{"id":957,"date":"2022-07-27T12:07:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T16:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.restaurantscanada.org\/industry-news\/alberta-earns-highest-grade-on-pandemic-liquor-policy-report-card\/"},"modified":"2022-07-27T12:07:00","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T16:07:00","slug":"alberta-earns-highest-grade-on-pandemic-liquor-policy-report-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.restaurantscanada.org\/fr\/alberta-earns-highest-grade-on-pandemic-liquor-policy-report-card\/","title":{"rendered":"Alberta earns highest grade on pandemic liquor policy report card"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Restaurants Canada has just released a special COVID-19 edition of its Raise the Bar report calling on Alberta to keep up the good work as a liquor policy role model.<\/em><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

EDMONTON, ALBERTA — The grades are in: For the fourth time since 2015, Restaurants Canada has given each province a report card on how industry-friendly their liquor policy landscape is for bars and restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alberta still ranks at the top of the class, beating out all other provinces with industry-leading liquor licencing regulations and policies governing how alcohol can be bought and sold. In this year\u2019s Raise the Bar report, the province\u2019s grade improved from a B to a B-plus after reducing red tape by more than a third for licensed establishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlberta continues to be a liquor policy role model by implementing reforms that make selling alcohol easier for bars and restaurants,\u201d said Mark von Schellwitz, Restaurants Canada\u2019s Vice President, Western Canada. \u201cTo potentially earn yet another bump in their grade by our next report, Alberta should stay focused on reducing liquor costs for foodservice businesses, continue to cut red tape, and re-introduce a liquor server wage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlberta has cut more than one-third of its total provincial regulatory requirements since 2019,\u201d said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. \u201cWe are committed to cutting red tape for the province\u2019s bars and restaurants, and once we cut it, we will prevent new red tape from creeping back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how Alberta\u2019s performance record on Restaurants Canada\u2019s Raise the Bar report compares with the rest of the provinces:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/td>GRADES<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
PROVINCE<\/strong><\/td>2015<\/em><\/strong><\/td>2017<\/em><\/strong><\/td>2019<\/em><\/strong><\/td>2022<\/em><\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
British Columbia<\/strong><\/td>C+<\/td>C<\/td>C<\/td>B<\/td><\/tr>
Alberta<\/strong><\/td>B+<\/td>B<\/td>B<\/td>B+<\/td><\/tr>
Saskatchewan<\/strong><\/td>D+<\/td>C-<\/td>C-<\/td>C-<\/td><\/tr>
Manitoba<\/strong><\/td>C<\/td>C<\/td>C<\/td>C<\/td><\/tr>
Ontario<\/strong><\/td>D+<\/td>D+<\/td>C-<\/td>C+<\/td><\/tr>
Quebec<\/strong><\/td>C+<\/td>B-<\/td>B-<\/td>C<\/td><\/tr>
New Brunswick<\/strong><\/td>C-<\/td>D<\/td>D-<\/td>B-<\/td><\/tr>
Nova Scotia<\/strong><\/td>C+<\/td>B-<\/td>B-<\/td>B<\/td><\/tr>
Prince Edward Island<\/strong><\/td>B-<\/td>B-<\/td>B-<\/td>C+<\/td><\/tr>
Newfoundland & Labrador<\/strong><\/td>F<\/td>D-<\/td>D-<\/td>C+<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How can Alberta raise the bar?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Restaurants Canada is continuing to work with the Alberta government, specifically with the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), to improve the liquor policy landscape for bars and restaurants. Here\u2019s how the province can increase its grade by the next Raise the Bar report:<\/p>\n\n\n\n