C-19 BULLETIN - May 4, 2020
Temporary Layoff Period Extended

To ease financial hardship on businesses and to keep employees connected with their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Province has extended the temporary layoff period from 13 to 16 weeks.

Previously under the Employment Standards Act, a temporary layoff longer than 13 weeks in any 20-week period (or about three months in a five-month period) was considered a permanent layoff.

Provincial State of Emergency
Extended to May 12

The Provincial State of Emergency is being extended for the third time to support the extraordinary measures taken by the Province under the Emergency Program Act to keep people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, has officially extended the state of emergency through to end of day May 12th.

The extension of the Provincial State of Emergency is based on recommendations from BC’s health and emergency management officials.

 Online Applications Open for
BC Emergency Benefit for Workers

British Columbians whose ability to work has been affected because of the COVID-19 pandemic and are receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit can now apply for the  BC Emergency Benefit for Workers  (BCEBW) online.

The BCEBW is a one-time, tax-free payment of $1,000 for eligible British Columbians.

To be eligible for the BCEBW, people must:
  • have been a resident of BC on March 15, 2020;
  • meet the eligibility requirements for the CERB;
  • have been approved for the CERB, even if a federal benefit payment has not yet been received;
  • be at least 15 years old on the date of application;
  • have filed, or agree to file, a 2019 BC income tax return; and
  • not be receiving provincial income assistance or disability assistance.

How to apply:
British Columbians with their social insurance number and direct deposit information can go to:  www.gov.bc.ca/workerbenefit

Starting today (Monday, May 4), agents will be  available by phone  to assist people who need help applying, including those who do not have internet access.
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Destination BC Messaging Guide
April 30 - May 6

During the response phase, Destination BC is providing weekly messaging guidance to harness the power of our collective voice in preventing non-essential travel and keeping our communities safe. The  Messaging Guidance for April 30-May 6    has a series of images, messages, and a video, to easily share with your network. Feel free to use the content as is or apply the design files to your own imagery. 
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BC Regional Tourism Secretariat's COVID-19 Tourism Impact Report
Week of April 27 2020

The British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat, British Columbia Hotel Association and the British Columbia Destination Marketing Organizations Association are continuing to leverage their collective business network to collect, collate and report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism businesses, and to gather feedback on potential response and recovery measures. This business intelligence was gathered through telephone and online surveys from April 27th to May 1st with 345 businesses.

Key Issues for Consideration:
  • Impact on bookings continues to push forward, with more than 80% of firms seeing slower bookings in September and beyond.

  • Only 37% of firms think they could remain operational if social distancing continues for three months or longer. Nearly 1/4 of businesses cannot operate at all with social distancing measures in place.

  • Many small business are not eligible for any government support program.

  • Most accessed government programs are CERB and CEBA. Overall the experience has been positive for 27% of firms who have accessed government programs.

Download the full report here .
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BC Wine App

The BC Wine Institute (BCWI) is launching a new app called Wines of BC Explorer to help wineries build a more resilient brand, connect to consumers, and sell more BC wine. All BC wineries are encouraged to join the BCWI webinar on May 6th to learn how to maximize the benefits of this free-to-join app.



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Air Canada CleanCare+ Program

Air Canada is introducing a new program, called Air Canada CleanCare+ and includes the following:
 
•       Mandatory pre-flight customer temperature checks, the first in the Americas
•       More Personal Space in Economy Class at least until June 30th
•       Personal care kits containing disinfectant and safety items
•       Electrostatic cabin spraying to reinforce aircraft grooming protocols
•       Revised food product minimizing crew and passenger contact
•       Customer face-coverings and employee personal protective equipment now mandatory
 
This new program is designed to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 as Air Canada prepares to restart its operations and contribute to re-opening the Canadian economy.
 
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Worldwide Survey to Report Challenges Faced by Private Sector

ICC and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched a worldwide survey to report challenges faced by the private sector from COVID-19.

In response to COVID-19, ICC and WHO have launched a major survey of the private sector to gather more information on how business is responding to the pandemic and to help identify solutions to prevent its spread. The ICC-WHO survey will improve information flows between different sectors of the global economy and develop a framework for managing the economic and human consequences related to the pandemic.

