posted on September 23, 2020
September 17-23, 2020
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:
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TIAC’s Advocacy Update
- This afternoon at 2:00pm EST, the Governor General will deliver the government’s Throne Speech on behalf of the government, which will lay out the government’s priorities ahead of a fall budget
- TIAC will closely monitor the speech for mention of the tourism sector, and initiatives that can support struggling the visitor economy as a whole and their businesses
- TIAC will send an additional note on the contents of the Speech tonight to TIAC members
- On Monday, TIAC’s President & CEO met with members of the New Democratic Party to promote the extension of the CEWS program
- This meeting resulted in the NDP sending a letter of support to the government on extending the CEWS initiative
- On Tuesday, the President & CEO participated in a meeting with ISED ADM Paul Thompson for a regular stakeholder weekly call as well as a separate meeting with an official from Minister Melanie Joly’s office.
- Please note that a number of Ministers’ offices have made changes to their key officials. Importantly, Minister Joly’s previous Chief of Staff, Daniel Lauzon has moved to Foreign Affairs as the new Chief of Staff to Minister François-Philippe Champagne. Mr. Lauzon is replaced by Sandra Aubé as the new Chief of Staff to Minister Joly.
- Please also note that Ms. Tina Namiesniowski has recently stepped down from her position as President of Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and is being replaced by Mr. Iain Stewart who begins his new role as the new head of the agency on September 28th. Mr; Stewart currently serves as President of the National Research Council.
- Our partners at TourismHR Canada are hosting a webinar on “Navigating COVID’s shock to Canada’s tourism workforce”
- The webinar will be on September 28 at 2:00pm EST – Register here
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Government Announcements
- Late last week, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced the launch of the Climate Action and Awareness Fund that will support projects that strengthen Canada’s overall capacity to understand and take action against climate change
- To be eligible for funding under this request for proposals, lead applicants must be one of the following:
- not-for-profit non-governmental organization
- university or academic institution
- Indigenous organization
- Applications are due October 21, 2020
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In Case You Missed It …
- TIAC is proud to have been a part of the launch of the Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses (CHHB), which launched its campaign for the CEWS to be extended into 2021 for businesses unable to move into recovery.
- If you’re an association whose members are likely to sustain revenue losses of 50%+ in the coming months, and want to join the coalition, please email Meagan at mzettler@tiac-aitc.ca to get involved.
- Visit hardesthit.ca to learn more.
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