Voice of the BC Tourism Industry
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Chair's Message
As Walt mentioned a couple of weeks ago, TIABC recently submitted a formal response to the federal government regarding impending changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program.
Given the significant labour shortages that exist in our industry, I imagine that many of our members have made use of the TFW program at some time or another.
While it isn’t perfect, as it stands right now, the program does the job (no pun intended). When there is a demonstrated need for a particular role that cannot be filled with a Canadian citizen – proven through an extensive Labour Market Impact Analysis – businesses are able to bring an employee from overseas to fill the vacancy.
However, the federal government recently announced some proposed changes to the TFW program that are concerning to us. Most notably, the changes would allow workers to freely move from one employer to another for
any reason
, at any time.
This effectively renders the TFW program moot – why would an operator spend months (not to mention thousands of dollars) bringing an employee into the country if they cannot guarantee a certain level of commitment from said employee?
With that said, I can understand where the proposed change comes from. I am sure that a very small percentage of employers making use of the TFW program does not treat their employees well. Of course those workers being mistreated should absolutely be able to leave their jobs freely, safely and without any legal troubles.
However, why not place more emphasis on creating a stronger enforcement regime and accountability process that exposes that small number of employers who are abusing the system? This would be much fairer to the companies who are using the program properly, but who do not want to further lose out on talent desperately needed to staff their businesses. Even better, why not create a program that rewards good employers and makes it easier to employ a temporary foreign workers if and when they need to?
It’s my view that the proposed changes will only further exacerbate the labour troubles that are plaguing the tourism industry in this country. This would mean millions of foregone business, taxes and opportunities that would drastically hurt our local economies. We’re hopeful that the government will hear our concerns loud and clear, and that they will reconsider these proposed changes.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Alroy Chan
Chair, TIABC
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Policy Spotlight
TIABC has been very busy lately providing feedback on acts and changes to programs that impact our industry. Some examples include those below:
Temporary Foreign Workers Program
(proposed changes)
TIABC recently submitted feedback on the proposed changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program. The concern revolves around Canada Gazette, Part 1, Volume 153, Number 25 which states the creation of ‘an occupation-specific work permit would be to grant greater ease of job change to temporary foreign workers for any reason and without having to apply for another work permit'. TIABC's full submission can be viewed on the members-only section of our TIABC
website.
Forest Range and Practices Act
TIABC responded to discussion paper questions and provided recommendations on the
Forest Range and Practices Act.
A well-managed forest sector is paramount for the sustainability of Adventure Tourism (AT) businesses and the health of BC’s environment. However, forest management related issues have hampered the viability of many AT businesses because current FRPA legislation is largely biased in favour of timber harvesting over any other social and economic activity on the land base. Read TIABC's full submission on our policies page:
www.tiabc.ca/tiabc-policies
Private Managed Forest Land Program
To address the PMFL Act and governance model, TIABC recommends greater requirements for legal visual quality obligations for scenic corridors, as well as viewscapes from communities and tourism attractions. To accomplish this, the Province needs to fund a tourism features inventory for the areas affected by privately managed forest lands while legal obligations would need to be established for these to have any long-term value. In addition, the Province needs to access, identify and designate critical wildlife habitat on private managed lands and provide legal objectives for management of these lands. This can no longer be a voluntary activity. Species at risk identification and establishing objectives must be part of this process. Read TIABC's full submission on our policies page:
www.tiabc.ca/tiabc-policies
Burnaby Gondola
TIABC recently wrote to Burnaby's Mayor and Council encouraging them to find solutions to building the proposed gondola to Burnaby Mountain. The letter can be found on our policies page:
www.tiabc.ca/tiabc-policies
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Common Sense Wildfire Prevention Tips for Locals & Visitors
Many wildfires are human caused – up to 40% per year – and, therefore, can be prevented. Here are some tips about how you can ensure you don’t cause an accidental fire.
- Only start a campfire in the supplied firepit. Never move a firepit from its original placement since this is the safest area deemed by park staff. Always have at least 8 liters of water near your firepit to quickly douse the fire if needed.
- Never leave a fire unattended! Completely extinguish your campfire before sleeping or leaving the campsite by dousing it with water and stirring until the ashes are completely cold – unattended and unseen embers can cause wildfires.
- Take care when fueling or using lanterns, heaters, and stoves. Avoid spilling any flammable liquids, and store your fuel away from appliances. Ensure heat-based appliances are cool before fueling them.
- Never throw cigarettes, smoking materials or matches from moving vehicles or on park/forest grounds. Completely extinguish smoking materials in a proper smoking receptacle or a can with water before disposing of them. When hiking or camping, it’s recommended that you carry a pocket ashtray to dispose of cigarettes.
- Never leave food items cooking unattended, whether outside or inside your camper.
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Minister's Tourism Engagement Council Welcomes New Members
The Minister’s Tourism Engagement Council was created June 1, 2018, as a way to bring communities, industry and government together on tourism-related policies, and to give advice on issues facing the sector while informing the creation of BC’s tourism strategy.
The Council consists of up to 30 members including regional or community representation from all six tourism regions.
Recently, six new members joined the Council, including
Tourism Wells Gray Marketing Manager Stephanie Molina. Stephanie has 10 years experience in the communications and tourism sector combined, working in government relations and marketing before joining Tourism Wells Gray.
For a full list of the Council members, visit:
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BC Residents Provide Feedback on
Daylight Saving Time
A record 223,273 people have shared their opinions in an online survey on whether British Columbia should continue to observe daylight saving time.
