Because I’m part of a national Insurance Task Force trying to find solutions to help tourism operators hamstrung by skyrocketing premiums, I recently took stock of all the personal insurance policies I had for my house, truck, boat, motorcycle, utility trailer, life, dental, and health. Yikes! After discovering how much money I spend on insurance each year, perhaps it would have been better not to know.

One could argue I have too many worldly possessions and that’s a fair point. But regardless, insurance is a fixed cost expense that I can’t avoid in order to protect myself and/or my stuff from injury, loss, damage, theft, or other misfortunes.

I suspect many folks are in a similar or even worse situation when it comes to paying for insurance. Case in point…tourism operators, who on top of some of the policies they subscribe to personally, must also acquire business insurance to cover liability, damage, business interruptions, cancellations, and other situations that, absent of adequate coverage, could otherwise bankrupt their operations overnight.

Operators know that in today’s litigious society, as well as the replacement costs vis-a-vis supplies and infrastructure, not having proper protection is an enormous risk in of itself. At the same time, given the so-called hard insurance market (i.e. lack of competition among insurance providers, high rates, unwilling underwriters) they have few choices but to suck it up and pay rapidly escalating premiums or succumb to other alternatives such as reduced coverage, foregoing insurance altogether, or closing shop.

None of the options are good. Notwithstanding that no bank will issue a loan to businesses that don’t have adequate insurance coverage, no operator wants to take a chance on getting sued by an injured guest, or losing their physical plant in a wildfire. Yet, in many instances, operators have been forced to cut corners while hoping and praying nothing goes wrong.

For several months, TIABC, TIAC, BCHA, ABLE BC and many other sector associations in BC and across the country have been meeting with organizations such as the Insurance Bureau of Canada, the Insurance Brokers of Canada and many others in the insurance sector looking for ways to address runaway premiums. Other than some data and reports, little to no progress has been made…hence the reason for a dedicated insurance task force to chart a path forward.

The committee’s first order of business is to better understand the magnitude of the problem. For example…does it affect 20, 60 or 100 percent of businesses? Are the insurance increases double, triple, fourfold or more on average? Is the protection offered akin to previous coverage prior to the onset of the hard market? Once we have baseline data to comprehend how big a challenge it is, we’ll be better equipped to approach the federal government with palatable solutions.

I’m convinced that government is not interested in legislative or regulatory changes that compel insurance companies to hold the line on rate increases. Firstly, there aren’t many regulatory levers to pull. Secondly, if government interceded with more control, virtually every underwriter would bail from supporting the tourism sector, especially given so many recent natural disasters such as wildfires and flooding, as well as COVID-19.

For months, I’ve been advocating for a dedicated program that provides grants to businesses to help them cover escalating premiums. It’s a limited option but imminently do-able, especially since precedents have long been set by governments that have offered relief funding to help residents and businesses through myriad crises.

Further along in today’s Bulletin, you’ll see an insurance survey with a deadline of today. If you haven’t already, please fill it out (it’s short) to assist the Task Force with the information we need to formulate our action plan. Your assistance is sincerely appreciated.

By the way, I just sold my collector-plated old motorcycle, which ironically was cheap to insure. Do you know anyone who wants to buy a boat? I’ve come to realize that I need to further reduce the insurance line item in my household budget.

Walt Judas

CEO, TIABC

September 30 is now being recognized as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day is the new Canadian Statutory holiday and will give people a chance to recognize and commemorate the intergenerational harm that residential schools have caused to Indigenous families and communities and to honour those who have been affected by this injustice.

Like all Canadians, this day provides an opportunity for everyone to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools. This may present itself as a day of quiet reflection or participation in a community event.

Learn more about the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation here.

If you're concerned about how the extinction of BC's wild salmon would impact BC's Super, Natural brand and your tourism business, you're not alone. Join former Premier Gordon Campbell, Wave's Edge Canada Group co-Director Lisa Stevens, and Wilderness Tourism Association CEO Scott Benton to hear about a provocative new campaign connecting the fate of the wild salmon to BC's tourism economy. You'll also find out how you can add your voice during Small Business Week (October 17-23).

Gordon was the 35th Mayor of Vancouver, Chair of the Greater Vancouver Regional District, the 34th Premier of British Columbia, and Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. As Premier, he led the government’s Climate Action Plan, which included legislated greenhouse gas reduction targets, a carbon-neutral public sector, and the internationally recognized revenue-neutral carbon tax. Gordon has been recognized for his environmental, economic, and social leadership throughout his career. He is passionately committed to empowering younger generations to lead the way forward to a healthy planet.

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) and the Provincial & Territorial Tourism Industry Association (PTTIA), that includes TIABC, have formed a task force on the issue of rising insurance premiums in the tourism industry.

