforce table in addition to sharing insights and exploring new strategies that will help Canada’s hospitality sector thrive for generations to come.

You can read the summary or watch the full event recording here (the panel discussion begins at 52:00).

The September REACT Survey is Ready

The Restaurant Expectations and Consumer Trends (REACT) survey was developed by the Restaurants Canada Intelligence team to deliver timely consumer insights, enabling the foodservice industry to respond more quickly to evolving market conditions. Each month, the survey gathers responses from 1,500 Canadians, tracking restaurant purchases by daypart and future dining intentions to provide an ongoing view of consumer behaviour and sentiment.

REACT Highlights

September 2025 saw Canadians balancing budgets with social connection. While 41 per cent are cutting back on restaurant visits, 30 per cent are dining out more for social gatherings. Dining out continues to play an important role in how Canadians connect. Click here to read the full REACT report.

CHF: Reigniting Support for Future Hospitality Leaders

We’re proud to announce the relaunch of the Canadian Hospitality Foundation (CHF)—Canada’s only national charity dedicated to supporting the next generation of hospitality professionals. With culinary and hospitality programs across the country facing growing challenges, there’s never been a more critical time to invest in the future of our industry.

If you’re passionate about nurturing emerging talent or wish to lend your support through mentorship, donations or set up a legacy endowment , we invite you to connect with CHF Managing Director Carol Pantaleo and be part of rebuilding a stronger foundation for Canada’s hospitality workforce.

Thank you to Garland Canada, Uber Eats, the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry (MAFSI), who, in addition to Restaurants Canada, have invested in CHF along the way to get us to this exciting milestone!

Small Businesses: Watch this Webinar to Learn How to Get Paid

Running a small business in foodservice means balancing rising costs, shifting customer expectations, and the daily stress of operations. On top of it all, getting paid—whether on time (especially caterers), in the right way, or without added expense—can be one of the toughest challenges. Watch the webinar, Getting Paid: Relief for Small Business Challenges, with Sophie Lambert, Group Product Manager, Segment Expansion & Product Operations and Sopana Selvachandran, Director, Solutions Engineering, Money Movement at Interac on demand, and get the relief and solutions you need.

This Webinar is presented in partnership with Interac, a Restaurants Canada Corporate Sponsor. Watch it on demand here.

Canadian Restaurant Investment & Leadership Summit

November 13^th will mark a special milestone for our industry community: the 15th anniversary of the Canadian Restaurant Investment & Leadership Summit (CRILS). What began as a small gathering of passionate operators and investors has grown into one of the most anticipated annual events in Canadian hospitality—a place where ideas are exchanged, partnerships are forged, and the future of our industry takes shape.

This year’s Summit takes place on November 13^th at Roserock Place, one of National Bank’s beautiful Toronto homes, to reconnect with familiar faces and welcome new ones. Bringing together CEOs, senior executives, and industry leaders from across the country, the event will dive into the trends and challenges redefining foodservice in Canada—and how together, we can lead what comes next. You can learn more and register here. I will be participating in the CEO panel, and hope to see you there!

Welcome back to Restaurants Canada’s VP, Sustainability!

We are delighted to welcome Jillian Rodak, our VP, Sustainability back from her maternity leave. We encourage you to reach out to Jillian with all sustainability queries at JRodak@restaurantscanada.org, and read her report below.

FEDERAL UPDATE

From Matt Triemstra | Vice President, Federal Affairs

Federal Budget Release

All eyes in Ottawa are on the federal budget, set to be released on November 4! Restaurants Canada continued our GST advocacy push and are thrilled that over 7,500 Canadians from coast to coast have signed our petition!

This week we took the opportunity to highlight that the federal government could add more than 25,000 youth jobs in the foodservice industry by eliminating the GST from restaurant meals. Read our release here.

Consultation Updates

Restaurants Canada is looking forward to participating in the federal committee study on youth employment by the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, we have such a great story to tell!

