Dear Hospitality Community,
Great news this morning from our Prime Minister, with the announcement of the Temporary Wage Subsidy extension to the end of August. Now we need to have the temporary lay off period under the BC Labour Code extended to mirror the temporary lay off time frame. For full article click
here
.
We have been working closely with Go2HR and the sub-sector working groups, in order to
submit to Government our industries best practises and protocol recommendations. We anticipate distributing the draft guidelines to you, our industry next week. Rest assured that all sectors of accommodations in all regions, are represented and included. The goal is to ensure we have safe work spaces and that we can garner consumer confidence to reopen, or open with the new best practices for our industry, and move forward to save our summer.
I’d like to thank all of you around the province who have volunteered to lend your expertise and time to this important work. I anticipate being able to distribute a DRAFT next week for your training and business needs.
In light of everything I want to send my warmest regards and wish everyone a very safe, healthy, and restful holiday weekend.
Stay safe,
Ingrid Jarrett
President & CEO
BC Hotel Association
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URGENT Update- ABLE BC ReOpening Protocols
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Urgent Update: reopening protocols for pubs, restaurants, and cafes
Dear ABLE BC members and industry colleagues,
This morning, WorkSafeBC released their reopening protocols and guidelines for restaurants, cafes, and pubs.
We are very pleased to share the protocols are consistent with ABLE BC and our industry partners' (BCRFA, Restaurants Canada, and the BC Craft Brewers Guild) recommendations.
We will be sending out our full COVID-19 update and more details on the protocols later today.
For full article, please click
here
.
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New Policy Directive for Sanitizers
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Today a new policy directive was issued for breweries, distilleries and wineries regarding sanitizers. See policy guidelines and directive
here
.
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Project Change - Kickstarting Canadian Charities
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Project Change Foundation
provides small grants and other support to new or emerging charities in Canada with a clear vision for improving their communities or the environment. Our goal is to nurture financially sustainable, well-organized charities capable of standing the test of time.
Expressions of interest are welcome from early-stage charities with significant potential for creating social or environmental change. For consideration in 2021, please apply at
www.projectchangefoundation.com
no later than June 30, 2020.
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Metro Vancouver Response and Recovery Task Force
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The Metro Vancouver Response and Recovery Government Relations working group in partnership with the hotel community have determined reopening the meetings and convention sector is critical to our industries recovery. We are currently working on quantifying the impact, and also working together on best practises for the hotel sector and the conferences and events sector in the province.
See letter to Minister Beare and Minister Dix
here.
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ABLE BC and BCHA pleased to announce liquor regulation win
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Today, Attorney General David Eby confirmed that Premier John Horgan has instructed him to move quickly on clearing liquor-related roadblocks for pubs, bars, and restaurants.
Specifically, the Attorney General referenced two urgent requests that are being actively explored within government:
· wholesale prices for hospitality licensees (i.e. LPs and FPs)
· expedited provincial approval for patios and expanded outdoor liquor service
These would be significant wins for our members and are essential for our industry's long-term economic recovery.
While ABLE BC and other industry associations on the Business Technical Advisory Panel have been working the past several weeks on expanding outdoor liquor service, allowing hospitality customers to purchase liquor at wholesale prices is one of our long-standing policy priorities.
Letter to Minister Ralston
here.
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Federal Government Update
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Regional Relief and Recovery Fund
Today the Federal Government announced that the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) will devote nearly $962 million to help more businesses and organizations in sectors such as tourism, manufacturing, technology, and others that are key to the regions and to local economies.
RRRF is now accepting applications from businesses and communities. It is specifically targeting those that may require additional funds to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic but have been unable to access existing support measures.
There are six regional development agencies (RDA) that will be delivering this funding. Covering every region of Canada, the RDAs are very familiar with the economic realities of their regions and are well suited to assist workers and businesses.
The funding will be allocated as follows:
The funding announced today is part of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, which commits more than $149 billion to support Canadians and businesses through this difficult time. As other government measures are further strengthened, the RDAs will adapt to meet the ongoing needs of local businesses.
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Destination BC is hosting a series of webinars to support BC’s tourism industry on the road to recovery. This series aims to support response, recovery, and resilience from COVID-19.
Speaker: Joe Veneto, Veneto Collaboratory
Thursday, May 14 @2:00 pm PT (90 minutes)
Speaker: Eva Gutsche, Stem Consulting
Tuesday, May 19 @ 2:00 pm PT (60 minutes)
Speaker: Daniel Craig, Reknown
Thursday, May 21 @ 2:00 pm PT (60 minutes)
Speaker: Conner Galway, Junction Consulting
Tuesday, May 26 @ 2:00 pm PT (60 minutes)
Speaker: Conner Galway, Junction Consulting
Thursday, May 28 @ 2:00 pm PT (60 minutes)
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Women of Recreation, Tourism & Hospitality
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Women of Recreation, Tourism &
Hospitality (WORTH) Webinars
Worth
is hosting a two-part Zoom series about navigating the heightened levels of uncertainty and change that many of us are experiencing today. You will be equipped with tangible tools and ideas to empower you to make this time work to your advantage.
Monday, May 18 at 2:00 pm PT
Making Uncertainty Work For You
For registration, please click here:
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BC Hotel Association in the News
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Kingfisher Resort and Spa planning to reopen later this...
Hotel rooms now available for online bookings starting June 1, spa to follow RELATED: Here's a phase-by-phase look at how B.C. hopes to re-open parts of society Another signature Vancouver Island attraction is poised to step out of the shackles...
Read more
www.vancouverislandfreedail...
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The Early Edition with Stephen Quinn | Live Radio | CBC...
The Early Edition is Vancouver's connection to the latest breaking local news, interviews that cut through the spin, and community stories and personalities that surprise and delight.
Read more
www.cbc.ca
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VIDEO: #EXPLOREBCLOCAL
As more local (community) activities ease back in to our daily lives and additional tourism businesses begin to open to the public, they are encouraging BC residents to
hashtag
#exploreBClocal
.
During this Hyper-Local Travel phase, they want to encourage BC residents to get out and explore their backyards and, specifically, to support the tourism businesses that are already open with new operating measures in place, and those that are able to reopen after May 19 (while adhering to current health
directives).
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BC Parks is excited to welcome you back!
Many parks are now open for day-use. The Discover Camping reservation system will be online for bookings May 25, with many BC Parks campgrounds opening for the season on June 1.
As we get back outdoors, please remember to stay local and only visit the parks that are closest to your home.
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