Dogwood Express Newsletter |
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In This Issue:
- Registration open for the 2024 BCLCA Spring Webinar Series
- Fraserway RV Touring Guide Listing Deadline March 22, 2024
- BC Minimum Wage Increases to $17.40 an Hour on June 1, 2024
- British Columbia Budget Summary: Highlights and Insights
- RV Park in the Okanagan Requires Operator
- Destination BC Releases Two Resident Sentiment Research Outputs
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go2HR Releases January 2024 Labour Market Information
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REGISTRATION OPEN FOR THE 2024 BCLCA SPRING WEBINAR SERIES
The BC Lodging and Campgrounds Association hosts FREE educational webinars for the membership in the spring of each year.
The webinars take place via the Zoom Video platform on the third Wednesday of the month with a start time of 10:00 am Pacific Standard Time.
Operators can register for the FREE webinars by clicking on the invitation links.
Webinar reminders via email are sent to registrants along with the recording after the event.
Webinar 1 in the series - Wednesday, March 13, 2024 - 10:00 – 11:30 am
Risk Management and Waivers – James Grant, President & CEO, Signature Risk Partners Inc. and Peter Lovering, Business Development Specialist, Signature Risk Partners Inc.
Please register in advance for this FREE webinar:
Webinar 2 in the series – Wednesday, April 17, 2024 – 10:00 – 11:30 am
New or Young Workers Training and Orientation - Lonnie Burnett, Specialist, Industry Health & Safety, go2HR and Nicole Howlett, Specialist, Industry Health & Safety, go2HR
Taking the time to carry out an effective Health & Safety Orientation for workers at the beginning of a busy season is a worthwhile investment. It helps ensure that WorkSafeBC requirements around new and young worker training are met while also setting your team up for success in their roles. What’s more, a positive onboarding experience increases productivity, decreases incidents and injuries, and contributes to a strong safety culture.
Join go2HR for an interactive webinar and learn about the must-haves and best practice topics that you should build into your health and safety orientation training. With industry examples, practical information (including an introduction to go2HR’s new orientation training) and plenty of time for Q&A, you won’t want to miss this session!
Register in advance for this FREE webinar:
Webinar 3 in the series – Wednesday, May 15, 2024 – 10:00 – 11:30 am
Campers Code Operator Training Session – speakers to be confirmed.
Please register in advance for this FREE webinar:
Hope you can join us for one or more of the webinars.
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FRASERWAY RV TOURING GUIDE LISTING DEADLINE MARCH 22, 2024
With the RV Rental Association of BC/Alberta Spring and Fall Guide discontinued in 2020 due to COVID restrictions, Fraserway revamped the guide in 2022 and distributed it as part of their Customer Loyalty Program for their overseas and domestic rentals.
The touring guide is aimed at increasing shoulder season bookings. Distribution of the guide occurs at all four of the Fraserway RV Rental stations in Alberta and BC.
To list in the 2024 guide please contact Anne at [email protected]. To access the media kit, with advertising and listing details click here.
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BC MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES TO $17.40 AN HOUR ON JUNE 1, 2024
The province has announced that the general minimum wage increases from $16.75 to $17.40 per hour on June 1, 2024. This represents a 3.9% increase, consistent with BC’s average rate of inflation in 2023.
The minimum wage in BC is currently $16.75 per hour and is adjusted annually. The chart shows the annual increases for the past seven years.
- June 1, 2024 - $17.40 per hour
- June 1, 2023 – $16.75 per hour
- June 1, 2022 – $15.65 per hour
- June 1, 2021 – $15.20 per hour
- June 1, 2020 – $14.60 per hour
- June 1, 2019 – $13.85 per hour
- June 1, 2018 – $12.65 per hour
Read the official announcement HERE.
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BRITISH COLUMBIA BUDGET SUMMARY: HIGHLIGHTS AND INSIGHTS
Finance Minister Katrine Conroy tabled British Columbia 2024-25 budget (BC Budget 2024) on February 22, 2024. From a fiscal perspective, the province projects a deficit of $7.911 billion, the largest in BC history.
Key highlights include:
- No changes to the corporate or personal tax rates, or the $500,000 small business limit.
- Introduction of a new BC home flipping tax on income from the sale of certain residential real estate held for less than two years, and a proposed increase in the exemption for first-time homebuyers who use their home as a principal residence.
- People in B.C. will get a break on their electricity bill, thanks to a one-time, year-long BC Electricity Affordability Credit
- Households will save an average of $100 on their bills over the course of the year, depending on their power usage.
- Commercial and industrial customers will also receive savings up to 4.6% of their electricity consumption. The average small business will save $400 over the course of the year.
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Proposed increase to the employer health tax exemption threshold to $1 million (from $500,000). An estimated 90% of businesses will now be exempt from the employer health tax. This change is estimated to collectively save businesses more than $100 million annually.
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RV PARK IN THE OKANAGAN REQUIRES OPERATOR
Okanagan Staffing is seeking applicants to live and operate an RV park next to a beautiful River in the Okanagan. Enjoy lodging in the managers house for two people as a reward, receive compensation up to $70 k per couple, 3 weeks vacation in off season and a refreshing lifestyle. You must oversee the campground operations, guest services, maintenance of public areas, and have effective communication/customer service skills.
Previous experience in property management/hospitality required, use of Quickbooks along with managing budgets, cash, and maintaining guest records with MS Office. If you are seeking a new challenge in a career in a beautiful setting, apply to [email protected]
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DESTINATION BC RELEASES TWO RESIDENT SENTIMENT RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Destination BC announced in January two new resident sentiment research outputs that they suggest will transform the BC tourism industry’s ability to understand and communicate its significance to the well-being of BC residents, local communities, and the province, and residents’ understanding of its impact:
As tourism becomes an increasingly complex industry that impacts many aspects of residents’ lives, having a comprehensive understanding of resident perceptions of these impacts is essential for ensuring engaging and effective destination management. This free toolkit, available for destination management organizations throughout BC, is designed to equip communities and the tourism industry with a framework that provides a consistent, credible, and robust measure of resident perceptions of tourism. It includes a step-by-step guide to help tourism partners conduct this type of research, including details to consider, how to determine the most suitable resident sentiment sampling methodology, which survey administrative tools to use, how to develop a survey, and recommended data analysis and reporting.
This new reporting series presents BC resident perceptions of the economic, social/cultural, environmental, job/career, and Indigenous impacts of tourism at the provincial, regional, sub-regional, and local level. It shares important insights on how residents view tourism in specific areas, like cities with a large enough population for local-level reporting. The series includes a BC-wide report, six regional reports, seven sub-regional reports, and 18 local reports.
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go2HR RELEASES JANUARY 2024 LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION
According to go2HR's Employment Tracker, employment in BC's Tourism and Hospitality sector decreased compared to the previous month, indicating ongoing challenges post-COVID-19.
While some regions of the province experienced slight increases, overall employment in January 2024 remained lower than pre-pandemic levels, with 15,250 fewer jobs than in January 2019. Despite efforts to recover, leading occupations still show lower employment rates compared to pre-COVID levels.
Here are a few key highlights:
Employment Trends:
- Overall, employment in BC's Tourism and Hospitality sector decreased by 3.7% in January 2024 compared to December 2023, with a total of 331,500 jobs.
Regional Dynamics:
- Despite some regional variations, most regions experienced a decline in employment, with only the Cariboo, Northern BC, and Thompson Okanagan regions seeing increases month over month.
Unemployment Rates:
- The unemployment rate increased to 4.9% in January 2024, surpassing pre-COVID levels, with variations among sectors and regions.
Visit go2HR's Employment Tracker HERE for updated monthly reports and the most current tourism and hospitality industry data.
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BC LODGING & CAMPGROUNDS ASSOCIATION
209, 3003 St. Johns Street, Port Moody BC V3H 2C4
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