'it's a mess for everybody': b.c. cannabis retailers on edge as strike hits warehouses
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b.c.’s independent cannabis producers and retailers say their livelihoods are in jeopardy after the provincial public service strike expanded to include provincial liquor and cannabis warehouses on monday.
store owners say they are already facing losses, and consumers can expect to see shortages of some of their favourite products.
alannah davis, ceo of dabble cannabis, a family owned cultivator in the cowichan valley and co-founder of the b.c. cannabis alliance, had strong words for the provincial government: “get to the table and negotiate.”
“it is shameful that the province has known they don’t have a contract, and allowed it to impact workers at the bcgeu, and hundreds and thousands of people in independent cannabis and retail stores,” said davis. “it’s a mess for everybody.”
monday’s job action will stop the distribution of all cannabis that is distributed through the b.c. liquor distribution branch’s central warehouses and wholesale customer service centres.
bcgeu workers on a picket line at the b.c. liquor distribution branch office at 3383 gilmore way
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small cannabis cultivators and retailers will be able to use the direct distribution network, but face several hurdles in fulfilling orders now that the government warehouses are shuttered.
cannabis has a very short shelf life, so retailers can’t stock up in advance. and unlike beer and wine stores, cannabis retailers cannot use credit cards to purchase wholesale product and therefore must use cash, said davis.
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without the b.c. liquor distribution branch’s wholesale ordering portal and distribution centre, cultivators and small cannabis retailers throughout the province must rely on b.c.’s direct delivery program. the program allows small-scale b.c. cannabis cultivators that produce less than 3,000 kilograms annually to ship products directly to retailers.
direct delivery is a complex and costly process. producers are on the hook for a 15 per cent wholesale “proprietary fee” charged by b.c.’s liquor and cannabis regulation branch, said davis.
under the direct delivery process, producers must reach out individually to the province’s 500 small cannabis retailers to let them know what products they have available, and do all the administrative work normally done by the b.c. liquor distribution branch centres.
“we are in harvest right now, and we are being bombarded with all this,” said davis. “we are now doing the job of the fulfilment centre, including invoicing and shipping, we are taking on all of those administrative costs and they are still taking the 15 per cent markup,” said davis.
the direct delivery program was launched in 2022 during bcgeu job action to allow small cannabis producers to sell and deliver their products directly to licensed retailers.
owners dennis park (left) and mark okoth at their craft greenery cannabis store in vancouver on sept. 23, 2025.
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dennis park, co-founder of craft greenery cannabis located at kingsway and lincoln street, said the direct delivery program has not had a lot of uptake by retailers. “it’s not a well-developed program, and not a lot of retailers have signed on to use it.”
direct delivery users tend to be higher-end “craft” cultivators, said park. “the majority of sales is in the lower cost products, and most of that comes from the ldb distribution centre.”
because ordering on credit is not allowed, anyone who doesn’t have cash flow will be crippled if the strike drags on, said park, a member of the cannabis committee advisory board at alliance of beverage licensees, which represents b.c.’s bars, pubs and private wine and cannabis stores.
he considers himself to be one of the lucky ones: “we can last three weeks.”
retailers that rely on bigger cannabis brands to supply popular and cheaper product may be out of luck if the strike drags on more than two or three weeks. loss of that sales revenue will hit retailers hard, said park.
park supports the workers asking for fair wages, but expects the province to do more. “we are just regular people with small businesses, and we are going to get railroaded.”
bo chen, executive director at the alliance of beverage licensees, said cannabis produces more than $400 million annually in tax revenue for the province.
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bo chen, executive director at the alliance of beverage licensees, said, “it’s very disappointing to see this level of escalation from the province, and the disruption that will hurt all levels of small businesses in the cannabis sector.”
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“there is still a lot of policy work to do to modernize the sector,” said chen. “if the supply chain gets disrupted, it becomes very challenging for retailers to get product.”
chen said cannabis produces more than $400 million annually in tax revenue for the province. cannabis production and retail contributed approximately $2.4 billion to b.c.’s gross domestic product in 2019.
chen said able is engaging with members of the sector, and will be asking the province to reconsider its 15 per cent fee, and lift its ban on credit-card use for wholesale cannabis orders.
tara kirkpatrick, president of b.c. craft farmers co-op, told postmedia in an email that the b.c. ombudsperson’s office has agreed to investigate the 15 per cent direct cannabis delivery program fee, as well as its credit-card prohibition and practice of withholding payments to craft cannabis farmers for up to three months.
postmedia reached out to the ombudsperson’s office but did not hear back in time for deadline.
— with vancouver sun files
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