Remember that kid in high school that caused all kinds of problems, yet nobody seemed to notice him (yes, it was usually a male)? The little #&*!^@ disturber often conducted his mischievous activities clandestinely leaving teachers to blame the obvious malcontents for various indiscretions that the entire class ultimately paid for with a detention.

Sometimes a similar scenario plays out at the political level. As advocates, we spend so much time focussed on federal and provincial policies and regulations that create challenges, we neglect to pay attention to civic issues that have the potential to wreak havoc within the tourism sector. And often communities at the centre of these situations fly under the radar relative to their senior counterparts.

Case in point…recently the City of Vancouver voted against a proposal to expand its parking permit program to include every residential street, meaning all local residents would have been charged an annual fee to park their cars overnight in front of their own homes. The Climate Emergency Parking Program also contemplated charging a premium to drivers of most gas-powered luxury sports cars and SUVs. While noble in its intent (i.e. climate action), the program would have had serious implications on local residents, businesses, the movement of goods, and of course visitors to the city. In fact, the proposal was likely a precursor to mobility pricing, which in its simplest form, is a city-charged fee on vehicles driving into downtown and other areas based on time of day, vehicle type, how busy the roads are, etc. Mark my words, just because the parking permit program was voted down doesn’t mean it won’t be introduced again in the not-too-distant future, with mobility pricing to follow soon after.

In Tofino, the municipality is petitioning the province for access to MRDT (Municipal & Regional District Tax) revenues to use toward funding a wastewater treatment plant. While no one, including local hotels, attractions, restaurants and other tourism and hospitality stakeholders would argue against the need for this new infrastructure, using MRDT is simply offside for so many reasons, not the least of which is the reality that if Tofino’s request is approved by cabinet, other municipalities around the province will be looking to target MRDT for projects well beyond the parameters within the current act. Such a move would seriously compromise the tourism marketing system, especially during a time when MRDT funds are critical to our sector’s recovery.

In Abbotsford, the city will be entertaining proposals to privatize Tradex to be used for something other than a venue for events, trade shows, and sport competitions that benefit the community and region. Not only would this change in direction contravene the original agreement that transferred Tradex from the province to the city, it would also affect Tourism Abbotsford (the venue’s operator), as well as trade show and event producers, exhibitors, suppliers, local businesses, hotels, sport groups, and the general public who flock to this important amenity each year to attend myriad events.

In and of themselves, none of the proposals would seem to impact anyone outside of these respective destinations until you dig a little deeper and recognize the broader consequences. That’s when you begin to realize how local or lower profile plans at the civic level can influence bigger decisions at the provincial or national level, or at the very least prompt other communities to follow suit.

If we think about the aforementioned schemes from a tourism perspective, all of them present complications. For example, while I don’t know how the city planned to deal with overnight guests to Vancouver, the parking permit initiative most certainly would have dissuaded more rubber tire visitors from staying with friends and family or at a bed and breakfast.

In Tofino, while the wastewater treatment plant is necessary and long overdue, especially given the high volume of tourists the community welcomes annually, compromising the marketing funds that essentially drive the local economy, as well as setting an unnecessary precedent that could destabilize the entire tourism marketing eco-system in BC, is simply not prudent.

In Abbotsford, turning a popular, revenue positive, economic generating, much-needed community venue into a warehouse, manufacturing plant or aerospace facility to drive higher revenue to the city is seriously misguided. In all three instances, there are many other solutions that could meet political objectives and have much less of an impact on the local visitor economy, let alone the rest of the province.

For the record, I recognize that civic leaders need to address multiple priorities and financial pressures, and council and staff are paid or elected to find a way forward that generates the best outcome with the least impact. That’s their job. So, I’m not blaming anyone for looking at various options or floating proposals. But when they don’t consider the impacts on the visitor economy, then we must speak up...loudly!

Even at the local level, we need politicians to consider tourism as a primary sector and one that has earned the right to be consulted and engaged with to help solve issues together instead of giving us little choice but to play along when a proposal is pretty much fait accompli. However, the latter approach means that if we don't support a project, we run the risk of being labelled as uncooperative, ignorant, unwilling, and uncaring…which is neither helpful nor true .

Like keeping an eye on the unassuming, innocent looking #&*!^@ disturber in high school, every one of us needs to pay attention to local issues as much as we need to focus on provincial and national concerns that affect our visitor economy.

Although still immersed in advocacy for COVID relief measures at the provincial and national level, I find myself spending more time with TIABC’s DMO and business members dealing with civic matters, especially given the potential ramifications to other BC communities and of course visitors to our province.

Suffice it to say, our list of advocacy priorities vis-à-vis all levels of government is growing by the day.

Walt Judas

CEO, TIABC

Northern Health (NH) is introducing new public health orders covering most of the NH region to manage COVID-19 activity.

