The B.C. government has put a temporary 15 per cent cap on food delivery fees charged to restaurants by third-party delivery companies like Skip the Dishes, DoorDash and Uber Eats.
Solicitor General Mike Farnworth says this decision comes after a direct request for this from the restaurant industry.
“This will be in place for as long as the state of emergency is in place, plus an additional three months. The state of emergency is being renewed, and I fully expect it will be in place for quite some time to come yet,” he said.
The cap will be implemented this Sunday, and Farnworth was asked how the government came to a figure of 15 per cent.
“We’ve looked at other jurisdictions and how they have dealt with the issue. And as parliamentary secretary (Adam) Walker has stated, there were discussions with the industry, with the (BC Restaurant Association) itself. Between all of those things, we arrived at what we feel is a fair balance,” he says.
“They see this as being an important step in helping the industry not only stabilize, but in terms of them being able to survive and get through this pandemic.”
Restaurants in Kamloops and many other cities have raised concerns about Skip the Dishes, DoorDash and Uber Eats charging fees as high as 30 per cent to deliver food.
The BC Restaurant and Food Services Association is also in favour of a cap on food delivery fees in the province noting once you consider the rest of the expenses, many restaurateurs are barely breaking even.
Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford, who tabled a private members bill to cap these delivery fees, questions why restauranteurs will have to wait until after Christmas for the much-needed help, noting many would have hoped for this ‘critical support’ during what would have been the busiest time of the year.
“After months of waiting, it’s still going to take another five days, in the middle of the holiday season, for the NDP to actually implement the cap,” he said, in a statement. “Restaurants are struggling, and it’s disappointing that the NDP continues to stall on delivering timely support to small businesses.”
“Restaurants have been pleading for this relief measure for more than seven months as the NDP stalled on implementing this simple piece of support.”
