DCI Digital Newsletter Volume 3 Issue 1
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From the East coast to the West coast, our DCI Board of Directors:
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From Left To Right:
Chairman
Dave Powell
(Atlantic Grocery Distributors), Vice-Chairman
David La Mantia
(La Mantia's Country Market), Treasurer
Nigel Oliver
(Vince's Country Market), Director
Cori Bonina
(Stong's Markets), Director
Tony Cataldi
(Cataldi Fresh Market), Director
Robert Galati
(Galati Market Fresh), Director
Francois Bouchard
(The Country Grocer Inc.), Director
Craig Cavin
(Island Independent Buying Group)
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A Message From Todd Newstead, DCI President & CEO
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On behalf of the Board of Directors and myself, I would like to thank you for your continued commitment as a DCI Member, Supplier Partner and industry colleague. Your support and involvement with DCI is valued as we continue to support the long-term competitive positioning of our members in the Canadian market. Throughout 2018, we focused on delivering commercial benefits to the shareholders and setting new priorities for the future of the organization to build on providing value to both our Shareholders and Supplier Partners.
Over the last year, DCI has seen a 25% increase in the number of new Supplier Partners, as well as over 10% of the already existing Co-operative Trade Agreements being renewed with revisions that increased opportunities for members to earn program advantages. We successfully concluded negotiations of an improved wholesale agreement for our Ontario members and onboarded two new members in Western Canada expanding the diversity of our geographic footprint.
Having made improvements to our communications and supporting tools in 2018, DCI has seen an increase in the quality of content to our members, which has led to significantly improved engagement from both our members and partners. DCI has also developed and maintained a new website (dci.events) to continuously provide event updates and ease of registration for participants. As well, DCI has provided improved efficiencies for our members when accessing New and Revised CTA’s & accompanying vendor content as well as the most recent general communications through the creation of the ‘What’s New’ section in the Member’s Portal. We will continue to ensure that disciplines are maintained with respect to frequency of communication and depth of content going forward to support both our Members and Supplier Partners efficiently.
The DCI Business Summit and the CFIG / DCI Charity Golf Classic will return in 2019. Feedback from the surveys received for both events were very positive with one request: that we separate the two events to avoid consecutive days out of your respective businesses. We have responded by scheduling the Business Summit on June 20th followed by the Charity Golf Classic on September 16th for 2019. We are expecting another successful year of networking events for the independent community.
The benefits realized from DCI membership and Partnerships will continue to grow in terms of value and numbers, and we are confident that collectively we will all realize the continued value for the membership. We greatly appreciate and welcome your feedback and suggestions as we plan for the future.
It is with mixed emotions that I will be transitioning out of my current role on January 18th. Thank-you for your support, and for providing an opportunity to represent the membership over the last year. It has been a privilege, and I am confident that DCI will continue to prosper in the future under Barry Lanteigne’s leadership, the support of the Board, and the Shareholders.
Sincerely,
Todd Newstead
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A Message From Dave Powell, DCI Chair of The Board
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On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Todd for his time at DCI as the President and CEO. During his leadership, Todd has solidified many supplier partner relationships, onboarding a significant number of new vendor partners and created new communication avenues to better promote their services and products. He was able to secure meaningful relationships with our supplier partner community, shareholders and wholesalers which will continue to create business growth and success, bringing further value to our Shareholders. It is evident by the increase in participation at the annual DCI events and the financial stability of the organization, that Todd has had a positive impact with Distribution Canada Inc. during the last year. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
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Welcome Barry Lanteigne - DCI's New Leader
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We are pleased to announce that Barry Lanteigne has transitioned into the leadership position on January 7
th
, 2019. Barry has been actively involved with DCI on the board for the past 5 years and has transitioned through all the levels of our Board as a Director, Treasurer, Vice Chair, Chairman, and the Past Chair. This commitment and strong presence as an active shareholder has provided Barry with an extensive background on the operations of the organization.
Barry has been working in the retail industry for 27 years, most recently as General Manager of Lococo’s where he was an integral part of this organizations success and growth working closely with the Lococo family for the past 12 years. Barry also had roles working for Sobeys, Commisso’s, and Shoppers Drug Mart.