We are continuing to hear from operators concerned with commercial insurance access, premium increase and limited liability coverage. Insurance is a fundamental element in the industry’s ability to build back stronger post pandemic.

The tourism sector experienced a summer in which our ability to find workers was more difficult than ever. This was despite restricted demand from tourists, especially international travellers, and unemployment levels that remained above pre-pandemic levels. Many industries within the tourism sector are still waiting for demand to return, but for those that have started to reopen, demand for their services has outstripped their ability to find enough workers to meet that demand.

Tourism HR Canada recently looked at employment trends within the tourism sector, while considering the broader employment trends that cross all sectors. These broad labour market trends have implications for the tourism sector’s ability to find staff when it is time to build capacity for the winter season, and for next summer.

Check here for a full report by Tourism HR Canada on their summer employment review.

Destination Canada continues to seek to understand how safe residents of each province/region are feeling towards travelling to different places. Respondents are asked to rate their level of agreement with a variety of statements that include their levels of safety to travel to communities near, within their province, to other provinces or territories in Canada, to the US, and internationally.

In response to the question "I Feel Safe to Travel".

After significant decreases the previous week, feelings of safety have increased significantly towards all domestic destinations, reverting to levels seen the week prior. Feelings of safety for all domestic destinations have been fluctuating since the end of August.

In response to the question relating to the "Level of Welcome Towards Visitors".

Compared to the previous week tracked, sentiment has remained stable towards visitors from all destinations. Sentiment towards all domestic visitors has stabilized after declines at the beginning of August.

To read the full report click here.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Labour launched the second phase of a public consultation process, an online “Options Paper” to inform the development of a made in BC sick leave program.

Permanent employer-paid sick leave is coming in January 2022 for any personal illness and injury, not just related to COVID-19. The first phase of public consultations consisted of surveys to gather information from employers and workers. Two online surveys were available – one for employers and one for workers. All responses have been compiled and analyzed as a group.

Informed by the results of the surveys, now government is inviting all workers, employers, and other interested parties to review and provide feedback on possible options for the new paid sick leave entitlement in January 2022. Your feedback will help shape the implementation of paid sick leave in the province.

Check here for the link to the online Options Paper for feedback:

Check here for more information.

This online Options Paper will be available for comment until October 25, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. It is expected that an announcement will be made on government’s final decision in late 2021.

September 27th marks World Tourism Day, a UNWTO celebration, and Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division (CMHA BC) and go2HR have teamed up to provide mental health support for people in the hard-hit tourism and hospitality industry.

The tourism and hospitality industry has suffered enormously from the COVID-19 global pandemic. Whether it’s job loss, uncertainty or changing regulations, tourism has been greatly impacted—and that impact isn’t immune from consequences, including mental health challenges.

In Spring of 2021, go2HR and CMHA BC established a new relationship and industry-specific mental health and wellness resources. With a dedicated resource hub, training, and more in the works, the partnership will support the tourism industry as they work to recover, and grow a healthier workforce for the future.

The industry is seeing signs of rebound, but recovery is slow and we know there are fewer workers, making less money, and working fewer hours.

Click here for more information on BC's Workplace Hub for Mental Health. 

Today, the BC Chamber of Commerce released its updated Big Thinking for Small Business, a bold plan to grow British Columbia’s economy by focusing on three pillars: inclusivity, innovation, and competitiveness. 

Updated from the previous year’s Economic Recovery Submission, the Big Thinking for Small Business plan underpins the pan-provincial priorities as set out by the BC Chamber of Commerce to guide the province through continued recovery efforts. To support the removal of economic barriers and to help pave the way for small- and medium-sized businesses to thrive once again, emphasis is placed on the critical need for action to address the skilled labour shortage and housing affordability. 

The Big Thinking for Small Business plan outlines concise policies which will help inform the advocacy efforts of the BC Chamber of Commerce for the year ahead.

The updated Big Thinking for Small Business plan can be viewed here.

We know staffing issues continue to plague our industry. Please help go2HR with a Labour Market Information Research Project. Participate in the survey today and enter into a draw for prizes valued at $1,500.

go2HR is the human resource and health & safety association for BC’s tourism and hospitality industry. Even before COVID-19, the industry faced some significant human resource challenges. We know those challenges will only increase as we emerge from the pandemic.

Our industry needs your help! We need to hear from a representative sample of employers across all sectors and regions of the province. We ask for 25 minutes to complete this survey. We want to hear about the impact of COVID-19 on your operations, the human resource issues you face, and what can be done to help industry in dealing with these issues going forward.

A reminder of the Disability Alliance BC Call for Proposals (CFP) for projects that promote greater accessibility and inclusivity for people with disabilities in BC communities. Funding of $10,000 to $40,000 per project will be disbursed to a maximum of $450,000. Proposals are due by October 2nd, and funding for successful projects will be disbursed in early 2022. 

