C-19 BULLETIN - August 19, 2020

State of Emergency Extended to Continue BC’s COVID-19 Response

The BC government has formally extended the provincial state of emergency, allowing Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, to continue to use extraordinary powers under the Emergency Program Act to support the Province's COVID-19 pandemic response.

The state of emergency is extended through the end of the day on Sept. 20th to allow government to continue to take the necessary actions to keep British Columbians safe and manage immediate concerns, such as recent outbreaks in some areas of the province.
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Marsha Walden Appointed as Destination Canada’s President & CEO

On Tuesday, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages announced the appointment of Marsha Walden as Destination Canada’s president and Chief Executive Officer.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors of Destination Canada, I am pleased to welcome Marsha Walden as our new President and CEO. Marsha is a well-respected and trusted member of the ‘Team Canada’ tourism community. Her experience and impressive record of success will be an asset to Destination Canada, and the sector as a whole, as we build a more resilient visitor economy," said Ben Cowan-Dewar, Destination Canada, Chair of the Board of the Directors.

Marsha joins Destination Canada from Destination British Columbia where she served as the president and CEO since 2013. There she successfully led the newly formed provincial Crown corporation to create ground-breaking strategies for tourism development and nationally recognized, data-driven performance marketing. Most recently, her attention has focused on leading the organization to support the ongoing recovery of BC’s tourism sector.

TIABC would like to thank Marsha for her support, as well as outstanding leadership and contribution to BC's visitor economy. We wish Marsha well and look forward to working with her in her new role.

Marsha’s first day with Destination Canada will be August 24th. You can read the official announcement from Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, here.

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Destination BC Announces Richard Porges
as Interim President and CEO

Destination BC’s Board of Directors has appointed Richard Porges as Interim president and CEO effective August 20th, following the appointment of Marsha Walden as CEO of Destination Canada.

Richard has been an integral part of Destination BC’s executive team since 2011 and holds extensive knowledge of and experience working with BC’s vital tourism industry and economic development. Richard was previously Destination BC’s Vice President of Corporate Development. Richard joined the corporation’s research department in 1999, and moved to progressively more senior roles within the provincial government and Destination BC. As Vice President of Corporate Development, Richard provided strategic leadership for Destination BC’s corporate communications, research and analytics, human resources, and corporate services departments. In addition to his role at Destination BC, Richard is also a regular lecturer with the University of Victoria’s Department of Economics. Before joining Destination BC, Richard taught in the Economics, MBA and MPA programs at the University of Victoria, and was a consultant for several government and non-profit organizations. 

Richard and the corporation’s staff will continue to deliver Destination BC’s programs and services to support BC’s vital tourism industry. The Corporation will also continue to work closely with Minister Beare, ministry staff and industry partners across the province.

Destination BC’s Board of Directors is hiring an executive search firm to undertake a global recruitment process, to fill the position of president and CEO permanently. The Board is seeking a candidate who has the leadership to drive the organization’s strategic goals and support BC’s tourism industry during one of the biggest challenges the sector has ever faced due to COVID-19.
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TIABC and Metro Vancouver Tourism & Hospitality Industry Response & Recovery Task Force
Propose Recommendations for CEWS

On August 6th, TIABC and the Metro Vancouver Tourism and Hospitality Industry Response and Recovery Task Force (MVTTRRTF) wrote to Minister Joly about the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Program (CEWS)

The letter, co-signed by TIABC CEO Walt Judas, and Ted Lee, MVTTRRTF Task Force Chair, provides further recommendations to improve the efficacy of CEWS. Recently, government has proposed extending the CEWS program to December 31st, while also increasing the subsidy amount and maximum available (85%) based on revenue loss to help the hardest hit businesses the most.

Because many tourism businesses are either seasonal or will see fewer visitors beyond August, the decrease in the subsidy over time will further hamper recovery, particularly since the industry is not expected to rebound for 12-18 months. CEWS is needed well into 2021.

Download the letter here
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Pandemic Continues to Impact Tourism Businesses

The following letter, addressed to TIABC CEO Walt Judas and Powell River MLA Nicholas Simons, was written by Chloe Smith, general manager of Townsite Brewing.

Please accept this as my letter of support for the TIABC and coalition of supporting associations, proposal for recovery stimulus. In 2018, BC craft beer was named its own sector by Destination BC and plays a significant role in tourism for this province.

Mr Simons, you are familiar with my business and how much tourism it generates in our town, Powell River. Currently I am operating at a 20% loss in revenue over summer of 2019 and I am very worried about job security for the 13 people I currently employee, which is 75% of my pre COVID staff.

My business is in the planning stages of an expanded outdoor area on the empty property directly adjacent to us. I am not, at this moment, confident that I will have the funds at my disposal to create this space. Recovery grants will be crucial for businesses such as mine to pivot and adapt in these unprecedented times. Please consider supporting the proposal to allocate $680 Million from the $1.5 billion recovery package to tourism businesses such as mine. The loss of tourism dollars as well as 13 jobs in a town with a population of 13,000 would be devastating.
 