Barry brings a solid background in grocery retailing and operations to DCI, this experience in addition to his passion and commitment in support of the Independent Grocery Retailers will provide strong leadership for the future of the organization. On behalf of the Board and the Management Team at DCI we would like to congratulate Barry on his appointment and look forward to working with Barry as we plan for the future.
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New Memberships and Supplier Partners
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We would like to welcome our newest Shareholder,
Fine Food Advertising Ltd.
to the DCI membership. Fine Foods Advertising Ltd. has taken over Triple 4 Advertising Ltd.
DCI has continued to focus on the onboarding of new vendor partners in support of our members.
The new vendors are:
HRdownloads:
a turnkey HR solution designed to help create compliant, informed, and engaged workplaces. Using HR Downloads content, software solutions, and on-demand HR advice, HR Downloads will help you digitize and manage your organizations HR activities
Culligan Branded
Spring, Remineralized Water or R/O water in 18.9lt bottles and 15lt one-way bottles
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Save The Date - DCI Business Summit 2019
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DCI BUSINESS SUMMIT: June 20th, 2019
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The DCI Business Summit is a full day conference that focuses on the needs of the independents, and their business relationships with the DCI Supplier Partners. Not only does it serve as the DCI Annual General Meeting, it is also a day of reconnecting with business partners, networking with new business leads, learning industry related news relevant to the Independents, category overviews on some of our most used products and brands, and recognizing the individuals and companies who are striving to make the Independent industry better every year.
www.dci.events
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Save The Date - DCI & CFIG Charity Golf Classic 2019
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CHARITY GOLF CLASSIC: September 16th, 2019
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The 3rd Annual DCI & CFIG Charity Golf Classic will be a collaborative event initiative between Distribution Canada and the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers. Independents and Supplier Partners are encouraged to come out and network, engage in new business leads, enjoy on-course and take-home product samples, and compete in several hole contests sponsored by various Supplier Partners and grocery industry media companies. For more information about the Charity Golf Classic, and to see last year's hole contest winners, please go to
www.dci.events
.
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Retailers, Stay Informed With DCI!
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Retailers, if you feel you may have missed some important information about DCI, including the newest Supplier Partners to have joined our membership, please be advised that the Shareholder Portal will be your go-to place to access information. The Shareholder Portal includes your lists of all active DCI Supplier Partners, their Cooperative Trade Agreements, your Shareholder rebate reports, archived newsletters, and a copy of the DCI By-Laws.
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Catch DCI at Grocery & Specialty Food West 2019
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Grocery & Specialty Food West is Canada’s premier western grocery trade show, bringing together retailers and manufacturers from across the nation to discover new innovations, network, and build relationships within the grocery industry. GSFW is dedicated towards helping you grow your business and build relations with key retailers. The show boasts the latest in grocery industry trends including international flavours, local, organic, health and wellness, artisanal and more.
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From Our Supplier Partners
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Ontario’s Bill 47 Receives Royal Assent: Everything You Need to Know About Changes to the ESA and LRA
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By Andrew Beuglet, HR Writer and Editor
HRdownloads
On November 21, 2018, Ontario’s Bill 47 received Royal Assent, becoming law. Many of the provisions under the
Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018
came into force on January 1, 2019, making it crucial for organizations to have the right information on what policies need to change.
Many of the amendments made to the
Employment Standards Act, 2000
(ESA) rolled back existing provisions or cancelled planned ones. For some requirements, employers may not have to make changes to their policies—organizations are always allowed to exceed the requirements of the ESA—but may do so if they choose. Conversely, many of the changes to the
Labour Relations Act, 1995
(LRA) require very specific action or prohibit certain union actions. There are also changes to various other acts, but these are primarily insubstantial changes to make wording and section references consistent with the amended ESA and LRA.
So what’s different, what’s repealed, and how does your organization need to adjust?
