Rising Tide Consultants Ltd.
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. is a Vancouver-based Canadian professional services firm founded in 1988 that provides liquor and cannabis licensing, compliance, municipal permitting, and site selection consulting to hospitality businesses, cannabis retailers, and licensed venues across 9 Canadian provinces.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. does
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. is a privately held, founder-owned Canadian professional services firm founded in 1988 by Bert Hick and headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company provides strategic, operational, and licensing consulting services to hospitality and cannabis businesses navigating the regulatory landscape of liquor and cannabis licensing across Canada, with stated service coverage in 9 provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador). Its core offerings include liquor license application support, cannabis retail and producer licensing, compliance audits and enforcement defense, municipal permitting, floor plan drafting in AutoCAD/SketchUp, and site selection and mapping for licensed retail locations. The firm also operates the RTC Exclusive Network, providing real estate brokerage services for buying and selling licensed businesses and locations.
The company employs a small team of approximately 7-8 specialized professionals, with role-based coverage spanning liquor licensing, cannabis licensing, compliance, municipal permitting, floor plan design, mapping, and HR/employment standards. Geographic delivery is supported through four offices: Vancouver (headquarters), Nanaimo (Vancouver Island), Kamloops (Interior and Northern BC, opened March 2025), and Toronto (Ontario). The business model is sales-led and project-based, with most services delivered through custom-quoted engagements and complimentary initial consultations; one productized offering, the Minors as Agents Strategic Protection Plan, is priced at $499 plus tax. Customer acquisition relies primarily on industry reputation, word-of-mouth referrals, content marketing, and deep ties to hospitality industry associations, including an exclusive-provider relationship with the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association.
The firm holds no external funding, is not a public company, and has no parent organization. It was named Cannabis Licensing Consultants of the Year by Cannabis Business Insights in both 2023 and 2024, and was the named exclusive licensing partner for the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association. Named enterprise clients include Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Cineplex, Rogers Arena, Top Table Group, and Donnelly Hospitality Group.
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rising Tide Consultants Ltd.
- Legal name
- Rising Tide Consultants
- Website
- https://risingtideconsultants.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. is a Vancouver-based Canadian professional services firm founded in 1988 that provides liquor and cannabis licensing, compliance, municipal permitting, and site selection consulting to hospitality businesses, cannabis retailers, and licensed venues across 9 Canadian provinces.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Licensing Consulting Services
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regulatory Operations & Publishing (eCTD, RIM, Submission Management) (HLAGAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Regulatory Intelligence, Horizon Scanning & Change Management (MPAEAOAK)
Keywords
Where Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Liquor Licensing Consulting: Expert guidance and application support for obtaining liquor licenses including food primary, liquor primary, manufacturer, agent, catering, UBrew/UVin, and special event licenses across Canadian provinces.
- Cannabis Licensing Consulting: Consulting services to guide cannabis retail store applications through the regulatory process, including application strategy, municipal zoning support, and compliance documentation.
- Compliance & Enforcement Support: Risk management and compliance services including policy audits, due diligence defense support, and compliance program development for licensees.
- Strategic Protection Plans: On-site audit services and personalized strategic plans to protect businesses from Minors as Agents Program inspections and non-compliance penalties.
- Site Selection and Mapping: Strategic site selection, demographic analysis, zoning compliance checks, and LCRB coordination for liquor store locations in British Columbia.
- Floor Plan Design Services: Professional floor plan drafting for licensing applications including initial floor plans, structural change applications, patio designs, and liquor retail floor plans.
- Hospitality Consulting: RTC Exclusive Network provides real estate brokerage services for buying and selling liquor or cannabis retail locations and licenses.
- Municipal Permitting: Guidance through local permitting processes including development permits, rezoning, business licenses, building permits, and special event permits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Strategic Protection Plans for MAP Defense |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rising Tide Consultants provides expert consulting services for Canadian liquor and cannabis licensing, guiding hospitality businesses through the full regulatory lifecycle — from license application strategy and municipal permitting to compliance audits and enforcement defense. The firm offers A to Z service packages covering site selection, demographic mapping, AutoCAD/SketchUp floor plan drafting, and Minors as Agents Program (MAP) defense, working directly with provincial regulators (LCRB) and municipal authorities across 9 Canadian provinces.
Product overview
Rising Tide Consultants offers a portfolio of consulting services focused on liquor and cannabis licensing in Canada. The core offering consists of Liquor Licensing Services and Cannabis Licensing Services, supported by Risk Management & Compliance, Hospitality Consulting, and Business Opportunities services. Additional add-on services include Floor Plan Designs (professionally drafted in AutoCAD or SketchUp), Mapping Services (strategic site selection with demographic analysis), and Strategic Protection Plans for Minors as Agents Program defense. The company operates as a traditional consulting practice rather than a software platform, providing expert advisory services from application strategy through regulatory compliance and enforcement defense.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully advocated for elimination of licensing moratoriums in Granville Street, Chinatown, and Gastown areas of Vancouver
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Rising Tide Consultants Ltd.