The daylight saving time survey was open for four weeks, from June 24th through July 19th. In addition to survey responses, the Province received 13 formal submissions from individuals, organizations and industry experts that offered additional insights on how each option would impact their lives and professions.
The BC Golf Association was one organization who provided a perspective on how any change would impact courses and players. Their written submission can be viewed
here
.
A summary report of the daylight saving time engagement will be issued in the coming weeks. The results will be considered along with decisions on time observance made by neighbouring States to help determine the best course of action for BC.
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ABLE BC Hits the Road
The private liquor industry association, ABLE BC, is hitting the road this summer to host liquor industry meetings across the province. Beginning next week, ABLE will be touring through the Thompson Okanagan and Kootenay Rockies regions.
Upcoming meetings include:
- Invermere: Friday, July 26 from 10:00 am to noon in Ullr Bar (7222 13 Street, Inveremere)
- Golden: Friday, July 26 from 3 to 5 p.m. at The Taps Pub (507 9th Ave North, Golden)
- Kelowna: Tuesday, July 30 from 10:00 am to noon (location TBC)
- Revelstoke: Tuesday, July 30 from 5 to 7 pm at The Regent Hotel (112 1 Street East)
- Vernon: Wednesday, July 31 from noon to 2 p.m. (location TBC)
- Kamloops: Thursday, Aug 1 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Fox'n Hounds Pub (20, 945 West Columbia Street)
If you would like to attend any of the meetings,
please RSVP
directly to Jeff Guignard:
For more details, visit:
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RMI Funding Provides for Essential
Tourism Infrastructure
BC's Destination Management Organizations ensure their destinations are promoted well, but also address many other important and often costly tourism issues.
The Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) funding has been around for more than a decade, providing support for 14 resort communities to address tourism infrastructure needs.
As an example, Rossland has received anywhere from $45,000 to $82,000 annually. Recently, the resort municipalities successfully lobbied to get core funding for the program. The province agreed, and for Rossland, that will mean more than $100,000 a year until 2021 to spend on special projects.
After the development of a strategic plan for the new funds, Rossland identified six priorities:
1. Gateway improvements ($65,000 total – $50,000 RMI funding)
2. Bike wash station ($48,000 total – $20,000 RMI funding)
3. Downtown public washroom ($195,000 – $90,000 RMI funding)
4. Trail building ($220,000 – $85,000 RMI funding)
5. Rossland ski shuttle ($295,000 – $75,000 RMI funding)
6. Spokane/Kelowna shuttle ($48,000 – $12,000 RMI funding)
The bike washing station project aims “to reduce the potential for invasive species spread onto our trails from bikes by providing an easy way for tourists to clean their bikes before and after hitting the trail,” a report from Tourism Rossland to council says. “Via signage and the bike wash station, we hope to educate the public on the spread of invasive species and their part in reducing that spread.”
In its recent submission to the Select Standing Committee on Finance, TIABC called for an additional program (similar to the RMI program) for other tourism-based communities to develop infrastructure for the benefit of both residents and visitors. See TIABC's submission in the members-only section of our website.
For more on the RMI program:
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Five Star Whale Watching (Victoria) Certified by WCA
Locally owned and operated Five Star Whale Watching recently announced that it is the first Victoria-based eco-tourism company to be certified as a member of the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA), the world’s largest marine conservation partnership.
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BC Parks Introduces Wheelchair-Accessible Cabins
BC Parks celebrated Canada’s Parks Day in Chilliwack with the official opening of 25 brand-new, wheelchair-accessible cabins at Cultus Lake Provincial Park.
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Tourism Golden Highlights the Many Facets of Tourism Management
A recent media article highlighted the variety of activities at Tourism Golden: volunteer ambassadors joined the Tourism Golden team for the first time this year, cost-shared photo shoots are offered to stakeholders, advertising programs are on-going and addressing labour shortages continues to be an issue.
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Tourism Kitimat Takes Tourism to the Tourists
Summer students with Tourism Kitimat will be taking the Visitors’ Centre to the visitors in a specially branded vehicle. The students will also be travelling to the Northwest Regional Airport once a week where they will greet visitors disembarking from flights, promoting tourism in the region.
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Speed Rail Proposed for BC, Washington and Oregon
A proposed high-speed rail link connecting Vancouver, Seattle and Portland would cut the travel time between each city to under an hour and dramatically boost the economy of the entire region, a new report concludes. The Washington State Department of Transportation has released a 400-page business case for the transportation link, which is also supported by the governments of BC, Oregon and Microsoft Corp.
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Hotel Occupancy Numbers Off to a Good Start
Hotel occupancy levels for the first five months of 2019 are up over the same period last year, with four out of five months posting the highest occupancy levels in over a decade. A number of new, large hotels opened in the city just over a decade ago; this year's monthly results for January, February, April, and May are the highest hotel occupancy levels recorded since that time. At 76.3%, the May results are also the first time hotel occupancy has surpassed 75% in that month.
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YVR Brings Structural and Economic Growth to BC
YVR supports more than 24,000 jobs on Sea Island and 100,000 jobs across BC through operations, tourism, and cargo. In 2018, YVR contributed $16.5 billion in total economic output across BC.
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September 23-27, Vancouver
September 25, Cranbrook
October 2-4, Whistler
October 3-4, Prince George
October 8-10, Nanaimo
October 23-24, Nanaimo
November 1-3, Barkerville
November 12-14, Kelowna
November 19-20, Ottawa
January 19-22, 2020, Victoria
March 4-6, 2020, Victoria
April 28-30, 2020, Whistler
Send us your event listings and we can include it on our list!
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