With the BC General Employees’ Union strike in its eighth week and now expanding to include more provincial workers, the fallout continues to hit communities and local businesses — including the cancellation of Octobear Fest, a fall fundraiser planned for this weekend at the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops.
The Wildlife Park confirmed that the event, which had been scheduled for Saturday, October 25th, was cancelled after organizers were unable to obtain a liquor permit due to disruptions caused by the strike. The BCGEU represents staff in government liquor and cannabis distribution, as well as those responsible for processing event permits.
“Yeah, it’s no one’s fault, but we can’t get a liquor permit,” said Glenn Grant, Executive Director of the BC Wildlife Park. “If BCGEU guys are not working — it’s their office that issues permits. Without a permit, there’s no event.”
The cancellation of Octobear Fest is just one of many consequences of the job action, which now involves over 25,000 of the union’s 34,000 members across 550 worksites in B.C. In its latest update Wednesday, the BCGEU announced that employees with the BC Wildfire Service and the Ministry of Forests had joined picket lines, even as non-binding mediation talks continue with veteran mediator Vince Ready.
Despite ongoing wildfire activity in the province — with 94 fires still burning, according to the BC Wildfire Service — the union says essential services remain in place to protect public safety.
Meanwhile, the ripple effects are being felt well beyond government offices. The Octobear Fest was meant to boost off-season attendance at the Wildlife Park while raising funds for its conservation efforts. The event was to feature live music, food trucks, and seasonal beverages. “All the profit or all the proceeds would then be given to the park for some of our projects,” said Grant. “It would have been great… but it just wasn’t in the cards this year.”
Event organizers held out hope that the situation would resolve before the event, but as the strike dragged on, the park made the call to cancel earlier this week. Roughly 100 ticket refunds have already been processed, with around 250 still to be issued through the park’s online platform.
“There’s nothing planned for November,” Grant added, noting the event was the last opportunity to draw visitors before winter preparations begin for Wildlights, the park’s annual Christmas display. “Now the guys are going to be setting up Christmas lights… we won’t have an opportunity to do any other events up until Wildlights open.”
Grant emphasized that while the cancellation is disappointing, the park respects the union’s right to take action.
“We’re a union environment here too,” he said. “It’s just really unfortunate the fallout and how the trickle-down effect affects so many other operations… restaurants, events, businesses — it’s not just us.”
The BCGEU is pushing for wage increases and inflation protection in its collective agreements. While both sides returned to the table over the weekend for mediated talks, no resolution has yet been announced.