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Manage Your Business Remotely
in Times of Uncertainty

Wednesday May 6th @ 9:00 am PT

As a Grow with Google Partner, Destination BC would like to invite you to tune in to a special livestream for small businesses: Manage Your Business Remotely in Times of Uncertainty , on May 6th. The free, one-hour online event will dive into how small businesses can use products such as Google My Business and YouTube to stay connected, update customers on critical business information, and host virtual meetings and events.
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Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance Webinars

Thursday, May 7 @ 1:00 pm ET

To view previous webinars, such as The Road to Recovery Starts During the Storm – Lessons Learned from Past Recoveries and Using Economic Impact Data in Your COVID-19 Recovery Strategy, visit:
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Destination Canada Webinars

Previous webinars:

  • April 28th with Ben Cowan-Dewar, Chair of the Board, Destination Canada; Charlotte Bell, President & CEO, Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC); Martin Soucy, President & CEO, Alliance de l'industrie touristique du Québec; and Beth Potter, President & CEO, Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO). Please visit this page to see a recording.

  • April 1st with the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages; Ben Cowan-Dewar, Chair of the Board, Destination Canada; and Charlotte Bell, President & CEO, Tourism Industry Association of Canada. Please visit this page to see a recording.

  • March 20th with representatives from Destination Canada, Business Development Bank of Canada, Parks Canada, Tourism Industry Association of Canada and Tourism HR Canada. Please visit this page to see a recording.

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Small Business BC Webinars

Small Business BC are hosting a series of specialized free webinars to tackle the challenges faced by COVID-19. These webinars are geared at equipping businesses in our province with the skills and knowledge they need to survive the new realities of our COVID economy.

Thursday May 7 @ 1:00 pm PT
Google Strategies for Food and Beverage Businesses

Friday May 8 @ 10:00 am PT
COVID Workplace Health and Safety

To view previous webinars, visit:
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Trip Advisor Webinars

TripAdvisor has previously hosted a 2-part webinar presentation for destinations, hoteliers, attractions, and others in the travel industry on the impact of COVID-19 and a recommended approach to recovery. By viewing the recorded past sessions, you can hear perspectives from Tourism Economics (an Oxford Economics company), E-Tourism Frontiers, and Twenty31 along with insights from Tripadvisor.

Part 1: Impact and Recovery Strategies for COVID-19
Part 2: Preparing for What Comes Next

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Our industry is full of innovative, caring and helpful people.
Share your stories with us and we will share them here in our daily bulletin.
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Supporting Local Business in Abbotsford

Tourism Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley Trade and Exhibition Centre (Tradex) have launched a handmade and homegrown Mother’s Day gift box sale to help support local business. There are four gift boxes to choose from featuring products from several Abbotsford Circle Farm Tour partners. Boxes can be purchased online until Thursday at noon, with a drive-in pickup service at Tradex on Saturday, May 9th. The sale is expected to generate approximately $10,000 in revenue for participating businesses.
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HeliJet Extends Free Flights Program
for BC's Healthcare Responders

Helijet International will continue to offer no-charge flights for BC health care responders travelling on business between Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

A  trial initiative  announced by Helijet on April 1st offered free seats to doctors, nurses or others in the health care sector who need to travel quickly to provide direct patient care, or to attend urgent medical strategy sessions or briefings on the COVID-19 outbreak.

“During our first four weeks, we’ve flown 140 health professionals. Based on that amount of interest, we’ve decided to extend the program until further notice,” said Danny Sitnam, president and CEO of Richmond-based Helijet International. “We want to do our part to help health care responders travel quickly between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island when they need to during this ongoing pandemic.”

Helijet is an “essential service” air provider and continues to fly daily scheduled passenger and cargo flights between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. With valid identification, BC health care responders travelling on business can book seats free of charge on any scheduled flight between Vancouver Harbour and Helijet’s Vancouver Island terminals in Nanaimo and Victoria, based on seat availability. Additional details are available at Helijet.com .

Feel free to send us your ideas on what information would be valuable for TIABC to share through our COVID-19 Bulletin going forward. Drop us a line at [email protected].