August 18 2020 Update from TIAC

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Dear Tourism Stakeholders,

The TIAC Team is pleased to provide you with this update on the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, including the steps government is taking to address the situation. We are working hard to make sure the industry’s voice is heard by government, and that you have the information you need to keep your business going in these uncertain times.

Please find the latest updates on official announcements and a recap of TIAC’s advocacy work on behalf of Canada’s Visitor Economy:

TIAC’s Advocacy Update

·     On Thursday, TIAC’s President and CEO, Charlotte Bell, had a call with MP Elizabeth May, former leader of the Green Party of Canada to brief MP May on the realities faced by tourism businesses and to outline sector support measures.

·     Thursday, TIAC joined the Business Liaison Group hosted by Judith Andrew, Commissioner (Employers) of the Canada Employment Insurance Commission. The group was joined by Ted Gallivan, Assistant Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency and colleagues who outlined the new Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) rules.

·     Friday, TIAC participated on a Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable committee call comprised of leaders across the tourism industry calling on government for the responsible reboot of the travel and tourism industries by prioritizing safety and adherence to new regulation.

·     Today, TIAC’s President and CEO, Charlotte Bell, had a call with officials from the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages’ office to highlight continued struggles of the tourism sector and encourage further support for immediate liquidity access to get businesses through the crisis.
Government Announcements 

·     Friday, Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, announced Canada and the US have agreed to extend the temporary restriction of all non-essential travel across the Canada-US border another month until September 21, 2020.

·     https://deputypm.canada.ca/en/news/news-releases/2020/08/14/government-canada-announces-extension-border-agreement-united-states

·     Friday evening, the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages announced a $3M investment for the Gaspésie region to support businesses and tourism. Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) will be administering the funding to 14 projects in the area. Support has been coming through Regional Development Agencies over the past few weeks for specific businesses and tourism operators in regions across Canada.

·     https://www.canada.ca/en/economic-development-quebec-regions/news/2020/08/gaspesie-region-a-key-player-in-quebecs-economic-recovery.html

·     Over the weekend, Minister of Transportation Marc Garneau released more details on “Canada’s Flight Plan for Navigating COVID-19”. A full document is available featuring useful graphics and detailed measures for travelers and tourists hoping to restart travel by air.

·     Link to Report: https://tc.canada.ca/en/initiatives/covid-19-measures-updates-guidance-issued-transport-canada/canada-s-flight-plan-navigating-covid-19

·     Link to Release: https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2020/08/government-of-canada-releases-canadas-flight-plan-for-safe-air-travel.html
In Case You Missed It … 

·     Last week, TIAC’s President & CEO appeared before the federal Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology (INDU) to discuss with Members of Parliament the crucial need for liquidity support for the industry in the face of COVID-19.

·     You can view the recording of the committee meeting here.

·     Last week, the government of Canada officially launched a calculator to help Canadian businesses using the CEWS program to better assess their upcoming eligibility as changes to payments come into effect. While TIAC continues to advocate for better CEWS eligibility terms for the sector, we encourage businesses to access these tools to help plan for upcoming pay and staffing periods.

·     See the government press release for further details.

·     TIAC’s team has been hard at work to plan our virtual Tourism Congress in  November and will cover a variety of topics including more information on COVID-19 recovery and industry advocacy. Find out more here.

·     Meetings Mean Business Canada and TIAC still need you to send letters to your MPs to support our COVID-19 advocacy initiatives! Please click on the following links to send a letter of support:

·     MMBC

·     Tourism Counts
Resources for Businesses 

·     Tourism HR Canada offers a wide range of checklists and resources to help tourism operators and their teams rebound from the crisis and build a resilient workforce through their Tourism Workforce Recovery Toolkit. They also publish the latest tourism employment numbers and insights in their Employment Tracker.

·     TIAC Member Keepoint is offering members of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada a 10% discount on its products for a period of 60 days. You will be able to purchase our products from our website at www.keepoint.ca – click here for promo code.

·     The Manitoba Tourism Education Council (MTEC) is offering their “Clean It Right” program certification free to tourism, hospitality, and retail industry businesses in Manitoba until June 1, 2021 – click here for more details.

·     The certification is also available to operators in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador – please check with your provincial tourism association for costs and other information.

·     Our partners at Destination Canada are creating free online educational videos for tourism businesses – “Marketing Tips and Tricks” to increase their digital marketing presence. The first video in the series is available now.

·     TIAC member Tempest has created a free content platform called Rediscover Canada for destination professionals to share travel stories and ‘hidden gems’ in their communities. You can check out and contribute to the initiative here.

·     The UNWTO has an online dashboard of international statistics on the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism sector.

·     MPI has created a coronavirus resource page that pulls together meetings and events information and also links to several other resources helpful to the Business Events segment in our sector.

·     The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has released a series of Global Safety Protocols for reopening with the ‘new normal’ in mind.

·     Go2HR has compiled a comprehensive list of resources for all types of sector businesses related to COVID-19.

·     For operators looking for information on how to prepare to safely reopen their operations, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has a series of bilingual guidelines available to businesses regarding COVID-19.

·     Google for SMEs has also launched a page dedicated to supporting businesses during COVID-19 including practical steps and free digital skills training.
Looking Ahead – COVID-19 Recovery

Several provinces have begun announcing plans for reopening economies. Timelines and actions vary, but can provide businesses and workers with information on what to expect in the upcoming weeks and months. TIAC is following up on measures announced by British Columbia to limit gatherings of more than 50 people and seeking a coordinated approach between provinces in the recovery phase. We have reached out to our provincial counterparts to work together in an effort to create an orderly recovery strategy that will address health concerns and support tourism businesses. TIAC will continue to add links to provincial recovery plans as they become available:

·     Alberta

·     British Columbia

·     Manitoba

·     New Brunswick

·     Newfoundland & Labrador

·     Nova Scotia

·     Ontario

·     Prince Edward Island

·     Quebec

·     Saskatchewan

·     The Council of Atlantic Premiers – Travel Bubble release

·     Maclean’s – Coronavirus in Canada: Reopening plans province-by-province

·     Canada’s Tourism Roundtable guide on travelling in Canada
Email Updates Archived
New information is being shared at a rapid pace and we know it can be overwhelming. If you think you may have missed something, head over here to see all our communications that we’ve released so far:

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TIAC continues to represent your interests with government officials and decision-makers throughout this crisis. Please stay safe and let us know what more we can do to help.