Remember the changes to the ESA
Bill 47 made many amendments to the ESA, but only some of those amendments require specific changes to policies and practices. For example, while the minimum wage is now frozen at $14 per hour until October of 2020, it’s unlikely that you need to change a policy to reflect that. On the other hand, the elimination of personal emergency leave—now replaced with three different unpaid leaves—almost certainly requires updates to your Protected Leaves Policy.
You might also wish to make changes to your
Hours of Work Policy
to reflect the repeal of various scheduling provisions that came into force on January 1. And the ‘employment status’ requirements of your
Equal Pay for Equal Work Policy
can come out, as those provisions were also repealed under Bill 47. It’s worth remembering, though, that the ESA only sets the minimum standards for employment in Ontario; nothing stops an employer from offering more. For example, even though Bill 47 eliminated the
requirement
to provide two paid and eight unpaid days of personal emergency leave, nothing in the amended ESA prohibits an employer from continuing to do so.
Applying the LRA
If your organization is not unionized, you might not think you have to do anything to comply with the changes to the LRA, but compliance is not always so simple. While it’s true that the LRA primarily applies to the behaviour of unions and employer interactions with unions, it’s useful to understand employer rights under the act. Just because your workforce isn’t unionized now doesn’t mean it never will be.
And if your workforce has recently unionized or is just starting to, some preparatory training on
Negotiating Collective Agreements
and
Administering Collective Agreements
would not be remiss. The prospect of working with a union can seem frightening, but as with any other aspect of organizational management, a clear head and diligent preparation simplifies things greatly. Many of the provisions in the LRA, after all, apply to the behaviour of unions as much as to employers.
What’s been repealed?
One of the major changes to the LRA from Bill 47 is the elimination of employee lists. Formerly, unions could require employers to provide lists of employees, along with their contact information, who would be eligible for membership in the union. Bill 47 eliminates this provision completely, and requires unions to destroy any lists obtained under this section. (Unions do not have to destroy lists obtained by other means.)
Bill 47 also repeals the ability of the Ontario Labour Relation Board (OLRB) to review and make orders respecting structures of bargaining units, as well as repealing the provisions for alternate certification processes for the building services industry, the home care and community services industry, and the temporary help agency industry.
The successor rights provisions have also been repealed; that is, if a business is sold, a bargaining relationship is no longer necessarily continuous between the new owners and certain existing service providers. Bill 47 has also reduced the maximum fines for offences under the LRA: from $5,000 to $2,000 for individuals and from $100,000 to $25,000 for corporations.
The mediation and mediation-arbitration provisions of the LRA that applied in cases of a first collective agreement are repealed and replaced with arbitration.
What’s been added or amended?
Not all of the changes to the LRA are purely repeals. Some of the changes merely amend existing provisions. One of the major changes in this vein is the modernization of communications: formerly, communication under the LRA was only permissible by mail, but this has now been opened up to include e-mail, courier, and fax, or any other method that may be prescribed.
Other sections have been adjusted to account for the change in communication methods, such as the provisions outlining when strikes or lock-outs may occur and the provisions regarding when notices may be sent or considered received.
The last few consequential amendments deal with the circumstances for employee reinstatement after the start of a lawful strike. There are also some changes regarding the OLRB’s power to order a representation vote where an employer has contravened the act, and the responsibilities of the Minister of Labour. In truth, most of the changes to the LRA are fairly narrow, and should not cause too much panic for employers. If you’re still concerned, our consider speaking with an HR advisor who understands unionized environments.
Final Thought
Changes to legislation can make business as usual difficult for organizations, especially when major changes seem to come one right after the other. Compliance is important regardless of the circumstances. Employee rights must be upheld, and employers should also be aware of their own rights in the workplace. Managing legislative compliance is tricky work, but it must be a priority for all organizations. With our array of advice, training, documents, and more, HRdownloads is here to help you meet all of your legislative needs.
About HRdownloads
HRdownloads was founded in London, Ontario, in 2008, and since then we have become a leader in practical human resources solutions for business owners and HR professionals. Today, HRdownloads delivers complete bilingual support in every jurisdiction, across multiple industries, to thousands of Canadian organizations. Through time-saving HR tech solutions, we provide documentation, live HR support, surveys, and online training to streamline HR processes. HRdownloads is a vendor of record with DCI, and DCI members receive a 10% discount on memberships (
https://offers.hrdownloads.com/dci-member-free-trial
).
