- It's Official...Our Sector Can Open as of June 5th at 12:01am
- Update from Transport Canada
- Ontario State of Emergency Extended
- Reminders: Northwest Operators Rally
- Adapt 2020: Webinars next week
We will continue to strive to bring forward pertinent information to the tourism industry as it becomes available. We will also do our best to find answers to your questions. Do not hesitate to contact us. We are here for you.
NOTO Contact Emails:
|
|
It's Official...Our Sector Can Open
We have just received an email from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing confirming the following:
"Starting
Friday, June 5 at 12:01 am
, our government is allowing short term rentals including lodges, cabins, cottages, homes, condominiums and B&Bs to resume operations in Ontario.
This follows actions to slowly reopen businesses and resume activities across the province, including the re-opening of provincial parks for day use, the gradual reintroduction of backcountry camping at provincial parks and the re-opening of marinas and golf courses."
Watch for more information in the Provincial announcements today and tomorrow. We will share links to official announcements once they become available.
THANK YOU to all of you for taking up our call to action!! There is no doubt in our minds here at NOTO that your letters and your phone calls to Health Units, OPP and municipalities helped to spur on this decision.
We know that this does not bring our US guests in but it does put our sector on the Essential Workplace list and we hope that this will help in our efforts to get our US owners across.
We urge each of you to only open WHEN YOU ARE READY!. NOTO's health and safety protocols have not been officially vetted by the Workplace Safety & Prevention Services and will be shared with all of you tomorrow. We are here to help guide you through a safe re-opening.
Thank you all once again for your help in making this happen.
|
|
NOTO to Present to the Provincial Standing Finance Committee
Executive Director, Laurie Marcil has been invited to make a presentation to the Standing Finance Committee. Her presentation will take place on Friday, June 5th at 2pm.
These hearings can be seen on
ola.org
|
|
An Update From Transport Canada
A new order has been initiated as of May 26th, 2020 with regards to flights.
Operators must ensure all passengers and crew members wear masks while boarding the plane, during the flight and upon exiting the plane. Very few exceptions apply (please view regulations for more details). For non-medical masks or face coverings, they need to be made of at least two layers of tightly woven material such as cotton or linen and be large enough to completely cover a person's mouth and nose without gaping and can be secured to a person's head with ties or ear loops.
Before boarding an aircraft for a domestic flight, the operator must notify every person that intends to board the flight that they may be subject to measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 taken by the provincial or territorial government at the destination for that flight.
The operator must conduct a health check of every person before the person boards an aircraft for a flight that the operator operates. This regulation states the following:
Health check
5 (1) An operator conducting a health check must ask questions of every person to verify whether they exhibit the following symptoms:
- (a) a fever;
- (b) a cough; and
- (c) breathing difficulties.
5 (2) In addition to the health check, the operator must ask every person
- (a) whether they have been refused boarding in the past 14 days due to a medical reason related to COVID-19; and
- (b) whether they are the subject of a mandatory quarantine order as a result of recent travel or as a result of an order issued by a provincial or local public health authority.
5 (3) The operator must advise every person not to provide answers to the health check questions and the additional questions that they know to be false or misleading.
Anyone who states that they have been exhibiting symptoms, have been refused boarding in the past 14 days, are subject to mandatory quarantine as a result of recent travel or as a result of an order issued by a provincial or local health authority, and any individual who are visible beginning to show symptoms of COVID-19 must be denied. Individuals who do not have a mask,
refuses to comply with instructions given by a crew member with respect to wearing a face mask, or refuse to answer the screening questionnaire must also be denied entry.
Operators are encouraged to read these regulations to ensure compliance. If you are using an air service, ensure they are in compliance with these regulations and ensure they provide you with information to share with your guests.
|
|
Has Your Business Been Featured in the News?
If you have participated in interviews with media, we want to share your stories on our
Facebook page
as well as on our
COVID-19 Impacts
page on our website.
|
|
Provincial Government News
The
State of Emergency
has been extended to June 30th. Premier Ford has stated that this extension will not put a hold on
Ontario's Framework to Reopening the Economy
.
Last week, Ontario extended the
emergency orders
to June 9th. All emergency orders remain the same including the closure of non-essential businesses, closure of outdoor recreational amenities, restaurants open for take-out or delivery only, gathering restrictions of up to 5 individuals.
|
|
Northwestern Ontario Tourism Operators Planning A Peaceful Rally
June 13 at Fort Vermilion in Vermilion Bay, ON
10am-1pm
Hello fellow tourism operators!
