Dear Accommodation Community,
I write directly to each of you today with a highly important request that will take no more than 1 minute of your time.
Included directly below is further information on the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP) that was promised during last month's fall economic update. As witnessed in our last pulse check, almost 50% of hotels in British Columbia may be forced to close by April if immediate support is not secured.
These are your industry colleagues, friends, and neighbours that will be impacted so severely unless action is taken immediately. Sending a letter to you MP is simple and will take one moment of your time.
Steps to submit your letter:
- Visit hardesthit.ca
- Scroll down to where it say 'Take Action' and click the relevant letter (employee vs. employer)
- Input your name, address, email and select 'hospitality' from the scroll down menu
- Check "I Accept PRIVACY and TERMS of USE"
- Click Submit
What this year has proven is that there is strength in numbers. We have witnessed the impact that the collective voice of our industry can have in actioning change and we implore you to join us in pushing for this program to be rolled out immediately.
We must do this for ourselves and for our industry and its people.
Stay safe and stay well,
Ingrid Jarrett
President & CEO
British Columbia Hotel Association
|
|
Included below you will find important information on:
- Connecting with a Program Advisor to assist with applications for provincial and government programs
- Request for advocacy support on HASCAP rollout
- Report from the BC Meetings & Events Industry Working Group
- State of the industry webinar with TIABC & BCRTS (Friday, Friday, December 18, 2020 1PM PST)
- Destination Canada's guide on rebuilding traveller confidence
- Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Business Reinvention Awards
- In the news - BC fiscal update
|
|
Call to Action: Hardest Hit Coalition Pushes for Immediate Rollout of HASCAP |
|
Our latest Coalition survey revealed staggering evidence that there is a critical need for an immediate rollout of the new Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP), as promised in the Fall Economic Statement.
Key findings:
- Without access to government support, more than 70% of respondents will be unable to stay in business
- Without new financing, almost 70% of respondents will not make it to the summer
- Further, more than 40% respondents will not make it to the end of February
The government needs to know that these hardest-hit businesses will not survive without more support, resulting in business closures and substantial job losses. Our voices are needed now to amplify this message to parliamentarians.
To highlight the urgency and encourage Government action, we will be sharing the attached letter with all Members of Parliament on behalf of the Coalition, calling on the government to implement HASCAP immediately and ensure it is ready to receive applications in early January. We have also re-tooled our Coalition microsite to support this ask.
But we need your support: We are asking all coalition partners, your respective teams, and your membership networks, to send a letter to their local Member of Parliament. We need at least 500 letters sent to MPs before the end of the week. It will take less than 1 minute to send using the prepopulated letter available on our Coalition microsite: HardestHit.ca / DurementTouches.ca.
Thank you for your efforts in both sharing and sending your letters, and for amplifying our collective voice
|
|
Need Help? Connect with a Program Advisor |
Need help navigating government programs for relief? The BC Tourism Resiliency Network is available for support. Click the link below to connect with a Program Advisor in your region. Taking steps to secure relief can be challenging but this network is here to help. |
|
Report from the BC Meetings & Events Industry Working Group |
After developing and circulating the BC Meetings & Events COVID-19 Safe Restart Guidelines in September as the framework for safe operations in our industry, the working group, which includes TIABC's Walt Judas, has been focused throughout Q4 on developing a restart proposal for business meetings & events that will be submitted in the new year to the Provincial Health Officer under Section 43 of the Provincial Health Act, specific to the 50-person limit for gatherings.
The BC Meetings & Events Restart Plan proposes that the business meetings & events industry is resumed in a four stage, graduated process. Each stage increases the number of attendees permitted within a range, the types of meetings & events that can be held, and the activities that participants can engage in. Strategic, incremental growth on a monthly or bi-monthly basis (within and between stages) is recommended based on continuous monitoring of meetings & events, along with rolling 30-day assessments by the Provincial Health Officer.
-
Stage One was essentially in effect from April until December, when meetings & events with up to 50 people were permitted. As of December, meetings have been prohibited outside of the workplace. With positive review of this proposed plan, our hope is that we can return to Stage One in early 2021, or as early as deemed appropriate by public health authorities.
-
Stage Two would allow for meetings & events with 100 people and potentially graduating to 250 people.
-
Stage Three would allow for meetings & events with 250 people, potentially graduating to 500 people.This assumes that contract tracing apps are widely available, and the possibility of rapid testing. Events over 250 people would be restricted to purpose-built venues such as hotels and convention centres.
-
Stage Four would allow for meetings & events with 500 people, potentially graduating to 1,000+ people. This assumes that rapid testing is widely available, and widespread access to a vaccine. As with Stage Three, events over 250 people would be limited to compliant venues.
Download the full update here
|
|
Destination Canada:
Rebuilding Traveller Confidence
|
The importance of keeping safety top of mind and in plain sight
This guide offers four simple themes that have risen to the top for small businesses to help restore and cultivate confidence within Canadian travellers by showing that safety is in everyone’s best interest. We also share some best-in-class examples from your tourism industry peers from coast to coast to coast.
|
|
Greater Vancouver Board of Trade
Business Reinvention Awards
|
The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade’s Scale-up Centre for SMEs (SCS) is pleased to announce the 2021 Business Reinvention Awards.
The purpose of these new awards is to recognize businesses who have reinvented, adapted, and shown resiliency in the face of all challenges and barriers in 2020.
It’s undeniable that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about some very difficult times to us all, but it has also shown us how businesses are able to get creative and reinvent themselves in order to adapt to the situation and not only survive, but also thrive in the face of adversity. This is what the Business Reinvention Awards 2021 is all about! We want to recognize businesses who have reinvented, adapted, and shown resiliency in the face of all challenges and barriers in 2020.
So, if you know – or are - an outstanding SME that has reinvented itself during the current crisis, you can submit a nomination using this form!
Award Categories:
Recognizes a business that quickly and strategically reinvented their business model and implemented new procedures to serve their customers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Excellence in Collaboration Award
Recognizes two or more businesses that have successfully partnered together to remain afloat and overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recognizes a business that has successfully engaged their employees through the pandemic. They have influenced employee motivation and happiness and created an overall positive workplace culture.
- Environmental Leader Award
Recognizes a business that has established and implemented sustainable policies to reduce the environmental impacts of their products or service-offerings.
Recognizes a business that achieved significant growth in sales, staff, and impact within Canada.
The virtual event will be held on February 26, 2021, but nominations are due on Friday, January 15, so make sure to submit yours by then.
Good Luck! And hope to see you in the celebratory event!
|
|
B.C. government's projected deficit rises to $13.6 billion
Partial economic recovery is predicted for B.C. in 2021, and the report shows continued areas of economic improvement in employment, retail sales and housing activity. B.C.'s real gross domestic product is forecast to decline by 6.2 per cent in...
Read more
vancouversun.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
