Calgary group pushes boycott of burger chain

A Calgary business group is calling for a provincewide boycott of American fast-food chain Smashburger for serving B.C. beef.

The announcement is the latest salvo in a brewing trade war between the two provinces that kicked off after Alberta’s NDP government on Tuesday announced a ban on the import of B.C. wine. This decision came in response to the B.C. NDP government’s attempts to slow the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline by proposing restrictions on bitumen shipments.

Following the government’s lead, The Progressive Group for Independent Business, a rightwing collective that bills itself as Calgary’s largest business and taxpayer organization, has launched a campaign against the Coloradobased burger chain, which has just seven locations in Canada, six of them in Alberta.

In 2012, Smashburger began a Canadian expansion, focusing on Alberta, a province known for its fondness for beef.

“The reason we are encouraging Albertans to boycott Smashburger is because the beef they serve in their Alberta stores comes from British Columbia and during this critical time we can’t be supporting British Columbia in any way,” said PGIB executive director Craig Chandler in a news release. “And for those that will complain about hurting local business in Alberta? My answer to them is they should have been serving Alberta beef in Alberta from the start,” he said.