Yesterday, government announced new regional COVID-19 restrictions.

Effective today, the entire Northern Health region, (with the exception of Local Health areas west of Gitwangak: Terrace, Kitimat, Haida Gwaii, Prince Rupert, Stikine, Telegraph Creek, Snow Country and Nisga’a) are under the following additional orders:

These measures will remain in place until November 19th @ midnight and may be subject to extension if cases remain high and vaccination rates remain low. In addition to these measures, people are strongly recommended to stay in their own community.

The provincial government will also be stepping up coordinated enforcement of checking for proof of vaccination at businesses where this is required.

Previously announced regional restrictions in Northern Health (effective September 7) will also remain in place. Businesses must also comply with provincial public health orders:

Click here for a list of all Northern Health COVID-19 immunization clinics and other resources.

The US is set to reopen its borders to fully vaccinated travellers by air, land or passenger ferry starting November 8th.

Air travellers will need to show proof of vaccination on arrival in the US but will still need to show a pre-departure negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of boarding their flight.

Non-essential travellers crossing at a land border will be required to show proof of vaccination or attest to their vaccination status upon request by a border agent, but unlike air travellers they will face no requirement to show a negative COVID-19 test.

By January, 2022 essential travellers crossing at a land border will also be required to be fully vaccinated.

A number of details are still being worked out by the US Center for Disease Control (CDC). They include the type of documentation that will be accepted to prove a traveller's vaccination status and whether travellers who received doses of two different vaccines will be considered fully vaccinated.

The Canada-U.S. border has been closed to non-essential travel since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Canada opened its border to U.S. travellers in early August.

For now, the Government of Canada’s travel rules and restrictions remain unchanged for Canadians who are entering back into the country from the U.S.

That means that in order to get back into Canada—whether hours or days after entering the U.S.—travellers will need to negative PCR test within 72 hours of a planned entry into Canada.

TIABC CEO Walt Judas was interviewed by Global Okanagan yesterday and explained why 2021 is proving to be another very tough year for tourism across the province.

“We have not yet seen the numbers, but, by all indications, it’s actually a worse year than 2020,” said Judas.

Read the full story and view the interview here.

Employers are reminded that changes to employment standards are in force effective today.

The changes raise the general working age in British Columbia from 12 to 16 and define the types of jobs that are appropriate for those under 16.

Youth aged 14 and 15 are able to do many "appropriate" jobs defined as “light work” with permission from a parent or guardian. In some cases, children aged 14 and 15 may be permitted to do work outside the definition of light work with a permit from the Ministry of Labour’s Employment Standards Branch.

The new rules do not prevent children from babysitting or delivering newspapers part time, or students from working in a work-study or work experience class, which are among the jobs excluded from the new rules.

Children aged 12 and older can continue to be employed in a business or on a farm owned by an immediate family member, as long as the work meets the safety criteria set out in the regulation.

These new rules bring British Columbia in line with international standards for children’s employment. Prior to these changes, B.C. was the only province in Canada whose general minimum working age was as young as 12.

Click here to read the full announcement and learn of the occupations that are now prescribed for youth.

In accordance with our bylaws, the Tourism Industry Association of BC's (TIABC) recent Call for Nominations for director positions closed on Friday, October 1st, 2021 at 5pm.

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

Based on the nominations received by the closing date, there will be an election in two categories with the following candidates seeking a Director position:

Business Category: (in alphabetical order)

1) Ian MacPhee - Prince of Whales Whale Watching

2) Sandra Oldfield - Elysian Projects

3) Stephen Pearce - The Gaining Edge

4) John Wilson - The Wilson Group

DMO Category: (in alphabetical order)

1) Beverley DeSantis - Tourism Kamloops

2) Chris Lewis - Tourism Kelowna

Based on the nominations received by the closing date, an election is not required in the Sector Category. Returning to the TIABC Board of Directors are:

1) Michael J. Ballingall - Big White Ski Resort

2) Brenda Baptiste - Indigenous Tourism BC

Biographies of the current Board members and those seeking election can be viewed here.

TIABC's AGM will be held in-person on Wednesday, November 17th @ 1pm at the Delta Hotel in Kamloops where members in good-standing are eligible to vote. Members unable to attend in person will be able to attend virtually via Zoom.

About TIABC. 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.

The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) recently became aware of a press release and petition being circulated by several prominent environmental organizations in Canada condemning professional whale watch operators for viewing Southern Resident killer whales.

These communications are intentionally misleading to the public and harmful toward our professional whale watching community which has dedicated countless hours and millions of dollars toward public education, whale research, and wildlife conservation. More importantly, their campaign diverts precious attention and resources away from what scientific consensus indicates would benefit Southern Resident killer whales most - salmon restoration.

