Survey on Tourism Relief Fund

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada has been advocating for the faster roll out of Tourism Relief Fund (TRF) support to the industry and asked the government to consider supporting projects under this Fund that help tourism operators recover and relaunch their businesses from the pandemic in addition to projects which:

• Create new or enhance existing tourism experiences and products to attract more local and domestic visitors; and

• Help the sector reposition itself to welcome international visitors.

To properly advocate and make changes, TIAC needs up-to-date information from operators on whether the Fund is responding to your current needs, where you are experiencing challenges in accessing the program and the nature of those challenges, as well as how you believe improvements to the Fund could be made.

Take Survey →

Government of Canada Budget 2022 Questionnaire | Submit by Feb 25, 2022

The Government of Canada has launched pre-budget consultations. This is an opportunity for Canadians and businesses across the country to share ideas and input about how Budget 2022 can support a strong economic recovery for everyone.

Learn More & Take Questionnaire →

Planning to Install a Patio This Summer? TESA Applications Expire on June 1, 2022

If you are planning to install a patio this summer, you need to take urgent action now. Temporary Expanded Service Area (TESA) applications from last year will expire on June 1, 2022. and do not provide approval for patios this coming summer.

This means that if you have not made the service area under your TESA permanent by applying for a permanent structural change (e.g., applying for a patio), your TESA will expire on June 1, 2022 and you will not be able to sell or serve liquor in the expanded space.

It can take up to 10 months to get your application approved. Licensees who have not yet applied are now at risk of their TESA expiring before they can get approval for a new outdoor patio or structural change.

Learn More & Apply →

Download the Canada Business App to Find Government Programs & Services

The Canada Business App offers new features to make it even easier to find government programs and services.

Download and explore:

• Easy navigation to government programs and services

• Recommendations tailored to your business

• Personalized notifications straight to your phone

• Easy access to COVID-19 support and other programs and services

• Answers to help you start up, scale up and access new markets

Get the App →

Revised PHO on Gatherings & Events (January 27, 2022)

On January 27th, the Provincial Health Officer, published revisions to the Public Health Order on gatherings and events.

 Revisions include:

1. Youth sports tournaments may resume as of February 1

2. Further clarity was included around which events need to be seated. (Please note, wedding receptions, funerals, social parties are still not allowed.). Details are include on page 14, #6.

3. As it relates performances, lectures, and presentations must be seated. Therefore, for all other business events, people may stand including receptions related to business events.

4. Gyms and fitness centres have their own section and are able to operate once again with additional measures.

5. Please note, there are no changes as it relates to hotels so please continue to operate as you have been. 

View Order →

View Current Restrictions →

February is Black History Month

Black History Month is a time to honour, celebrate and reflect on the stories, experiences and accomplishments of Black Canadians here in British Columbia and across the country.

The 2022 theme for Black History Month is: “February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day.”  

Actions you can take:

1. Tune in to Canada's Black History Month virtual celebration on February 17, 2022 at 4 PM PT on Facebook Live for feature performances, tributes, interviews, and more

2. Download and use the Government of Canada's Black History Month toolkit

3. Read the joint statement in recognition of Black History Month by BC Premier John Horgan and Rachna Singh, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives

4. Learn more from the BC Black History Awareness Society and participate in their events, many of which will be held virtually online

5. Are you a Black-owned or operated tourism business in the Thompson Okanagan region? Email us at News@TOTABC.com to share your story and let us know how we can help amplify your business

Paid Sick Leave Survey | Open Until February 10, 2022

As of January 1, 2022, the provincial government mandated five days of paid sick leave for employees. ABLE BC is seeking your voice to better understand how this new policy has impacted your business since its implementation. The information you provide will support our collective industry's ongoing engagement with all levels of government.

This survey will be open until Thursday, February 10, 2022.

Take Survey →

ABLE BC is continuing to work with our industry partners to request logical and necessary amendments to the paid sick leave policy, including pressuring government to redefine “employment year” as a calendar year and to re-introduce the now-expired Employer Reimbursement Program for COVID-19 related sick leave wages.

Visit the FAQ to better understand this policy.

Restaurants Canada Positive & Inclusive Workplace Guide

If you are in the foodservice industry and looking to foster a healthy workplace environment for your employees, download this in-depth guide from Restaurants Canada.

This guide provides information on:

• Building a Culture of Inclusion

• Hiring Practices to Build a Vibrant Labour Force

• Racial, Cultural and Gender Diversity

• Mental Health

• Sexual Harassment

• Sick Leave/Parental Leave

Download Guide →

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Join a New Working Group to Help Rebuild the Tourism Workforce | Apply by Feb 18, 2022

Tourism HR Canada's new Workforce Recovery Project aims to restart tourism by securing a skilled, diverse, and resilient workforce.