Thank you to NOTO for allowing us to use their newsletter to reach out to Northwestern operators. We felt this was one of the best ways to get the word out.
A movement is underway to organize a peaceful rally/protest to draw attention to the fact we need meaningful support from the government for tourism that we have not yet received. Anyone with a stake in tourism is welcome to join us. Just to make it clear, we will not tolerate profanity, violence, or any talk about the border opening or the virus.
Our mission and goal is clear – we need meaningful help and clear communication from the government to save our businesses since they won’t allow us to even open to Canadian tourism. We also need the government to allow USA business owners across the border so they can protect their investments.
We have a code of conduct to sign at the rally upon entering that basically states the above message. This will show anyone in authority our intention to protest peacefully and follow all social distancing guidelines.
If you want to get involved, you can email or call or Facebook. We have a group called
Tourism Matters NWO Rally
that you can go to and ask to join. If you cannot make it because you are stateside, let us know your lodge name and we will make sure you are represented!
Please join us!
Thank you.
|
|
Messages and Special Offers from our Preferred Suppliers!
Our Preferred Suppliers want you to know that they are here for your during this difficult time.
Many have messages they would like to share with you and many of our Preferred Suppliers have set up discount programs and special offers to help you get ready as the province moves towards re-opening the economy. This page will be regularly updated as well as our Preferred Suppliers continue to provide us with messages and special offers.
|
|
You can now view recordings of completed webinars by either signing in or creating a TEN account and
clicking here!
|
|
Resource-Based Tourism: How to Provide a Safe Environment Amidst COVID
Presented by: Laurie Marcil, Executive Director, Nature and Outdoor Tourism in Ontario (NOTO) and Margaret Palmer, Commercial Account Executive & Certified Risk Advisor, Gougeon Insurance Brokers
June 9th, 2020 - 11:00 am EDT
Join this informative webinar for a discussion on the ways you can protect your staff, your guests and yourself while operating amidst COVID.
|
|
D'aujourd'hui à demain - Les opérateurs du Nord partagent leur chemin vers la reprise / Northern Operators Share Their Path
Moderated by: Marla Tremblay, Destination Northern Ontario and TEN Specialist
Industry Panelists:
- Pat Dubreuil, Owner/Operator, Relais Magpie Relay
- Renee Vezeau, General Manager, Best Western Cochrane
- Melanie Ann Veilleux, Owner/Operator, Hearst Air Service & Brunswick Lake Lodge
- Mitch Deschatelets, Owner/Operator, Leisure Farm
June 10th, 2020 - 11:00 am EDT
Cette table ronde est centrée sur la crise COVID-19, et sur la façon dont les entreprises touristiques du Nord gèrent aujourd'hui, planifient l'avenir et s'attendent à résoudre les problèmes de main-d'œuvre lorsque le tourisme reprendra.
This panel discussion is centered around the COVID-19 crisis and how tourism businesses across the North are managing today, how they're planning for the future, and how they expect to address workforce issues once tourism opens back up - which it will!
*Webinar will be delivered in French. Questions can be posed in English.
|
|
The Five Crucial Actions Destination Development Organizations Must Take to Succeed in Recovery
Presented by: Joe Veneto, Chief Experience Offier, Veneto Collaboratory
June 11th, 2020 - 11:00 am EDT
Given the current crisis, Destination Management Organizations must be the catalysts for their communities to get tourism and local businesses back on their feet. This is important for not only the tourism economy but also protecting and preserving the fabric of their community.
This webinar will cover:
- Operate in start-up mode
- Build a destination platform for the hyper-local market
- Source Market Intelligence to navigate recovery efforts
- Facilitate new products and experiences with operators and attractions
- Build, market and promote destination packages and partnerships to generate hyper-local demand
|
|
NOTO's COVID-19 Page
This page was created to keep you informed on the latest developments that may impact/help your businesses. This page features links to our COVID-19 newsletters, Government resources, information that may be useful to tourism operators and links to supports for tourism operators as they become available. This page will be updated regularly during this pandemic.There are FAQ's with answers and tips from NOTO. FAQs will be regularly updated as well.
|
|
Federal & Provincial Government Information
The Ontario and Federal Governments are regularly updating COVID-19 information, travel information, Minister statements, Government initiatives and statistics on their websites. For additional information from the Ontario or Federal Government, please click on the buttons below.
|
|
NOTO is a membership based organization that works hard to support the outdoor tourism industry through advocacy and information services. We do not receive Government funding for operating and rely on annual memberships from tourism businesses, organizations, product and service suppliers, and partners. For more information about membership with NOTO visit
noto.ca
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