The PWWA has responded to Natural Resources Defense Council, David Suzuki Foundation, World Wildlife Fund - Canada, Georgia Strait Alliance, and Raincoast Conservation Foundation, condemning their campaign and encouraging them to dedicate more of their organizations' considerable resources toward addressing the issue that will ultimately help Southern Residents the most - salmon restoration.

Click here for more information on the Pacific Whale Watch Association, and to contact for further information.

British Columbians are invited to have their say on three proposed options for permanent paid sick leave shaped by their responses to the first phase of consultation.

The options paper has been posted on government’s engagement site and is available for comment until October 25th. Three options have been developed that cover the minimum number of days; three, five and 10 days of paid sick leave.

In May 2021, amendments to the Employment Standards Act laid the groundwork for establishing minimum standards for permanent paid sick leave. Following the public engagement process, paid sick leave will be established through regulation and come into effect on January 1, 2022.

A critical pillar of advocacy work over the past 20 months has been TIAC’s position as co-chair of the Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses. This is a coalition of over 120 tourism, hotel and events businesses including TIABC who are fighting for industry-specific support. Not just businesses - but also the organizations that represent hundreds of businesses behind them.

Most recently, the Coalition developed a campaign advocating for a survival program for the industry. As part of this advocacy push, we were pleased to see the extension of the wage and rent subsidy programs this summer, but knew that this would not be enough to ensure the survival of our businesses – with the expected wind-down of these programs this month -- we continue to push for a tailored solution.

We need to ensure that this stays top of mind for officials.

As BC’s private liquor industry association, ABLE BC works to collect data for their membership and create an economic snapshot of our industry. They survey private liquor store members on an annual basis to help develop KPIs or benchmarks for your business.

ABLE is conducting their third annual LRS Benchmark Survey and

need your feedback.

To ensure they can offer you valuable insights, we kindly ask that if you own and/or operate an LRS, you complete the survey here.

Results will be shared with members and in the Quarterly Pour. Preliminary results will be presented at the BC Liquor Conference on October 25, 2021.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact ABLE BC: info@ablebc.ca

UBC Sauder School of Business has chosen the BC Hospitality Foundation (BCHF) as one of the charities for their students to work on a case study assignment.

Three different teams of students will create sponsorship packages for the BCHF tailored to promote the foundation and provide value to corporations when sponsoring any of their activities.

In order to provide the students with as much information as possible about the BCHF we ask that you fill out the survey below. The survey will be open until October 21st and will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Information will go directly to the students.

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact Dana@danalee.biz.

The City of Vancouver want to know about your experience of the Stanley Park Temporary Bike Lane in 2021.

Have you had a chance to experience the temporary bike lane in Stanley Park this summer?

In March 2021, a board motion was passed to implement a temporary bike lane on Stanley Park Drive. The city made some changes based on your feedback from 2020 and would like your input on your experience of the bike lane this year. The findings will help inform the future needs and desires for mobility in Stanley Park.

Tell the City of Vancouver about your experience by taking the survey here.

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD), with its office located in Salmon Arm, invites applications for the exempt position of Team Leader, Tourism and Film.

This is a mid-level management position reporting directly to the Chief Administrative Officer. The Team Leader, Tourism and Film is responsible for the development and implementation of the Strategic Marketing Plan for Shuswap Tourism, as well as overseeing and coordinating Columbia Shuswap Film Commission activities in their respective regions. Activities include marketing campaigns, digital strategies development and execution, public relations and media familiarization, collateral production, product development, market research, information sharing, and sales and advertising.

Click here for more information and to apply.

Each year, Small Business Week offers an invaluable opportunity to celebrate Canada’s hard-working entrepreneurs and the impact they have upon our local communities. This year’s event is taking place from October 17-23, and Small Business BC, in partnership with the Province of British Columbia, is joining the national celebration by offering FREE access to webinars all week long.

The week of webinar programming is packed with topics to equip your business with the skills needed to navigate today’s COVID economy. Whether you’re looking to find new staff, upgrade your digital marketing efforts, or brush up on your business finances, you are sure to find the education you need to succeed.

Places are limited, so we encourage you to book as early as possible. A waitlist will be activated once sessions reach capacity. Click here to learn more about the sessions being offered during Small Business Week and to register.

The BC Chamber of Commerce recently 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.

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.

There is no better example of what TIABC has done for you than in the last 18-months. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic TIABC has identified your concerns, raised your voice, championed your needs, pushing for support and programs while encouraging policy changes.

We thank you for your investment in our advocacy efforts.

TIABC is a not-for-profit membership organization. Our advocacy initiatives and efforts are only possible through the investment and support of our members. In this feature, we are showcasing those businesses and wish to thank them for either joining or renewing their membership and their continued support. Our success depends on you.

