News & Resources

The latest Thompson Okanagan tourism industry news from TOTA, tourism businesses, and communities.

 
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Resources for Canada Pride Season (June to September)

Pride Season refers to the wide range of Pride events that take place over the summer (June to September) when LGBTQ2 communities and allies come together to spotlight the resilience, celebrate the talent, and recognize the contributions of LGBTQ2 communities.

Learn how to get involved as a business, including events, social media assets, the Rainbow Registered Business Directory, and LBGTQ2 project funding for non-profit organizations.

 

Pride Season is a term that refers to the wide range of Pride events that take place over the summer (June to September) when LGBTQ2 communities and allies come together to spotlight the resilience, celebrate the talent, and recognize the contributions of LGBTQ2 communities.

Canadians are invited to share messages of solidarity for LGBTQ2 people using the hashtag #Pride2022, and use your channels to celebrate the advocates, survivors, and community leaders who continue to shape Canada’s diversity and inclusivity.

Learn More →

View Toolkit →


Rainbow Registered Program by Canada's LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce and Tourism HR Canada

Rainbow Registered is a national accreditation for LGBT+ friendly businesses and organizations. The Rainbow Registered symbol signifies that the business or organization meets a stringent set of standards to ensure LGBT+ customers feel safe, welcomed, and accepted.

Accredited businesses will receive:

  • Rainbow Registered Welcome Kit (window decal, desk card)

  • Basic listing and map inclusion in the Rainbow Registered business directory

  • Website badge

  • Access to CGLCC Associate Member Benefits

Learn More & Apply →

Visit the Rainbow Registered Business Directory & Travel Stories →


LGBTQ2 Project Funding

Not-for-profit Canadian organizations that work primarily or entirely with LGBTQ2 communities can apply for funding to support actions in one or more of the following areas:

  • Policies and practices

  • Knowledge, tools, and support

  • Norms, attitudes, and behaviours

  • Authority, voice, and decision-making

  • Increasing impact through cross-sector collaboration

Learn More →

 
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National AccessAbility Week & Accessibility Ambassadors in the Okanagan

National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) is being celebrated from May 29 to June 4, with the theme: “Inclusive from the start.”

Join in to celebrate the valuable contributions and leadership of Canadians with disabilities; highlight the work of individuals, organizations and communities who are removing barriers, and reflect on our ongoing efforts to become a better, more accessible, more disability inclusive Canada.

Learn More →

View Promotion Toolkit →

As part of the celebration, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) and Spinal Cord Injury BC (SCI BC) will have accessibility ambassadors on the ground next week, collecting information for the AccessNow app on the main streets in Kelowna, Penticton, and Vernon.

The AccessNow app is a go-to resource for accessibility information, built on a connected platform that empowers all people to discover a world of accessible opportunities, make travel decisions, and remove barriers. The app has over 200K places rated in 35 countries, including restaurants, shops, hotels, attractions, trails, and parks.

AccessNow has a growing community of people who believe in an accessible future. Anyone is welcome to get involved through mapping, reviewing, beta testing, outreach, and storytelling.

Tourism businesses can claim their listing and let people know what to expect when visiting.

Claim Your Listing →

 

National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) is being celebrated from May 29 to June 4, with the theme: “Inclusive from the start.”

Join in to celebrate the valuable contributions and leadership of Canadians with disabilities; highlight the work of individuals, organizations and communities who are removing barriers, and reflect on our ongoing efforts to become a better, more accessible, more disability inclusive Canada.

Learn More →

View Promotion Toolkit →

As part of the celebration, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) and Spinal Cord Injury BC (SCI BC) will have accessibility ambassadors on the ground next week, collecting information for the AccessNow app on the main streets in Kelowna, Penticton, and Vernon.

The AccessNow app is a go-to resource for accessibility information, built on a connected platform that empowers all people to discover a world of accessible opportunities, make travel decisions, and remove barriers. The app has over 200K places rated in 35 countries, including restaurants, shops, hotels, attractions, trails, and parks.

AccessNow has a growing community of people who believe in an accessible future. Anyone is welcome to get involved through mapping, reviewing, beta testing, outreach, and storytelling.

Tourism businesses can claim their listing and let people know what to expect when visiting.

Claim Your Listing →

 
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Employer Toolkit: Sustaining the Black Lives Matter Movement in the Workplace

The Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) has prepared a toolkit to address the increasing demand for guidance on how employers can support Black employees by sustaining the ideals behind the Black Lives Matter movement.

Employers can benefit from creating an inclusive workplace by:

  • Becoming a workplace of choice that attracts and retains talent.

  • Increasing productivity and create a greater impact (e.g. produce more revenue and/or social outcomes aligned with the organization’s vision).

  • Attracting business and markets from previously unexplored segments of the population.

