Share Your Feedback on the Need for Government Support With the Federal Government

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is reaching out for your help to build the tourism case for continued and ongoing support and relief through a 5 minute survey. Your input is extremely important to their advocacy work, and to the messaging that is relayed to government officials. As we move into a potential fall election, they want to hear from you, now more than ever, on the state of the industry, what you need to move forward, and what you believe should be TIAC’s priorities.

Complete TIAC Survey →

Have Your Say on B.C.’s Permanent Paid Sick Leave

British Columbians are invited to provide input into the development of made-in-B.C. permanent paid sick leave to support workers and protect workplaces.

In addition to outreach to key stakeholders and Indigenous partners, a public consultation process is now open and can be accessed through government’s engagement site.

There will be two phases of consultation:

• Phase 1 (Aug. 5 to Sept. 14) – surveys will gather information from employers and workers on the kinds of paid illness and injury leaves currently provided, and how they are meeting workers’ needs; and

• Phase 2 (Sept. 20 to Oct. 25) – informed by the surveys, options will be prepared for various paid sick leave models, including the numbers of paid days and other supports, and will be posted for public feedback and input.

In May 2021, amendments to the Employment Standards Act laid the groundwork for establishing minimum standards for a permanent paid sick leave entitlement. Following the public engagement process, paid sick leave will be established through a regulation, and come into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

Quick Facts:

• The May 2021 amendments to the Employment Standards Act created a temporary COVID-19 paid sick leave program for up to three days of leave until Dec. 31, 2021. To support businesses struggling with the impacts of the pandemic, government is reimbursing employers up to $200 per day per worker, to help cover those wages.

• An estimated 50% of B.C. employees do not have access to paid sick leave. This means more than one million workers in B.C. will benefit from receiving these new paid sick leaves.

• Many vulnerable and low-wage workers – who are often women or migrant workers – lack benefits, so the ability to take paid leave will be especially beneficial to them.

Skills Development Survey | Open Until November 6

Repeatedly we hear that a critical area of concern is in building the employee base in this region. Our team at TOTA is working to solve this issue, including the development of a specialized Tourism Professional Skills Training Program.

We believe this initiative will help to build a much needed base of trained employees.

Participants will receive training to develop specialized in-demand tourism skills, followed by a work placement to gain on the job experience to enhance the participant’s employability skills. The training will be delivered in a group environment, supported by a range of activities which may include counselling, vocational and/or learning assessments, work experience, job search skills, mentorship, referral to community resources, and post-project follow up.

Hiring graduates with these specialized skillsets will enable hospitality and tourism employers to focus on delivering high quality guest experiences and growing a sustainable and resilient business.

This unique program will focus on the areas of need that you as Tourism Stakeholders provide to us in the Skills Development Survey. Please take the time to complete this brief survey to help us better understand the employment needs of the industry.

If you are interested in hiring program participants for the 2021 peak season, you have the option to include your contact details and an Expression of Interest at the end of the survey.

It is another survey but one that can directly support the growth of the industry and your business in the future.

Tourism and Invasive Species Survey - Open Until October 15, 2020

The Invasive Species Council of BC (ISCBC) is developing a program to help raise awareness of invasive species throughout the tourism industry and provide tools, resources, and best practices for their prevention and management.  An initial step is to establish a baseline of current knowledge and practices around invasive species through an online survey to tourism operators, partners, and stakeholders across B.C. 

Does your business benefit from B.C.’s healthy environments and ecosystems?

Have you considered the potential impacts of invasive species to your business?

Is it possible that your activities could potentially introduce or spread invasive species?

Your feedback will provide valuable information to help protect the natural areas and biodiversity upon which tourism operators depend.

Participants will be entered into a draw to win an annual membership to the ISCBC and a $200 gift card to a Canadian Retailer!!

Please take 10 to 15 minutes to complete the survey. Participation is critical to support the program’s development and eventual success.

The Survey Closes Thursday, October 15, 2020

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Feel free to share the survey with other tourism businesses:
research.net/r/ISCBCTourism

On behalf of the Tourism Advisory team and the ISCBC we thank you in advance for your support!

To learn more about invasive species and the work the ISCBC does in the province, visit BCInvasives.ca.