We also participated in a formal consultation with the Canadian Dairy Commission on pricing, which will be announced on October 31, 2025, and are looking forward to engaging on the government’s consultation on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

Crime and Public Safety

We know that crime and public safety issues have emerged as a top issue for restaurants in Canada. In fact, 72 per cent of operators have seen an increase in crime/community safety issues near their restaurants over the last six to 12 months, which is why Restaurants Canada has been actively engaging with all levels of government.

We welcomed Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent announcement of measures to further protect Canadians and our communities, including strengthening Canada’s criminal code to keep violent and repeat offenders out of our communities and a commitment to hire 1,000 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) personnel. You can read the Prime Ministers press release here.

New Job Bank Directives Impacting LMIA Applications

We’ve also closely been following new information from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) regarding new directives for the recruitment of Canadians and permanent residents prior to Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) applications.

As you know, before being able to access the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) employers are required to demonstrate that they have made reasonable efforts to recruit Canadians and permanent residents prior to hiring a temporary foreign worker. Recently announced changes require that, effective immediately, when using Job Bank for an LMIA application, both Job Match and Direct Apply must remain enabled under the employer’s Job Bank account.

We know that access to foreign workers is the number one issue for our members. Your government relations team will continue to advocate for greater access to all immigration streams throughout the country.

SUSTAINABILITY UPDATE

From Jillian Rodak | Vice President, Sustainability

Annual Producer Meeting: BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia & Yukon

On October 16, Circular Materials, Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM), SK Recycles, and Recycle BC co-hosted the 2025 Annual Producer Meeting to provide updates on program performance and present the 2026 fees.

As a reminder, fees for Ontario’s Blue Box program are shared directly with producers by their selected PROs, as Ontario operates under a competitive program model.

A major update included the new Harmonized National Reporting Categories, meaning that materials will have the same EPR reporting categorization across Canada. Producers will be expected to report their 2026 supply data using these categories for their 2027 annual producer reports. See materials linked below for more information on this.

Click here for the presentation deck, and here for the Report to Producers.

Upcoming Fee Changes and Important Webinars for Quebec Operators

On October 28, Quebec’s packaging recycling fees will be shared by Eco Entreprises Quebec (EEQ):

Register for the webinar on 2026 Producer Financial Participation (fees), happening Tuesday, October 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30am EDT.
Encourage your financial team to register for the online briefing session on the 2026-27 financial forecasts to support budgeting activities, taking place October 28 from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. EDT.

We attended the EEQ Association Committee meeting last week to provide industry feedback ahead of the 28th Producer Meeting. EEQ indicated optimism that the expansion of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to sectors beyond residential may be delayed until after 2030. We will share updates as soon as more information becomes available.

If you are new to EPR or need clarification about your obligations, please reach out to the Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs), linked above, or contact me at jrodak@restaurantscanada.org. Stay tuned for more ways RC plans to support you with navigating your EPR compliance.

City of Toronto Single-use and Takeaway items bylaw consultations

As the consultation on the proposed expansion to the Single-Use and Takeaway Items Reduction Strategy and Bylaw in Toronto continues, we remain engaged in opportunities to share our industry’s experiences and perspectives.

In addition to direct meetings with the city, we attended an industry focus group last week and are providing written feedback to complement our discussions. As a reminder, this bylaw 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.

HAVE YOUR SAY: The city has opened a poll for businesses to provide further feedback on this consultation. If you have not yet received a unique link to the poll directly from the City of Toronto, please email reducewaste@toronto.ca today to request your unique link. Your feedback is important.

Join us at the November Sustainability Committee Meeting!

The next Sustainability Committee meeting is scheduled for November 6, 2025. Join our committee to share your feedback, 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

Bonjour chers membres du Québec,

Les dernières semaines furent bien occupées avec différentes rencontres de Bienvenue de mon côté. J’ai eu la chance de rencontrer les franchisés de l’Ouest du Québec de McDonald à Montréal et ceux de l’est du Québec lors du rencontre à Québec, une belle occasion de me présenter et aussi de faire le point sur nos actions de relations gouvernementales depuis mon arrivée en poste et à venir.