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Marilu's Market Celebrates 25 Years
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On December 10th, 2018, Marilu's Market celebrated 25 years! It was 1993 when two ambitious grocers decided to pool together their years of experience and craft a gourmet, specialty grocery store unique to all others. The goal was simple, make a store where quality and service come first. Mario and Luigi found their perfect spot in Burlington and Marilu's Market was born. Since then, Marilu's Market has become renowned for top quality meat and produce, with a delightfully tempting selection of fresh baked breads, cakes and pastries.
Visit their website here.
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Sunripe Market Plans to Expand
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Sunripe Market has recently gained the Sarnia City Council's approval to expand their Sarnia location to almost double its size. Will Willemsen, owner of Sunripe, opened the location in 1982. The expansion aims to build more retail and parking space, as well as an extended kitchen to grow the store's HMR line. The second story expansion hopes to see an additional 20 permanent employee positions added to the store.
“We’re just looking forward to being able to serve the community better,” said Willemsen. “We’ve had great support from Sarnia. The people here have been fantastic and we just want to keep growing and servicing them.”
Visit the featured articles here
and here.
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Battaglia's Marketplace & Toys For Tots
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On December 1st, 2018 Battaglia's Marketplace hosted a Christmas Celebration event to wrap up the end of their Toys For Tots initiative with their local police, Canadian Tire and The Salvation Army.
A
recent Facebook post
on their page has indicated that with the help of their community, they were able to collect 5 large boxes full of toys as well as $1500.00 for the cause. Congratulations on this well received initiative!
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Galleria Supermarket Celebrates 15 Years
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The last quarter of 2018 saw some exciting news come out of Galleria Supermarket. On October 10, 2018, Conservative Party Leader, Andrew Scheer, visited Galleria Supermarket Thornhill to walk the store and meet with Peter Shin, Galleria Supermarket's Executive Director. Scheer commented on Galleria's strong entrepreneurship and dedication for job creation as well as being a cultural ambassador for Korean culture within Canada's ethnic grocery industry.
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Canna Do's and Dont's:
Health Canada's Regulations on Edibles
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“The bottom line here is that you want to create enough space for legal products while ensuring that kids are protected,” said Omar Khan, a vice-president with Hill and Knowlton Strategies and a former Ontario Liberal staffer, who advises several clients in the cannabis industry."
"Restrictions would also be placed on ingredients that would make edible cannabis more appealing to children, such as sweeteners or colourants, or adding ingredients that could encourage consumption, such as nicotine. Cannabis edibles that appear or are packaged like candy or other familiar children’s foods would also be banned.
Similar restrictions are proposed for topical products and cannabis extracts, and manufacturers would be prohibited from making any claims about health benefits or nutrition on their labels."
Snippet Credit: Canadian Grocer
Image Credit: Canadian Grocer
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If you would like to contribute towards Health Canada's consultation on drafting regulations
to minimize the public health and public safety risks posed by edible cannabis, extracts and topicals,
you can do so here.
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Digital Grocery Retail ... Say What?
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"The two outfitted Kroger locations, in Monroe, Ohio and Redmond, Wash., will feature digital shelving displays with real-time price updates and product information, as well as digital advertisements personalized to each shopper. Video analytics systems will alert store associates to low inventories. Location-specific data will be stored and processed on Microsoft’s Azure cloud infrastructure.
Microsoft and Kroger will jointly market the technology to other retailers, the companies said."
Snippet Credit: CNBC
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If you would like to submit news from your company (Retailers & Supplier Partners) or would like to feature an ad (Supplier Partners) please email
matthew@distributioncanada.ca
Click below to stay connected with DCI!
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On behalf of the DCI Management Team, Happy New Year to you and your company! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us!
Todd Newstead
Barry Lanteigne
Michele Vermeltfoort - Administration & Accounting:
Matthew Brown - Events, Communications & Technologies:
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