C-19 BULLETIN - April 30, 2020
Canadian Survey on Business Conditions:
Impact of COVID-19 on businesses in Canada

From April 3 to 24, representatives from more than 12,600 businesses visited Statistics Canada's website and took part in an online questionnaire about how COVID-19 is affecting their business.

Nearly one-third (32.3%) of businesses who responded to the survey reported that their revenues from the first quarter of 2020 were down by 40% or more from the same quarter a year earlier. Another 21.2% of businesses reported their revenues had decreased by 20% to 40% over the same period.

Businesses in the accommodation and food services (72.6%), arts, entertainment and recreation, (66.7%) and retail trade (60.3%) sectors were most likely to report a decline in revenue greater than 20%. In contrast, just over two-fifths of businesses in each of the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (42.0%) and the utilities (40.4%) sectors reported either no change or an increase in revenue.

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Canadian Federation of
Outfitter Associations Circling the Wagons on Government Support

The Canadian Federation of Outfitter Associations has written a second letter to Hon. Minister Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development & Official Languages, and minister responsible for tourism.

The Federation again outlined the devastating impact COVID-19 is continuing to have on the sector. While the association is very grateful for the enhancements that have been made to the various supports for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), too many business owners continue to fall through the gaps. The association forwarded recommendation to improve the wage subsidy program, CEBA and CERB.

D ownload the letter here.
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Aviation Sector Virtually Grounded

The BC Aviation Council has written two letters outlining the devastating impact that COVID-19 is having on British Columbia's aviation and aerospace industry. BCAC outlined several proposed actions for government to help airports, air operators, and flying schools survive and move forward toward recovery.



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Tourism Director Presents Sobering
COVID-19 Stats to Nelson City Council

A 60% drop in tourism to the region is expected for the coming year, according to the executive director of Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism.

Dianna Ducs said that pre-COVID-19, Nelson hotels and restaurants in the region employed an estimated 2,300 people. Now, only about 2% of hotels are occupied.
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COVID-19 Protection – Best Practices for Responsible Operation of BC Golf Courses

On March 26th, the Province issued the following: 

" The Provincial Health Officer has ordered some types of businesses to close. Any business or service that has not been ordered to close and is also not identified on the essential service list may stay open if they can adapt their services and workplace to the orders and recommendations of the PHO .” 

With over 300 golf courses in all areas of BC, an estimated one-third are open now and many more will open soon. Therefore, it is critical that all golf operations immediately align with COVID-19 orders, direction and safety protocols mandated by the Provincial Health Officer (PHO) and regional health authorities.

The Allied Golf Association of BC has worked together with the British Columbia Golf Industry, government and provincial colleagues to prepare  COVID-19 PROTECTION - BEST PRACTICES FOR THE RESPONSIBLE OPERATION OF BC GOLF COURSES  including the COVID-19 best management practices for physical distancing, disinfection and outbreak control policies specific to golf in British Columbia.

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Zoom Backgrounds

Want to attend your next meeting alongside a breaching orca? How about from a vantage point in the Canadian Rockies? Whatever your chosen landscape, bring a little bit of British Columbia to your next video call with Destination BC's new library of Zoom backgrounds.

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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.

Visit their website for upcoming webinars, along with the opportunity to watch any sessions you’ve missed.

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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Support PG Website and Marketing Campaign Launched

A new Support PG website and marketing campaign have been launched to assist local businesses in navigating operational challenges arising from measures put in place to flatten the COVID-19 curve and to encourage residents to support local businesses.

supportpg.ca  is the result of 11 local organizations coming together to enhance the social media and marketing campaign that was initially developed by the Prince George Chamber of Commerce. The 11 economic development and business support organizations include:
  • The Prince George Chamber of Commerce
  • The City of Prince George
  • Tourism Prince George
  • Downtown Prince George
  • Community Futures-Fraser Fort George
  • The Prince George Airport
  • Women’s Enterprise Centre
  • Aboriginal Business Development Corporation
  • College of New Caledonia
  • University of Northern British Columbia
  • Northern BC Tourism Association

The Support PG website offers businesses centralized access to COVID-19 support resources and provides residents with information about how to support local businesses during the pandemic.
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].