As a part of this project, Tourism HR Canada is calling on tourism industry leaders, business owners, workers, educators, and students to join working groups.

The goal of the working groups is to gather recommendations to align the project with the realities experienced by the sector and by sharing a wide range of ideas to ensure the representation of diverse tourism stakeholders from across Canada.

Apply by February 18, 2022

Learn More & Apply →

Free Resources for Sexual Harassment Advice, Response, and Prevention for Workplaces (SHARP Workplaces)

The Sexual Harassment Advice, Response, and Prevention for Workplaces (SHARP Workplaces) project aims to increase public knowledge, skills, confidence, and competence in managing complex issues related to workplace sexual harassment, and to improve access to legal supports and resources for people who experience workplace sexual harassment.

SHARP is offering FREE online SHARP Workplaces’ training sessions designed for small businesses and non-profits across B.C.

1. Foundational Course (for employers and workers)

2. Rights and Responsibilities (for employers and workers)

3. Workplace Investigations (employers only)

4. Best Practices for Developing a Workplace Sexual Harassment Policy (employers only)

5. Legal Options and Remedies (for employers and workers)

They also offer free legal advice.

View Resources →

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Kal Grad 2022 Globox™ Fundraiser | Raffle Ends March 15, 2022

Building on the successful Globox™ fundraiser of 2021, the 2022 graduating class of Kalamalka Secondary School in Vernon are again working with Glohaven Community Hub to support their fundraising efforts.

KSS usually raises 10K-12K through their annual Apple Pie Fundraiser, however the event was unable to proceed in 2021 due to COVID. Instead, the Kal Grad Globox™ Raffle 2021 raised over $14,000 - making it the single most successful fundraiser in the history of Kal High School.

The 2022 online raffle ticket campaign has launched with nearly $12,000 worth of amazing prizes from an incredible 45 local Okanagan businesses, including Indigenous businesses and Biosphere Committed Companies.

Prizes include:

• 2 Indigenous Globoxes™ (featured experiences: a getaway to Spirit Ridge Resort and a Moccasin Trails excursion)

• 1 Remarkably Loved Globox™ (featured experience: a getaway to Sparkling Hill Resort).

• 1 Family Fun Globox™ (featured experience: Sicamous Houseboats Vacation package)

• 1 Eldorado Resort VIP Globox™ (featuring a getaway to the Eldorado Resort in Kelowna)

View Prizes & Buy Tickets →

1 for $20, 3 for $50, OR 7 for $100!

Raffle Ends: March 15th at 11:59 pm

About

This type of fundraising campaign is one of the ways Glohaven is supporting communities, partners, and the creators of local products and experiences (Glohaven offers to purchase their products / experiences).

They call this a TRIPLE WIN; the 2022 Kalamalka High School Grads WIN with their graduation expenses being covered, the local businesses involved WIN with fabulous exposure, and the recipients of the 5 fabulous Globox™ prizes WIN! Anything that is raised in surplus, will be left as a legacy gift for the school and put towards an outdoor learning structure.

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If you have products or experiences that you would like to participate in these fundraising opportunities to spread the word about your business, contact: angela@glohaven.com.

Reminder: Employer Reimbursement Program for Paid Sick Leave

This is a reminder of the extended submission window for employers seeking reimbursement for employee claims for COVID-19 related sick leave taken between May 20th and December 31st, 2021.

The reimbursement program intake is open and will close on February 11th at 4:00 pm PST.

Please submit all eligible claims for reimbursement for employee COVID-19 related sick leave taken up to and including December 31st in order to access the reimbursement program.

Employers that already have a sick pay benefit program for their employees are not eligible to receive reimbursement.

For an employer to apply for reimbursement, they must do so through their Online WorkSafeBC account profile. If the employer is not already registered with WorkSafeBC and does not have an online account with WorkSafeBC, they can visit WorkSafeBC.

Learn More →

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Vote for Peaks to Prairies EV Charging Station Network by February 8, 2022

“Charging Ahead”, the Peaks to Prairies Electric Vehicle Charging Station Network is eligible for the Green Destinations Peoples’ Choice Award.

Please take a moment to VOTE and highlight awareness of Canada as a destination!

Deadline: before midnight (MST) February 8, 2022

About

The Peaks To Prairies EV Charging Network facilitates travel to and within the beautiful region of Southern Alberta with fast charging and Level 2 stations from Canmore to Medicine Hat, south to Waterton and to the Crowsnest Pass... with many stops along the way!

This project builds upon the success of Accelerate Kootenays in southeast British Columbia and in future will connect with an EV initiative in Montana and is the only nominee from Canada, and the only one from North America in this category.

Awards will be presented at the ITB Berlin International Tourism Conference on March 8-10, 2022.