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered key, core and minor.
- City of Vancouver Hospitality Sector Working GroupkeyCity-staff led initiative overseen by the Development, Building, and Licensing department. Rising Tide serves as industry representative working to identify, adjust, and eliminate regulatory barriers for hospitality businesses. Achievements include streamlined concurrent applications, simplified business licensing, and enhanced occupancy load processes.
- Pacific Solutions ContractingcoreRising Tide's preferred construction management partner specializing in hospitality construction. Provides integrated construction services including early concept planning, location and lease review, pre-construction management, consultant referrals for architects and designers, and post-construction support. Operating since 2010 with over 150 social destination projects in their portfolio including Tacofino, Steamworks, and Published restaurant.
- BC Craft Brewers GuildkeyIndustry association representing craft brewers in British Columbia. Rising Tide supports members with licensing and regulatory compliance services for brewery operations.
- BC Hospitality Association (BCHA)keyMajor hospitality industry association in British Columbia representing pubs, bars, nightclubs, and private liquor stores. Rising Tide collaborates on industry advocacy and member support.
- ABLE BCkeyAlliance of Beverage Licensees representing BC's pubs, bars, nightclubs, and private liquor stores. Strategic partner for industry advocacy and regulatory reform initiatives.
- Restaurants CanadakeyNational hospitality industry association representing restaurants, bars, and food service operators. Collaboration on industry advocacy and member resources.
- BC Restaurant and Foodservices AssociationcoreNamed exclusive provider of liquor licensing services for the association's members. Active participation in policy development at municipal and provincial levels for industry benefit.
- Hospitality SaskatchewanminorProvincial hospitality association representing restaurants and food service operators in Saskatchewan.
- Hospitality Vancouver AssociationkeyLocal hospitality industry association collaborating with City of Vancouver on the Hospitality Sector Working Group to advocate for policy changes benefiting local businesses.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- EY Canada: EY Canada's regulatory and consumer products practices serve hospitality and cannabis clients nationally. As a Big Four firm, it offers scale, multi-disciplinary resources, and enterprise relationships that compete with boutique licensing specialists on larger mandates.
- BDO Canada: BDO Canada's advisory practice includes regulatory compliance and licensing support for hospitality and cannabis clients. It is a mid-tier professional services firm competing for the same Canadian enterprise compliance work.
- Deloitte Canada: Deloitte's Canadian Regulatory practice advises large hospitality and cannabis operators on licensing strategy, compliance transformation, and regulatory risk. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise accounts Rising Tide serves.
- KPMG Canada: KPMG Canada's Regulatory and Compliance practice serves large hospitality, consumer, and cannabis clients across Canada with multi-disciplinary teams. It competes for enterprise-level licensing and compliance mandates where scale and brand matter more than niche specialization.
- MNP LLP: MNP is one of Canada's largest domestic accounting and consulting firms with strong hospitality and cannabis industry practices. It competes for mid-market and enterprise licensing, compliance, and advisory mandates across Canadian provinces.
Direct peers
- CannDelta: CannDelta is a Canadian cannabis regulatory and licensing consultancy helping producers and retailers navigate Health Canada and provincial licensing processes. It is the closest direct competitor in cannabis-specific licensing advisory and shares the same boutique, expert-led model as Rising Tide.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. social profiles
Digital presenceRising Tide Consultants Ltd. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rising Tide Consultants Ltd.
What does Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. do?
Rising Tide Consultants provides expert consulting services for Canadian liquor and cannabis licensing, guiding hospitality businesses through the full regulatory lifecycle — from license application strategy and municipal permitting to compliance audits and enforcement defense. The firm offers A to Z service packages covering site selection, demographic mapping, AutoCAD/SketchUp floor plan drafting, and Minors as Agents Program (MAP) defense, working directly with provincial regulators (LCRB) and municipal authorities across 9 Canadian provinces.
Is Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. a public or private company?
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. founded?
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. based?
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. Liquor Licensing Consulting is the primary driver. The others are cannabis Licensing Consulting, compliance & Enforcement Support, strategic Protection Plans, site Selection and Mapping, floor Plan Design Services, hospitality Consulting and municipal Permitting.
Who are Rising Tide Consultants Ltd.'s main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are EY Canada, BDO Canada, Deloitte Canada, KPMG Canada and MNP LLP. CannDelta is listed as a direct peer.
Does Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rising Tide Consultants Ltd..
What industry is Rising Tide Consultants Ltd. in?
Rising Tide Consultants Ltd.'s product category is Licensing Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAKAC, Regulatory Operations & Publishing (eCTD, RIM, Submission Management), with a secondary code of MPAEAOAK, Regulatory Intelligence, Horizon Scanning & Change Management. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.