Sincerely,
Chloe Smith
General Manager, Townsite Brewing (Powell River)
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Tourism in the News

New Report Signals Improvement in Domestic Travel Numbers, but Industry Insiders Say Recovery is a Long Way Off
Bans of international travel have halted bus tours, and Sun Peaks has been unable to host its summer concert events, which draw visitors to the resort.
Destination Campbell River Talks Recovery

In a recent episode of Road to Recovery, CHEK’s Joe Perkins speaks with Kirsten Soder, Director of Destination Campbell River, about COVID-19 and its impact on tourism in the region. Kirsten says while COVID-19 has had a negative impact on tourism, the region has welcomed BC visitors who have never visited before.

Watch the video at:
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Indigenous Tourism Canada Update

The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) is extremely pleased to have reached and signed the final agreement with Indigenous Services Canada on the terms of ITAC's Development Stimulus Grants.

ITAC will be giving a live update and a thorough analysis of the final terms of the agreement. Keith Henry, ITAC's president & CEO, will be hosting the webinar presentation and answering questions from the audience.

Watch the webinar presentation on Keith's Facebook Page Thursday, August 20 @ 10:00 AM PDT / 1:00 PM EDT.
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Leger Weekly Summary - August 17th

COVID-19 Tracking
  • Fear of contracting the virus jumped 6 points from last week and now sits at 61% of the Canadian population – perhaps the concerns regarding back to school may be affecting this measure.

  • This week, the self-assessed mental health of Canadians remains constant, with 35% rating their mental health excellent or very good—this is the lowest level we’ve seen since we first asked this question in mid-April.

  • About 3 in 10 Canadians feel the worst is behind us while 43% say the worst is yet to come. These results are consistent from a week ago.

  • A strong majority continue to expect a second wave of the virus (79%) and 65% feel things will revert back to a lock-down environment similar to March-April of this year.

  • Satisfaction with governments’ handling of the pandemic declined for all three levels. For the provinces there was a 4 point decline from last week.
  • Regionally, satisfaction declined for all governments: most precipitously in Quebec (-8 points) and Alberta (-5 pts). Other provinces dropped between 2 and 3 points.

Download the full report here
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In this virtual information session, Tourism Vancouver members can expect to learn about:
   - Tourism Vancouver Meetings & Conventions team priorities in the short to long-term
   - Status of current work related to business on the books, re-booking results and new business
   - Canada and International market update
   - US market update
   - Status of Meetings & Conventions industry partnerships and programs, all markets
 - Sales activities taking place (virtual and potential in-person for Q4) - potential member participation opportunities
 
Please contact The Membership team if you wish to register a non-member guest.

Learn more at:
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Best Practice Example of Conference Hosting During a Pandemic

The Ai Everything x Restart Dubai Summer Conference was held on July 16th at Dubai World Trade Centre.
 
The conference was lauded as a world-leading best practice example of how to host safe and successful meetings and events. See conference video: ai-everything.com/en
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Chilliwack Corn Maze
Emphasizes Togetherness, Social-Distancing

For 22 years, the Chilliwack Corn Maze has been a place where families can go to learn about agriculture, and how to escape from a maze made out of it.

Planted amid some uncertainty in May, when it was no sure thing that the annual event could be held, the 12-acre corn maze opens August 15th with a positive message carved into the corn: We’re all in this together.

Perhaps in previous years we could all be in the maze together, but social-distancing guidelines call for a more spaced-out experience — roughly 20% of the usual capacity, said Vanessa Oddy. “The corn maze has bubble zones, as well as wider pathways,” she added. “There’s two entrances and two exits.”

Visitors to this year’s maze are asked to book an hour-long appointment in advance to help maintain proper people capacity at the farm.

Tickets for the Chilliwack Corn Maze went on sale Monday.


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TIABC and the BC Hotel Association (BCHA) will be hosting a webinar and open forum to outline the key issues and provide a reality check on the tourism and hospitality industry, our key messages, and ways we can coordinate and work together towards recovery.

Wednesday September 2nd @ 1:00pm-2:00pm (PT)

The webinar will be 45 minutes in duration, with a 15 minute Q&A to follow.

Please complete the registration form and a Zoom link will be sent to you with meeting details the day prior to the webinar.
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BCHA, go2HR and ABLE BC Webinar

The BC Hotel Association (BCHA) will be hosting a webinar and open forum in collaboration with go2HR and BC’s Alliance of Beverage Licensees (ABLE BC) and will feature Phil Eastwood, a leading expert in workplace conflict related training.

Wednesday August 26th @ 1:00PM (PT)
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Small Business BC Webinar

During COVID-19, business owners have been looking at different ways to cut costs and become more efficient. What if it was possible to achieve this goal while helping to reduce transmission of COVID-19 at the same time?

Delivered by Sam Thomas, Principal and Kootenay Branch Manager of Prism Engineering, and Tiago Pereira, Energy Solutions Manager at FortisBC, attendees will learn practical steps for making the workplace safer, while also saving money in our “new normal.” We’ll also be covering tips for making your space cost-effective, COVID relief incentives for small biz and plumbing/environmental controls.

What Will I Learn?
Best practices in HVAC and safety during COVID-19 reopening
How to develop a pandemic response plan
Steps to prepare your business for a potential second wave
Identifying opportunities for increased energy efficiency in your business
Available rebates and energy saving resources from Fortis BC

Wednesday September 2nd @ 10:00am (PT)

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****NOTE: TIABC's C-19 Bulletin is now published every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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 info@tiabc.ca.