How to Vote

1. Read the Green Destinations Story →

2. Go to the Green Destinations Story Award voting page →

3. Click on VOTE HERE to open the survey.

4. Enter your name and e-mail. (This ensures only one vote per person.)

5. Choose “Americas” as a category.

6. Choose **“Alberta SouthWest Crown of the Continent”

7. … and submit!

Skift Megatrends 2022 Report

Skift has published a forecast of the top trends that will define the travel industry in 2022. It provides an optimistic outlook for recovery of international travel by 2024. Other key trends revolve around community, ruralization, mobility and climate.

View Report →

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Wines of BC Explore App Awarded GOLD in Travel Weekly's Magellan Awards

The Travel Weekly Magellan Awards announced a GOLD medal for the Wines of BC Explorer App, marking the first ever win for a wine tourism app, and only the second ever for a Canadian based App in the category.

The Magellan Awards is the premier award for the global travel industry, honouring outstanding levels of design, marketing, and services – the Wines of BC Explorer App received the award in the Online Travel Services category.

The App is an essential tool for anyone looking to explore and enjoy BC wine. From plan-your-trip assistance to wine-education content and a personal taste test, the App is the best way to discover BC wine country, and in turn acts as a perfect conduit for BC wineries to connect with potential guests.

With all 300+ BC wineries listed on the App regularly updating new wine releases and tasting experiences, the increasing number of users can always find what they are looking for, and even uncover something they did not know they would love.

Features include:

1. Curated lists of wines and wineries

2. An interactive taste test with resulting wine suggestions

3. Shopping for wine and wine experiences

4. Helpful filters to enable discovery, search by ‘organic wines’ or ‘dog friendly wineries’ and more!

The Wine Growers of BC team is always looking to improve and launch exciting new features. The most recent feature is a geo-location tool designed to assist users in finding wineries and wine shops closest to their location and preferences.

Download App →

Learn More →

The Value of Tourism Video Series by TIABC, BCRTS & Destination BC

The Value of Tourism is a series of short videos capturing the essence of the tourism industry’s contribution to British Columbia from the lens of the people who work in the various sectors and regions that make up our province’s visitor economy.

The videos tell stories using concrete examples from both a personal perspective, in addition to how their business, community, region, or sector has made a difference. The interviewees bring the viewer along and paint a compelling yet personable picture. 

The Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) partnered with the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS), Destination British Columbia, and PacifiCan to produce the videos.

About the Value of Tourism

Tourism contributes to the high quality of life in British Columbia by supporting arts, sports, Indigenous culture, historical assets, festivals and events, restaurants and pubs, parks and recreation, outdoor adventure, among other sectors and activities. Tourism brings significant international benefits through trade and investment, education, infrastructure development, and immigration.

The tourism industry is comprised of thousands of mostly small businesses, whose voices are often unheard. TIABC and its industry partners in British Columbia must come together to strengthen our collective voice to fully capture the opportunity ahead and overcome the obstacles.

The Value of Tourism (VoT) initiative has been designed to increase the understanding of tourism as a powerful engine for economic, cultural, and social well-being, and to secure cross-government support for tourism investments by describing how tourism benefits every community and region in British Columbia.

This project is also designed to increase interest in tourism as a career choice, as well as provide insight into how tourism can be a catalyst for addressing major issues and opportunities such as climate change, sustainability, reconciliation, workforce, among other priorities. 

Share the Value of Tourism

The vignettes and videos are available for use by destination marketing organizations, sector associations, individual operators, and other tourism stakeholders to use in communicating with all levels of government, residents, community and business leaders, organizations, schools and universities, and others to share the Value of Tourism through social media channels, websites, presentations and advocacy initiatives, etc. to help rebuild the reputation and understanding of the importance of the tourism industry post-COVID-19.

Share Videos →

Global Survey on Perspectives of Service Delivery & Traveller Priorities Report | Tourism HR Canada

Tourism HR Canada released a report that provides insight to the current perspectives of the service delivery in Canada and how the travel and tourism industry should prepare itself for the future.

The report concluded that, as the visitor economy gradually recovers from the COVID crisis, addressing service disruptions will need to be balanced against safety and price sensitivity.

The following is a summary of the findings:

1. While many developed destinations consider themselves to be at the tail end of the COVID 19 pandemic, with vaccine rollouts now well underway, the disruption to the value chain as a whole is far from over.

2. According to current projections, the tourism industry in Canada is not expected to recover to 2019 levels until 2025.

3. With this challenge in mind, tourism businesses will need to prioritize and allocate their resources effectively to ensure they are able to develop their products and services to adapt to the new normal while still delivering quality in line with what travellers value.

4. Broadly speaking, the overall visitor experience remains the most important concern for international travellers in selecting a destination to travel to (unsurprisingly as this encompasses a range of factors).