J’ai profité de mon déplacement à Montréal pour rencontrer l’Association des Brasseurs du Québec et voir les possibilités de collaborations entre nos deux organisations.

Comme c’est période de campagne électorale municipale, j’ai assisté au débat des candidats à la mairie de Québec pour entendre leurs positions sur les différents enjeux économiques et connaitre leurs intentions sur notre industrie.

Finalement, je participe aujourd’hui au Forum Vision Québec, un événement provincial organisé par la chambre de commerce et de l’industrie de Québec et le Cercle Finances du Québec visant une réflexion en profondeur sur l’avenir économique du Québec avec comme invité principal, l’ancien premier Ministre Jean Charest.

Hello dear members of Quebec! The past few weeks have been very busy with various welcome meetings on my schedule. I had the chance to meet the McDonald’s franchisees from Western Quebec in Montreal and those from Eastern Quebec during the meeting in Quebec City, which were great opportunities to introduce myself and also to review Restaurants Canada government relations activities since I took office—and those yet to come.

The Quebec City municipal election campaign is underway, where I attended the debate of the city’s mayoral candidates to hear their positions on the various economic issues and understand their intentions regarding our industry.

While in Montreal, I was also able to meet with the Quebec Brewers Association and explore opportunities for collaboration between our two organizations.

On October 21, I participated in the Vision Quebec Forum, a provincial event organized by the Quebec Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Cercle Finance du Québec. The event provides an in-depth forum for reflection on the economic future of the province, with former Premier Jean Charest as the keynote guest.

CENTRAL CANADA UPDATE

From Kris Barnier | Vice President, Central Canada and the North

Ontario

Alcohol: Last week, LCBO posted an update on upcoming changes to wholesale pricing. Key highlights include:

New pricing formula will come into effect January 1, 2026.
Brewers may continue to set separate wholesale prices for licensees.
Suppliers have until November 20 to adjust prices.
LCBO plans to:
- Enable faster product listings and open listing access by July 1, 2026.
- Open access to products that are currently only available in LCBO retail (with the exception of spirits).
- Explore distribution changes to support private retailer delivery options.

We expect further updates soon on how beer ordering and delivery will work in future.

Restaurants Canada remains highly active on this file, engaging with the province and LCBO. We will continue to work to protect member interests on pricing, product access, and logistics and are assessing the implications of today’s announcement. We will share additional analysis once available. In the meantime, please reach out if you have any questions you’d like us submit to the LCBO or other stakeholders.

Manitoba

Crime Grant: Business Security Rebate: We remain hopeful that the Government of Manitoba will announce the opening of applications for its promised Business Security Rebate Program this month. Both MRFA and Restaurants Canada have been actively reaching out to call on the province to move urgently to open the program to allow restaurants to quickly invest in the safety of their businesses, staff and patrons.

Free Webinar: Reducing Crime Through Effective Reporting
November 12, 2025 | 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. (Central)

Join the Winnipeg Police Service, Brandon Police Service and the Manitoba Retail Crime Task Force for a free one-hour webinar that includes practical insights to help learn how to report incidents confidently and effectively. The Manitoba Retail Crime Task Force will also provide an update on current initiatives. Learn:

Why reporting matters (track crime trends & patterns, prevent repeat incidents, and protect your business and employees)
Misconceptions of what and when to report
How to efficiently report an incident
What makes an effective report.
How to follow up on your case.

WESTERN CANADA UPDATE

From Mark von Schellwitz | Vice President, Western Canada

BCGEU Strike Update: Survey Results and Joint Press Conference

As the BCGEU strike enters its eighth week, I’d like to thank those members who answered the call to complete the strike impact survey. On Friday, October 17, Restaurants Canada teamed up with our industry allies BCRFA, IVSA, ABLE BC, BC Craft Brewers Guild, and Wines of BC for a joint press conference and issued the following press release to share the survey results and demand immediate emergency measures to halt the serious economic damage being caused by the strike on BC’s hospitality industry and liquor supply chain.

