LCRB Hearing Rules Updated. What Has Changed?

In late July 2023, BC Liquor & Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) announced changes to licensing, compliance and enforcement hearing rules. The update was announced in “Bulletin 23-07: Updates to Hearing Rules” and applies to all BC liquor and cannabis licensees and applicants.

There are three types of LCRB hearings: licensing, compliance and enforcement.

Updated hearing rules highlights:

• New hearing rules and procedures
• A written process will continue to be used for license, permit and authorization application hearings
• The decision-maker will normally conduct hearings in writing unless an oral hearing is necessary.
• Oral hearings will normally take place by video conference
• Both licensing and compliance hearings are “show-cause” hearings. In a show-cause hearing there is no cross-examination of the respondent

View the updated LCRB Hearing Rules (PDF). For detailed information on the two different types of hearing formats, see the following sections of the PDF:

• Licensing and Compliance Hearings: PART A
• Enforcement Hearings: PART B

For a summary of the Hearing Rules outlined in the PDF, read the LCRB Hearings and decisions page. To view a list of LCRB decisions, visit: https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bclcrb/.

For a short primer on LCRB liquor and cannabis licensee compliance and enforcement, read the Thrive Liquor & Cannabis Advisors article “How Does LCRB Compliance & Enforcement Work?”. Learn about the steps of LCRB compliance and enforcement: inspection, notification of inspection, resolution, enforcement actions and enforcement hearings.

Avoid LCRB Hearings with Thrive Compliance Audits & Training

You can avoid an LCRB hearing by enforcement-proofing your business. How? Thrive Liquor & Cannabis Advisors provides compliance audits and training that will safeguard your license and save you from the pain, cost and time of compliance missteps.