5. Quality service is second only to the overall visitor experience in this regard and thus will be of paramount importance in destination recovery efforts.

6. Quality of service is particularly valuable to the lucrative Chinese market to which international destinations will have to appeal to thrive in the new global travel market in the years to come.

7. However, health and safety concerns (particularly in Britain and Australia) and price and affordability are also major concerns. Price and affordability is somewhat prioritized across destinations and this is likely driven by post COVID price sensitivity among travellers.

8. In terms of the impact of service disruption on destination selection, Canada performs well relative to other destinations, with travellers reporting relatively low impact particularly in the USA, South Korea, France and Germany.

9. China, however, is an exception to this, placing Canada as being most impacted by potential service disruption in terms of destination selection. China is also one of the few countries to consider service disruption in Canada more serious than at home.

View Full Report →

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Improvements Coming to BC Parks Digital Services | Share Your Feedback

BC Parks is inviting British Columbians to participate in the redesign of its digital services since the journey for many people seeking outdoor experiences begins online. Feedback can be shared through the new test site at Beta.BCParks.ca.

People can participate in the redesign to create a more user-friendly and inclusive online experience through BCParks.ca.

The new BC Parks test site is live and provides a glimpse into the design work and improvements being made. New content and features will be added to the site during the coming months. People can also sign up to join future focus groups to help inform the future of all BC Parks digital products and services.

A key feature of the redesign is to improve the online reservation system with expanded features. Opening March 21, 2022, the new reservation service will be available through the BC Parks website and will include key features such as:

• more flexible search options to find and book a campsite;

• maps, calendars and lists of available sites for quicker navigation;

• saved booking preferences and locations within customer accounts; and

• as many as five large photos per campsite.

Share your thoughts on the new website design →

Coalition of Businesses & Sector Associations Express Concern With Province's Sick Pay Program

Originally published by TIABC on January 28, 2022.

In a letter to Labour Minister Harry Bains, the coalition noted that the sick pay program comes at a difficult time for businesses during the height of the new Omicron wave. It's particularly challenging for businesses such as pubs and restaurants which were not closed (and thus many were ineligible for government assistance) and whose business dropped precipitously.

There are many examples of businesses experiencing functional closures and seeing a significant portion of their employees at home sick. Consequently, operationally and administratively it has been a very challenging start to the year.

One of the group's primary concerns relates to the fact that businesses and employees rely on payroll and human resources information systems to track, store and provide accurate information on use of paid sick days and payment for those days. Nearly all of these systems are based on a workplace having a common ‘employment year’ which is most often the calendar year or a business’s fiscal year.

The current wording of the ‘employment year’ definition on the Employment Standards website from the policy interpretation of Illness or Injury Leave - Act Part 6, Section 49.1 is causing confusion for employers and workers alike: “Employment year” refers to the specific employee’s employment year, based on their start date.

Most businesses remain unaware of this interpretation of the policy. In addition, there are problems faced by businesses struggling to understand how to implement paid sick leave for part-time and short-term employees.

In its letter, the coalition offered a number of recommendations for the province to consider including amending the definition of 'employment year', as well as reimbursing businesses for the additional sick days paid over the annual intended five days paid sick leave businesses understood they were required to pay.

Organizations that signed a letter include TIABC, BC Chamber of Commerce, Greater Vancouver BC Restaurant & Food Services Association, Restaurants Canada, go2HR, ABLE BC, BCHA and others.

Buy a BC Parks Licence Plate to Support Park Services

The BC Parks Licence Plate Program is a partnership between the Province and ICBC whereby motorists in British Columbia can choose one of three specialty plate designs depicting scenes from B.C.’s parks and protected areas.

The designs include the Kermode bear, an elusive white version of black bear found on B.C.’s coast, the snow-capped Purcell Mountains symbolizing the province’s interior region, and Porteau Cove overlooking Howe Sound.

Available at Autoplan broker offices throughout B.C., a BC Parks plate costs $50 for the initial purchase, and $40 to renew each year.

All net proceeds from the sale and ongoing renewals of the licence plates are re-invested back into provincial parks through the Park Enhancement Fund (PEF), a special account separate from the B.C. government's annual budget to BC Parks.

The BC Parks Licence Plate Program is marking its five-year anniversary, and more than 300 diverse projects and programs have been supported to further protect and enhance B.C.’s world-renowned parks system. In March 2021, the BC Parks Licence Plate Program reached a milestone with the sale of 250,000 specialty plates.

Through partnerships with Indigenous partners and community groups across the province, projects related to conservation, Indigenous reconciliation, fire-based ecosystem and land management, engagement, education and inclusion were completed over the last five years, as well along with support for the Student Ranger Program which started in 2018.

Buy a BC Parks License Plate →

Learn More →