In Today's Update
- NOTO Receives COVID-19 Response & Recovery Industry Leader Award
- Update on Vaccines & Discussions to be Had
- CFOA Boating Safety Checklist Survey
- Updates to Come Monday
- Note from an Operators Searching for Airplane Skis
- Remembering Marg Watson-Hyland
We will continue to strive to bring forward pertinent information to the tourism industry as it becomes available. We will also do our best to find answers to your questions. Do not hesitate to contact us. We are here for you.
NOTO Contact Emails:
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NOTO Receives COVID-19 Response & Recovery Industry Leader Award!
This award was given by Destination Northern Ontario to recognize a business, organization or individual that has moved through the crisis demonstrating leadership, found ways to adapt, and thoughtfully implementing creative strategies to limit these impacts and set the stage for a vibrant recovery.
NOTO is honored to have received this award along with TIAO and we thank Destination Northern Ontario for this recognition. We are not done yet but we are grateful to take a pause and reflect on what we have done to date and plan our moving forward. We will continue to work on behalf of the tourism industry to ensure you all have the support you need to get through this pandemic. Please take a moment to listen to the acceptance speech from our Executive Director, Laurie Marcil.
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Vaccines: One Step Closer to the End of the Pandemic
Canada will receive up to 249,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020. This vaccine received Health Canada's approval on Wednesday. Pfizer, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces, and the Provinces and Territories are working together to finalize preparations at the first point-of-use sites this week, including training on how to handle the product, which must be transported and stored at -70 degrees Celsius.
Ontario will receive a significant portion of these vaccines, however this first batch will be distributed in urbanized areas due to the logistics surrounding transportation and storage of the Pfizer vaccine. The Province will be prioritizing the rollout of vaccines in regions with the highest rates of COVID-19 infections, including those in Red or Lockdown Zones, with a focus on healthcare workers and the most vulnerable populations in those regions.
At first, COVID-19 vaccines are expected to only be available for non-pregnant adults over the age of 18 years old based on early clinical trials. As further information becomes available from clinical trials and from Health Canada approvals, the groups for which the vaccines are authorized for use could change.
- Residents, staff, essential caregivers, and other employees of congregate living settings (e.g., long-term care homes and retirement homes) that provide care for seniors as they are at higher risk of infection and serious illness from COVID-19;
- Health care workers, including hospital employees, other staff who work or study in hospitals, and other health care personnel;
- Adults in Indigenous communities, including remote communities where risk of transmission is high; and
- Adult recipients of chronic home health care.
NOTO will be following up with industry on this topic: We would like to know operators sentiment with regards to vaccines, mandating vaccines in the workplace, and begin discussing the potential liabilities surrounding vaccines for employees and guests, as well as the potential issues surrounding insurance. In the meantime, there is currently a conversation going on between NOTO members on our Facebook NOTO Group. We encourage NOTO members to join the discussions HERE.
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Boating Safety Checklist Survey
Dear Operators,
Please take 2 minutes of your day to complete this very short survey about the Rental Boat Safety Checklists. NOTO and the Canadian Federation of Outfitter Associations (CFOA) are building a position paper to help us advocate against a proposal to eliminate the checklist as a proof of competency.
This data will help us show Transport Canada how important Boating Safety Checklists are to the industry.
You can view all the proposed changes by clicking here. One of the proposed changes is to repeal the Rental Boat Safety Checklist as a form of proof of competency. Should it pass, this will force every client to obtain a PCOC (Pleasure Craft Operator Card). Non-residents will also have to obtain their PCOC or will have to show a proof of a similar formation received in their country.
This will have a severe impact of many outfitters where clients are allowed to use a boat by themselves, for fishing, hunting or transportation means.
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Updates to Come Monday
TIAO Call with a Focus on Border:
Next week the TIAO Northern tourism call will be a Northern Ontario Border Working Group Roundtable. Our working group wanted to reach out and have a discussion with tourism operators about the border, and the items that may come into play with regards to getting the border open. TIAO will be sending out a briefing note prior to the call, as well as the call information closer to the date. We encourage all operators to attend this call and participate in the discussion.
Zone Changes:
Typically, the Chief Medical Officer of Health announces which health units are moving into which zones late Friday afternoon. We will include any zone changes in the short newsletter we will send with the border call information on Monday. To view your health unit's zone classification and the associated restrictions, please click here. All COVID-19 orders have been extended until January 20th, 2021 with possibility of extension.
Minister MacLeod's Sector Strategy White Papers:
On her last tele-townhall, Minister MacLeod announced that her white papers should be made available on December 14th. NOTO will be keeping a close eye on the release of these papers and will update the industry on their contents.
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Help Needed:
ISO Operator Who Listed Airplane Skis on Kijiji
A gentleman/lodge owner named “Rick” had listed Airglass LW3600 Airplane Skis on Kijiji in January. Unfortunately the ad expired and the contact info disappeared. If this person sees this posting, and if the skis are still available, could you please contact Kevin Mattice (hinorth@vianet.ca, High North Outfitting).
If any other operator is selling their own set of C180 compatible skis, please feel free to reach out as well.
Thanks,
Kevin Mattice
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Remembering Marg Watson-Hyland
It is with great sadness that we announce that Marg Watson-Hyland, previous owner of Sudbury Aviation a NOTO's Past President and dear friend, has passed away.
Marg was an inspiring woman. She was a strong, driven, resilient, and one of the most accomplished women in our tourism sector. She was a pioneer in the aviation and tourism community.
Her love for the remote wilderness in Ontario and Canada was part of her being and this drove her to be a fierce advocate for its protection. She volunteered on many stakeholder committees with Government, she also sat on numerous Boards over her career including NOTO (as President), and Rainbow Country Travel Association (now Northeastern Ontario Tourism). Marg was quick to step up and ensure that the resource-based tourism industry had strong representation. She looked at her involvement as a way to educate and share her passion with new folks. One of her philosophies that we would often hear her recount is, "The more people that understand the importance of having remote wilderness to share with others, the better." Along the way she earned great respect and gained many friends.
Marg was a tremendous NOTO supporter and made every effort to encourage others to join the organization and to be an active participant. She will be remembered by the NOTO staff and colleagues as a great mentor, pilot, wonderful host by her guests, and a woman who brought life and positive energy everywhere she went. Most everyone she knows has a great "Marg story" to tell.
Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to her family. We wish them courage and peace in the weeks and months to come. We have reached out to the family to ask where folks can send their condolences. We will share once we know more. To learn more about Marg, you can read the obituary at the link below.
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NOTO's COVID-19 Page
This page was created to keep you informed on the latest developments that may impact/help your businesses. This page features links to our COVID-19 newsletters, Government resources, information that may be useful to tourism operators and links to supports for tourism operators as they become available. This page will be updated regularly during this pandemic.
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Federal & Provincial Government Information
The Ontario and Federal Governments are regularly updating COVID-19 information, travel information, Minister statements, Government initiatives and statistics on their websites. For additional information from the Ontario or Federal Government, please click on the buttons below.
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NOTO is a membership based organization that works hard to support the outdoor tourism industry through advocacy and information services. We do not receive Government funding for operating and rely on annual memberships from tourism businesses, organizations, product and service suppliers, and partners. For more information about membership with NOTO visit noto.ca
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