As part of the Province’s goal to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in BC, DABC was selected by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (MSDPR) to disburse funding to community based “Accessibility Projects.” With the successful administration of the Accessibility Project 2018, 2019, and 2020, DABC was again selected to administer Accessibility Project 2021.

Accessibility Projects must focus on at least one of the following:

Click here to learn more and submit.

Tourism Abbotsford is reinforcing the position that the Fraser Valley Trade and Exhibition Centre’s (Tradex) is a unique success and a significant annual contributor to Abbotsford’s economy.

In 2019 alone, the latest economic study confirms that Tradex events generated $19.3 million in direct local spending impact, which was an increase of nearly 30% from 2016. For the BC economy as a whole, BC gained over $12.7 million in GDP because of Tradex, and almost $8.8 million in Labour Income with 464 jobs created.

Despite the unique success and undeniable value that Tradex provides to the community, the City of Abbotsford initiated a review of the facility earlier this year. Tradex is currently listed as

being for sale or lease and the review process is causing event organizers to delay bookings or cancel their events.

"The news has been devastating for the Abbotsford tourism industry just as it hoped to begin its

process of Covid recovery,” states Daniel Laverick, chair of the Board of Tourism Abbotsford.

Tradex show organizers are also reeling from this news, but are hopeful that Tradex will remain available for its intended use.

Click here to read the full news release.

Destination BC is seeking representatives for its Tourism Marketing Committee (TMC) for terms beginning January 1, 2022.

Interested applicants should possess the following experience and skills, to complement those of the current members:

Experience with tourism marketing on a global, national, and/or provincial scale demonstrating a thorough understanding of tourism issues, sectors, and opportunities.

Plus, at least one of the following, as an area of specific expertise:

Each application must include the completed Application Form, including your resume and any other supporting documents you feel are relevant to the process. Applications are to be submitted in electronic form.

Please submit your Application form to: Tatyana.Slavkova@DestinationBC.ca

Learn more about DBC's Marketing Committee here.

Deadline October 1, 2021

The Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) is seeking nominations for its Board of Directors.

For the 2021-2023 term, TIABC is seeking a total of five (5) candidates:

• From the DMO category, one (1) director is required for a two-year term.

• From the Sector Association category, two (2) directors are required for a two-year term.

• From the Business Membership category, two (2) directors are required for a two-year term.

As per the bylaws, the Tourism Industry Association of BC requests that all nominations from members be received 45 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. All nominations for director positions therefore, must be received on or before October 1, 2021 by 5pm.

The Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) advocates on behalf of the 19,300+ tourism

businesses and 161,000 employees that work in every community and region of our province for the interests of British Columbia’s $22 billion+ visitor economy (2019). As a not-for-profit tourism industry association, TIABC works collaboratively with its members – private sector tourism businesses, industry associations and destination marketing organizations – to ensure the best working environment for a competitive tourism industry.

Please contact Deborah Kulchiski (Manager, Special Projects, TIABC) at deborah@tiabc.ca

Despite the ongoing challenges our industry continues to face as a result of the impacts of COVID, TIABC is heartened to observe the strength, resiliency and innovative means taking place today. This Bulletin feature will share stories of how people, businesses and organizations, are doing things in an inspiring and way.

Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound, an area renowned for its rich Indigenous culture, biodiversity and distinct geography, has become Canada’s 19th UNESCO Biosphere Region.

Located on the territories of the Coast Salish people, the region covers a 218,723-hectare swath of land and sea encompassing the entire Howe Sound watershed. Its zoning boundaries begin near Point Atkinson (Sḵ’íw̓itsut) in West Vancouver, running north to Black Tusk (T’eḵt’aḵmúy̓in tl’a In7iny̓áx̱a7en) near Whistler, and as far west as Gower Point on the Sunshine Coast. The core protected area traverses five BC Provincial Parks, one BC Provincial Conservancy, and several marine refuges.

It is BC’s third UNESCO biosphere region (Mount Arrowsmith and Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island).

Read more about the biosphere region here.

Due to the difficulties our industry has faced since early 2020, we have extended various payment options to members if required. Please contact Deborah to learn more about how we can assist you with your membership renewal, or if you are interested in becoming a member

We strongly encourage you to consider membership with TIABC to support our important advocacy efforts on behalf of the entire visitor economy.

Click here for more information on the benefits of becoming a TIABC member.

As an industry that continues to face enormous challenges during COVID-19, every once in awhile it's important to share a laugh, a good story, a beautiful image or an interesting anecdote to provide moments of levity during this most difficult time.

Rapid testing has long been seen as a possible tool to help employers manage COVID-19 in the workplace. However, until recently, these tests were not widely available and employers were unsure how to implement.

Safe Screen B.C. has been developed in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) to help businesses across the province access rapid antigen tests and set up onsite rapid COVID-19 workplace screening programs for asymptomatic employees, in support of B.C.’s Rapid Point of Care Testing Strategy.