Bringing people together for the best floating holidays around, Waterway Houseboat Vacations was a staple in Sicamous for over 45 years. Now under new ownership and management, and with a new name, Sicamous Houseboats is ready to bring a fresh houseboating experience to Shuswap Lake.

Well-equipped houseboats feature all the amenities you need and more, including waterslides, rooftop hot tubs, TVs, fully equipped kitchens and full bathrooms. The fleet features a range of boats with varying styles and the ability to accommodate groups of all sizes.

Enjoy lazy days in the sun floating around the lake, relaxing with friends and family around a bonfire on the beach, or fill your vacation with all the activities the Shuswap offers, like hiking, swimming, fishing, wakeboarding, tubing, paddleboarding, golfing, mountain biking, and more. Perfect for families, weddings and corporate retreats.

For more information on the Sicamous Houseboats here.

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.

Justin Lafontaine and Alex Beryland of The Innovation Lab will share experiences and examples on inspiring, supporting and enabling tourism innovation through industry partnerships and programs.

Justin Lafontaine; Program Lead, Tourism Innovation Lab

Alex Beryland; Outreach & BC Programs Coordinator, Tourism Innovation Lab

Date: Wednesday, October 20th at 11:00 am

Eager to learn about services and resources available to BC tourism-based industry entrepreneurs? Join Export Navitator, Pacific Economic Development and Canada's Trade Commission to learn about growing your business beyond BC's borders. This session is designed to provide key information and practical tools to empower businesses.

Allison Boulton; Export Navigator

Emmanuelle Barras; Pacific Economic Development Canada (Pacific Can)

Francis Acquarone; Trade Commissioner Services

Date: Wednesday, October 27th at 11:00 am

When employees struggle to manage difficult guests or personal situations outside of work, it can negatively impact their mental health in the workplace. As a manager, responding to employee concerns in a crisis can be very challenging. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to support them.

Join the BC Tourism Resiliency Network, go2HR, and the Canadian Mental Health Association for a free 45 minute webinar about how tourism business managers can support employees in difficult times.

This webinar will include practical information and resources on:

Date: Thursday, October 21st, 1:30 - 2:30 PM (PT)

Click here for more information and to register.

This webinar will provide tools for tourism businesses to develop and implement a sustainability management plan into their operations. Businesses will learn how to:

Date: Wednesday November 24th, 2021, 10:00am - 11:00am PST

Click here to register for this free event.

Need help bringing on new staff? Hiring students is a great way to build your team for short-term needs and to build a talent pipeline for the long term! And now you can access a wage subsidy of up to $7,500 through Propel, a brand new Student Work Placement Program (SWPP)!

Propel is offered through Tourism HR Canada, a Canadian organization with a mandate aimed at building a world-leading tourism workforce. Propel is specifically designed to support the tourism and hospitality sector.

Learn more about how your organization can take advantage of this federally funded wage subsidy program and how to bring on students from hospitality and tourism management, culinary arts, and other programs from across the province.

Date: Monday, November 15th at 2:00pm (Pacific).

Brought to you by the Talent MATCH Program, a collaboration between go2HR, the BC Museums Association, the BC Alliance for Arts + Culture, and the Association for Co-operative Education &

Register here for this free session.

Hosted by ABLE BC, this year's conference will take place online and in-person. A portion of the tickets are available to attend in person at Soundhouse Studios in Vancouver. The remaining are available for virtual attendance.

Note: ABLE BC will be asking for proof of vaccination from all in-person guests.

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. This year’s conference schedule includes:

Date: Monday, October 25th

Click here for more information and to register.

The BC Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS) and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) invite you to come together as a tourism community to learn from everything we've been through and think differently about how we can co-create a vibrant and resilient tourism industry in BC. The BCRTS Tourism Summit 2021 is a joint virtual event. Attend thought provoking workshops and panels, learn from tourism leaders from around the globe and network with industry colleagues. This event is open to all tourism stakeholders and GSTC members at no cost.

Attend thought provoking workshops and panels, learn from tourism leaders from around the globe and network with industry colleagues.

Hosted by: BC Regional Tourism Secretariat & Global Sustainable Tourism Council

Where: Virtual

Dates: Nov 3 - 4, 2021

Click here to learn more and to register.

Mark your calendar for a virtual conference hosted by the SFI. This year’s theme, the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative and BC’s Public Fishery, will be addressed by a range of speakers from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Province of BC, the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the SFI.

Date: Thursday, December 2nd at 1:00 pm (virtual)

The annual SFI conference is well recognized as an important public fishery management and policy forum where elected officials, public servants and those in the sport fishing industry share their perspectives on trends, innovations and issues facing BC’s public fishery. Attendance and registration are free, with thanks to our sponsors as noted below.

Registration and additional information, including a detailed agenda, will be available as the date approaches.

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.