View Toolkit →

 

The Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) has prepared a toolkit to address the increasing demand for guidance on how employers can support Black employees by sustaining the ideals behind the Black Lives Matter movement.

Employers can benefit from creating an inclusive workplace by:

  • Becoming a workplace of choice that attracts and retains talent.

  • Increasing productivity and create a greater impact (e.g. produce more revenue and/or social outcomes aligned with the organization’s vision).

  • Attracting business and markets from previously unexplored segments of the population.

View Toolkit →


 
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Toolkit for Developing a Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

The Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion has created a toolkit for developing a diversity and inclusion strategy. The purpose of a strategy document is to briefly explain the rationale or reason organizations need to invest resources in a goal or initiative, and to provide more explicit direction on how to achieve that goal.

View Toolkit →

 

The Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion has created a toolkit for developing a diversity and inclusion strategy. The purpose of a strategy document is to briefly explain the rationale or reason organizations need to invest resources in a goal or initiative, and to provide more explicit direction on how to achieve that goal.

View Toolkit →


 
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The 50 – 30 Challenge: Your Diversity Advantage - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

The 50 – 30 Challenge is an initiative between the Government of Canada, business and diversity organizations. The program challenges Canadian organizations to increase the representation and inclusion of diverse groups within their workplace, while highlighting the benefits of giving all Canadians a seat at the table.

The 50 – 30 Challenge asks that organizations aspire to two goals:

  1. Gender parity ("50%" women and/or non-binary people) on Canadian board(s) and/or senior management; and

  2. Significant representation ("30%")

Learn More →

 

The 50 – 30 Challenge is an initiative between the Government of Canada, business and diversity organizations. Together with project co-creators, many of whom have been striving to increase corporate diversity for decades, the government has developed a plan to improve access for women and/or non-binary people and other equity-deserving groups, including those identifying as: Racialized, Black, and/or People of Colour ("Visible Minorities"), People with disabilities (including invisible and episodic disabilities), 2SLGBTQ+ and/or gender and sexually diverse individuals, and Aboriginal and/or Indigenous Peoples.

The program and participants recognize Aboriginal and/or Indigenous Peoples, including those that identify as First Nation Peoples, Métis Nation, and Inuit, as founding Peoples of Canada and underrepresented in positions of economic influence and leadership.

The goal of the program is to challenge Canadian organizations to increase the representation and inclusion of diverse groups within their workplace, while highlighting the benefits of giving all Canadians a seat at the table.

The 50 – 30 Challenge asks that organizations aspire to two goals:

  1. Gender parity ("50%" women and/or non-binary people) on Canadian board(s) and/or senior management; and

  2. Significant representation ("30%") on Canadian board(s) and senior management of other equity-deserving groups: Racialized, Black, and/or People of Colour ("Visible Minorities"), People with disabilities (including invisible and episodic disabilities), 2SLGBTQ+ and/or gender and sexually diverse individuals, and Aboriginal and/or Indigenous Peoples. The program and participants recognize Aboriginal and/or Indigenous Peoples, including those that identify as First Nation Peoples, Métis Nation, and Inuit, as founding Peoples of Canada and underrepresented in positions of economic influence and leadership.

Learn More →

 
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Accessible Employers Guide to Measure Disability Inclusion in Your Workplace

Organizations measure what they want to improve, so if hiring people with disabilities is a priority for you as an employer, measuring disability is a key place to start.

The Make it Count: Measuring for Disability Inclusion in Your Workplace is a practical guide for employers looking to measure the rate of disability in their workplaces.

Download a free copy of the Make it Count Guide to create a disability measurement initiative that fits the unique context of your organization!

Learn More & Download Guide →

 

Organizations measure what they want to improve, so if hiring people with disabilities is a priority for you as an employer, measuring disability is a key place to start.

The Make it Count: Measuring for Disability Inclusion in Your Workplace is a practical guide for employers looking to measure the rate of disability in their workplaces.

Download a free copy of the Make it Count Guide to create a disability measurement initiative that fits the unique context of your organization!

Learn More & Download Guide →


 
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Integrating People with Disabilities into the Workplace

There are several B.C. employment agencies that help to successfully match tourism employers with non-traditional labour pools, including people with disabilities.

Once the recruitment process is done, how can employers look beyond obligatory compliance to accommodate people with disabilities so they can do their jobs as effectively as possible?

Learn more in go2HR’s guide to Integrating People with Disabilities into the Workplace →

 

There are several B.C. employment agencies that help to successfully match tourism employers with non-traditional labour pools, including people with disabilities.

Once the recruitment process is done, how can employers look beyond obligatory compliance to accommodate people with disabilities so they can do their jobs as effectively as possible?

Learn more in go2HR’s guide to Integrating People with Disabilities into the Workplace →


 
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