Tourism Advocacy Update – August 18-19, 2020 - Association de l'industrie touristique du Canada

COVID-19 Updates > Tourism Advocacy Update – August 18-19, 2020

Tourism Advocacy Update – August 18-19, 2020

Publié le 19 Août 2020

August 18-19, 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:

TIAC’s Advocacy Update

Yesterday, major changes to government were made including the Hon. Chrystia Freeland becoming the new Minister of Finance, and the prorogation of Parliament to September 23, 2020.
- TIAC is working diligently to adapt our advocacy efforts to respond to these changes, and will be sharing more with the industry in the coming days and weeks.
Yesterday, the government announced the appointment of Marsha Walden as President and CEO of Destination Canada. TIAC welcomes Ms. Walden and looks forward to working closely together with her and Destination Canada to continue supporting the tourism sector.
- Read the press release here.
Today, the TIAC-led Industry Policy Committee met to discuss ongoing efforts to support the industry with the impacts of COVID-19, especially as businesses are moving into the shoulder fall season.

Government Announcements

On Tuesday night, Finance Minister Bill Morneau resigned from his position as Finance Minister. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has been tasked with taking over the position of Finance Minister in addition to her duties as Deputy PM. Minister Freeland will be the first female finance minister in Canada.
Parliament has been prorogued until September 23, when a new Speech from the Throne will be delivered. This means all committees will have to be reappointed and the pre-budget consultations will have to be re-adopted and reintroduced.
- An important consideration of this update is that the Speech from the Throne will likely force a confidence vote in Parliament. TIAC will be watching closely for updates on this situation.
Today, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and Trade Mary Ng shared a new resource to help businesses reopen safely. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has released a free 30 minute course to educate business owners and staff on their responsibilities relating to COVID-19.
- Link

In Case You Missed It …

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
- Link to Release
Applications for Period 5 of the CEWS program opened on August 17th. There are now new resources, including a CEWS calculator, available to businesses to help navigate changes to this program.
- See the government website for further details.
For TIAC’s members using the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), Export Development Canada has announced a new call centre starting up to provide status updates and document assistance to applicants as some applicants have had challenges receiving the application support they need to receive funds through CEBA.
- Link

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 storiesand ‘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: