In This Issue:

• Association News Bytes September 13 2024
• Register to Attend the Ideas Form November 4-6 at Manning Park Resort
• Completion of Electric Highway Makes EV Travel Possible Throughout Province
• FLASH SALE for BC Campground Owners! CampEx 2024: Canadian Outdoor Hospitality Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario
• BC Ferries Wraps Busy Summer and Prepares for Refit Season
• The Value of Tourism Toolkit – Created for all Tourism Industry Professionals to Use
• Second Call for BCLCA Board Nominations - Deadline October 5, 2024

ASSOCIATION NEWS BYTES SEPTEMBER 13 2024

Check out BCLCA's schedule of events and activities. Stay up-to-date with industry happenings and participate in the webinars and forums.

Advocacy News

The BC Provincial Election is scheduled to take place October 19, 2024, and the industry is working collaboratively with the Tourism Industry Association of BC on a 2024 Provincial Election Toolkit. More on this when the writ is dropped.

Joss Penny, Executive Director presented at the RV Dealers Association of BC AGM on September 11 giving a snapshot of the health of the campgrounds and RV parks in BC.

Education Services

Registration is open for the BCLCA Ideas Forum November 4 – 6, 2024 at Manning Park Resort – download the registration form HERE. For the detailed agenda, please visit https://bclca.com/ideas-forum-agenda-2024/

CampEx 2024: Canadian Outdoor Hospitality Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario hosted by the Canadian Camping and RV Association takes place November 17-20, 2024. This is the first face-to-face national convention for the campground industry in more than a decade. See the 48-hour Flash Sale Article in this issue to get the early bird rates.

Supplier News & Special Offers

Reminder - Superior Propane has provided BCLCA members with the following rates valid until May 31, 2026. The rates are: Under 10,000 litres 0.5929 and Over 10,000 litres 0.5629. To sign-up for the program contact Anne at anne@bclca.com

Announcements

Membership Payments: Thank you to the members who have promptly paid their dues invoices for 2024/25. The decals and appreciation letters have been mailed. Please proudly display the BCLCA decal.

Retirement: After 22 years of service to the BC Lodging and Campgrounds Association the voice of the office Anne Philley is retiring. Anne will still be around as the Association transitions to a new staffing model and is taking on the sales and production of the 2025/26 Super Camping Select Lodging Guide. To reach Anne please email scbc@bclca.com.

Super Camping / Select Lodging Guide sales have begun for the 2025/26 publication – please watch your email for more information.

Register to Join Fellow Operators at The BCLCA “Lodging And Camping Ideas Forum” November 4-6 at Manning Park Resort

The cost is only $249 + GST per delegate thanks to the generosity of our sponsors - WorkSafe BC, Signature Risk, Rona, Western Financial Group, First Data and Pathfinder Ventures.

Attendees can engage with sponsors, connect with exhibitors, interact with fellow campground professionals, and even liaise with the volunteer board of directors. This face-to-face interaction not only fosters collaborative efforts but also instills a sense of shared purpose among operators. Don’t just take our word for it check out what last year’s attendees had to say about attending in 2023.

Need more information to decide Check out the full 2024 agenda.

To register visit https://bclca.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Ideas-Forum-Registration-2024.pdf

Featured Ideas Forum Presenter

On November 5^th at 3:00 pm - Lisa Mackie, Partner at Alexander Holburn LLP – November 5 at 3:00 pm

Topic: License to Occupy Guidelines Unveiling

The BCLCA has contracted Alexander Holburn LLP to write a handbook that will provide guidance on the policies and procedures that can assist campground operators from inadvertently creating tenancy agreements with their campground’s guests. This session will be the unveiling and release of the guidelines.

Bio:

Lisa Mackie is a partner of the Vancouver-based law firm of Alexander Holburn LLP and the leader of the firm’s Rental Property Practice and Strata Property Practice. Lisa has represented clients before all levels of Court in British Columbia on strata property and residential tenancy law matters. Lisa also regularly represents and advises clients on human rights complaints, privacy disputes, employment disputes, and defamation matters. She is a trusted legal resource for various print and television media publications including: CBC Radio, CBC News, Canadian Lawyer Magazine, CityTV Breakfast Television, Times Colonist, The Province, and Canadian Property Management Magazine.

COMPLETION OF ELECTRIC HIGHWAY MAKES EV TRAVEL POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT PROVINCE



Travellers will soon be able to drive throughout the entire province in an electric vehicle making clean-energy options more accessible and reliable than ever.

The Province is completing BC's Electric Highway, a comprehensive network of public electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations along all highways and major roadways located approximately 150 kilometres apart. Spanning the entirety of the province, the Electric Highway will open up EV travel from Alaska all through British Columbia and along the West Coast down to California. All BC sites will be energized, in service and open to the public before the end of September.