Restaurants Canada also issued the following statement on the survey results. In just a couple of days, we had over 500 survey responses and the results confirmed what we were hearing from members. Some of the survey result highlights are:

78% of bars and restaurants are worried about their survival
76% are facing workforce reductions
- 6% have already laid off employees
- 41% will lay off staff if the strike continues
- 29% have already reduced employee hours
66% are experiencing significant cost increases
27% have over $100,000 in inventory trapped in warehouses, unable to reach consumers.
The industry coalition estimates that the strike has already cost over $250 million in lost liquor sales.

We also expressed our concern that, once the strike is over, it will take time to deal with the order backlog which could impact liquor orders for the upcoming, busy pre-Christmas season. We are asking that an emergency plan be implemented to quickly address the order backlog and get back to normal liquor distribution operations as quickly as possible once the strike is over.

The press conference and release resulted in considerable media coverage which will hopefully continue to put pressure on the BC government to implement an emergency plan to restore liquor distribution.

Also on October 17, we learned that both sides in the dispute have agreed to non-binding mediation with respected mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers. This will hopefully bring the two sides together and lead to a quick resolution.

In the meantime, Restaurants Canada and our industry allies will continue to pressure the government to implement an emergency plan to resume liquor distribution and quickly process the liquor order backlog to minimize the impact on the pre-Christmas liquor order period.

UPDATE: We are pleased to report that on Sunday October 26th BCGEU and the government reached a tentative agreement ending the eight week strike. Restaurants Canada is now working with other stakeholders to implement an emergency plan to ramp up liquor distribution and deal with the order backlog as quickly as possible.

BC Introduces Employment Standards (Serious Illness or Injury Leave) Amendment Act

On October 20, BC’s Minister of Labour introduced Bill 30 – Employment Standards Amendment Act. The Employment Standards Amendment deals with serious illness or injury leave and follows a consultation discussion paper over the summer where Restaurants Canada provided the labour ministry with a submission highlighting industry concerns including recommendations regarding the proposed legislation. If passed, the legislation would establish a new, unpaid job protected leave entitlement of up to 27 weeks in a 52-week period for employees experiencing a serious illness or injury.

The legislation timeframe coincides with financial supports available through the federal Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits program and is consistent with serious illness and injury leave in other Canadian jurisdictions.

More information on the legislation can be found in the BC government’s Bill 30 press release.

Alberta Municipal Elections

On October 20, Albertans went to the polls in all municipalities to elect Mayors and Councils across the province, with many tight races in several municipalities.

New mayors were elected in Alberta’s two largest cities. In Edmonton, Andrew Knack comfortably won to become Edmonton’s new Mayor replacing Amarjeet Sohi who announced he would not be seeking re-election. In Calgary, former Councillor Jeromy Farkas was elected Mayor in a tightly contested race, winning over Councillor Sonya Sharp by 585 votes. Calgary Mayor Jodi Gondek’s re-election bid was unsuccessful as she ran a distant third in the race.

Please note: This update was completed on October 23. Members are encouraged refer to your local government websites for official and complete municipal election results in your community.

Saskatchewan Occupational Health and Safety Regulatory Review

Restaurants Canada has been invited to participate in an Occupational Health and Safety Regulatory Review which could impact restaurant operations.

Saskatchewan members are encouraged to provide feedback either directly at legislation.labour@gov.sk.ca or through Restaurants Canada by responding to the ‘Questions for Consideration’ in the Occupational Health and Safety Regulatory Review discussion paper.

Any feedback received by Restaurants Canada will be incorporated into our submission. The feedback deadline is November 30, 2025.

Wishing you a safe, profitable fall season,