Safe Screen B.C. provides businesses with the toolkits, resources and guidance to help set up onsite rapid COVID-19 workplace screening programs for employees and staff only.

At this time, Safe Screen B.C. will not be able to support companies looking to conduct screening for clients, customers, patients, visitors and family members

Safe Screen B.C. is offering info sessions to employers through this week. Please register to find out more about rapid testing in the workplace.

Destination BC is launching Power Up! The application-based, digital mentorship program will provide 75 eligible BC-based, small and medium sized tourism businesses, sole proprietors, and non-profits across the province with free access to 1-1 digital audit and technical services designed to improve digital marketing activities and use of digital technology.

Businesses can choose one of the following service areas that they deem a priority for their business: digital strategy, SEO, website/booking engine/online store, email, social media audit and strategy, or digital advertising. The service costs will be directly covered through the program up to a maximum of $5,000 per participant and will include supporting educational resources for further learning and ongoing implementation in the future.

Destination BC expects this to be a very popular program.

The application began on September 20th. TIABC will endeavour to keep you informed of the application process.

Organizations measure what they want to improve, so if hiring people with disabilities is a priority for you as an employer, measuring for disability is a key place to start. With the right tools, employers can tap into the tangible business and social benefits of collecting and sharing disability data.

Date: September 27, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm

This webinar will cover why organizations should measure for disability, recognize ways to build an inclusive organizational culture, remove barriers, and gain tools to combat stigma and increase consumer confidence.

Click here to learn more and to register.

ABLE BC invites you to join in at a Government Relations and Advocacy Update.

Date: Thursday, September 30th, 10:00 - 11:00 am (PT) via Zoom.

During this free webinar, ABLE BC's Executive Director Jeff Guignard will provide an update on:

Click here to learn more and to register.

Vancouver has a reputation as a leader in sustainability and locals love to cycle. Each fall we celebrate two-wheeled transportation with Go By Bike Week. The event encourages everyone to bike to work, school, or shopping and includes community knowledge stations and lots of fun prizes.

The week-long initiative aims to encourage more people to choose biking for everyday transport. Biking is a fun way to get around while staying healthy. It also helps save money and reduces air pollution. Each trip that cyclists log also helps bike advocacy groups collect data to improve cycling conditions in Metro Vancouver.

Register online for Fall Go By Bike Week, then log at least one bike ride between September 27 and October 3. Any bike ride counts!

Click here to learn more and to register.

The Wellness Tourism Association is hosting their conference virtually again this year. There is still time to register if you want to stay up to date with the remarkable growth being experienced in wellness travel. No longer a luxury experience, as a result of the pandemic, taking care of one’s self is now mainstream.

By the ocean, a lake, or in the mountains, people need to get away to recharge in remarkable settings. Our province is blessed with wellness travel experiences more than almost any other destination in the world!

Dates: September 29 - 30th, 2021 (to be held virtually).

Click here for more information and to register.

On Day 1 of the election campaign, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau made specific commitments to the hardest hit businesses.

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) advocated throughout the election period for all parties to work with industry on;

Work on your behalf is far from over. We have a wide range of priorities we must tackle to bring the industry back to where it was pre-pandemic.

Please join TIAC President and CEO Beth Potter for a special Member TALK to discuss TIAC's post-election priorities and action plan, how you can engage and where additional support is needed.

Date: October 12th, 11:00am - noon (PDT)

Click here for more information and to register.

Join Northern BC Tourism Association for the Annual General Meeting.

The meeting will include an update from CEO, Clint Fraser, on NBCTA's work and the state of the tourism industry in Northern BC. The AGM will take place virtually on zoom.

Date: Wednesday, October 13, 2021 - 1-2:30 pm (PT)

Click here to register.

ABLE BC's annual BC Liquor Conference is back for a sixth year. A portion of the tickets will be available to attend in person and the remaining will be available for virtual attendance. No matter where you are in the province - tune in and get the liquor industry data, trends, and policy updates you can’t get anywhere else.

Date: Monday, October 25th

Click here for more information and to register.

Under the theme, Forging Canada’s Tourism Future, this year's Congress will have an amazing line-up of valued experts, innovative panels, enriching content and robust networking opportunities you can only get in person.

Thinking of registering in person? You’ll enjoy additional sessions that are only available live.

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION EXTENDED: TIAC Members who register by September 10th - SAVE $100 on in-person registration.

Dates: November 30th and December 1st.

In-person registration includes:

Click here to register and to view the programming being offered at this year’s Congress.

Prince George

TIABC and the BC Hotel Association are excited to be hosting the 2nd annual BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference in Prince George next March.

Details to the conference including registration, accommodation and speaker highlights will be updated in Fall, 2021 on the conference website here.