To see BC's Electric Highway Map visit THIS LINK.



Read the official government announcement HERE.

48 HOUR FLASH SALE FOR BC CAMPGROUND OWNERS! THE EARLYBIRD RATE $599

CampEx 2024: Canadian Outdoor Hospitality Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario

Ready to take your campground business to the next level? Now’s your chance! For a limited time, we’re offering exclusive discount rates for BC campground owners to register for CampEx: Canadian Outdoor Hospitality Conference in Niagara Falls!

Click on the 48 hour flash sale link or coupon below and you will be directed to the page to register and the coupon will be applied at check out. Alternatively enter BCFLASHSALE at checkout to receive the discount and pay $599 per person.

https://reg.unityeventsolutions.com/se/COHCE2024/ATT?utm_discount=BCFLASHSALE

Why attend CampEx?

🌐 Network with industry leaders and campground peers.

🚌 Explore Niagara Falls on a campground tour!

🔧 Discover new products and services at the industry trade show.

🎓 Boost your knowledge with education opportunities tailored for the outdoor hospitality industry.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, connect, and grow your business.

⏳ Sale ends soon, so act fast! Get your discount code and secure your spot today! Click on the flash sale below.

BC FERRIES WRAPS BUSY SUMMER AND PREPARES FOR REFIT SEASON



This summer is on track to be the busiest in BC Ferries’ 64-year history, with continued growth across all routes. In June and July alone, over five million passengers and two million vehicles travelled on the ferry network. To meet this demand, refit schedules were optimized to ensure that all vessels would be in service for the summer season, nearly 600 new employees were hired, and extra sailings were added on the most popular routes to improve service delivery. Preliminary August reporting indicates that these adjustments have led to a smoother season than in previous years.

However, the challenges posed by the age of the fleet persist. All sailings for the Queen of New Westminster have been cancelled through September 30th.

In October and November, seven more vessels are expected to enter their regular refit process, including the almost 50-year-old Queens of Alberni, Coquitlam and Cowichan. All three of these vessels, as well as the Queen of New Westminster, are among those set to be retired in the coming years when new major vessels arrive.

Read the full announcement from BC Ferries HERE.

THE VALUE OF TOURISM TOOLKIT - CREATED FOR ALL TOURISM INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS TO USE

In January 2022 the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) launched The Value of Tourism (VoT) initiative. This project is designed to increase the understanding of tourism as a powerful engine for economic, cultural, and social well-being, and to secure cross-government support for tourism investments by describing how tourism benefits every community and region in British Columbia.

The content covers areas such as the tourism industry’s structure, key performance indicators, contribution to quality of life, workforce, culture, DEIA, reconciliation, sustainability, and other components to help inform and educate the industry on why our sector is so vital to British Columbia.

To access the toolkit, visit https://tiabc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Value-of-Tourism-Presentation-Toolkit.pdf

The value of tourism also led to the creation of a number of video resources that are worth viewing: check out the landing page https://tiabc.ca/the-value-of-tourism/

Editors Note: BCLCA is a sector association member of the Tourism Industry Association of BC on behalf of our campground, RV park and lodging members and has a seat on the board through Jamie Cox, BCLCA President.

SECOND CALL FOR BCLCA BOARD NOMINATIONS – DEADLINE OCTOBER 5, 2024



In accordance with the constitution and bylaws of the BC Lodging and Campgrounds Association we hereby provide notice of call for nominations for positions on the Board of Directors of the Association.

The Board of BC Lodging and Campgrounds Association is a policy/governance Board and is driven by its Mission, Vision, and Core Operating Values. We are seeking active members that are dedicated to maintaining the future success of the Association. Nominations close on October 5, 2024, at 4:00 pm.

If you are interested in letting your name stand for a two-year term, please contact Joss Penny at jpenny@bclca.com. Information on what is required of a director, the committees, and likely meeting schedule, along with a nomination application form will then be provided.

Applications will be vetted by the Nominating Committee and applicants will be advised if they have been added to the slate of nominees by Monday, October 21, 2024.

Second Notice of BCLCA Annual General Meeting

The BC Lodging and Campgrounds Association Annual General Meeting (AGM) is being held in person on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, from 5:00 pm at Manning Park Resort.

During our Annual General Meeting Members will be asked to formally vote on various motions, including:

• Motion to approve the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting.
• Motion to approve the accountant’s report for the previous fiscal year.
• Motion to approve the upcoming year’s budget presented by the Treasurer.
• Elect board members who serve for a two-year term.
• Motion to allow the board to appoint auditors for the following fiscal year.

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend. Note pre-registration is required.

The AGM is part of the BCLCA Ideas Forum November 4 – 6, 2024 at Manning Park Resort. To register visit https://bclca.com/annual-lodging-camping-ideas-forum/