A Message from BCHA President & CEO Ingrid Jarrett
Dear Accommodation Community and Stakeholders,

Over the past week, our industry has risen to the Provincial Government's call to support the new travel restrictions, demonstrating, once again, that the tourism and hospitality sector is committed to protecting the health and safety of our residents. We would like to acknowledge and thank each of you for the significant work you have undertaken to support this Public Health Order. We recognize the immense challenges these coming weeks pose but are hopeful they will be a means to an end.

Recognizing that many of you would have questions surrounding the roll-out of these restrictions and the work that was done in their development, Walt Judas, CEO of Tourism Industry Association of British Columbia (TIABC), and I delivered a joint webinar on Tuesday. As part of this industry update, we outlined information on the travel restrictions further, along with other upcoming advocacy priorities. A link to the recording can be found below.

Please note that the Ministry of Health has published new 'Guidance for Outside Dining Spaces', which may impact your business should you have a patio. We strongly encourage you to download and review the document and ensure your patio is compliant as some that have been operating prior to April 21, 2021 may not be.

Please remember that our team is available to answer your questions and offer guidance as always. Should you have questions we encourage you to reach out to questions@bcha.com.

Stay safe and stay well,

Ingrid Jarrett
President & CEO
British Columbia Hotel Association
Today's update includes:
 
  • Paid COVID-19 Vaccination Leave
  • Tourism & Hospitality Industry Update Webinar
  • New Patio Guidance Document and Policy Directive
  • BC Meetings & Events Proposal Response
  • Mark Your Calendars
Paid COVID-19 Vaccination Leave
The Employment Standards Amendment Act, 2021 (Bill 3) received Royal Assent earlier this evening.
 
As you know, Bill 3 amends the Employment Standards Act to provide up to three hours of paid leave, per dose, to employees in British Columbia who are receiving their COVID-19 vaccination.
 
 
The provisions of Bill 3 are in force retroactively to April 19, the date the Bill received First Reading.
Industry Update Webinar
Thank you for joining us Tuesday for our partnered webinar with TIABC.

Following last weeks travel restriction order, it was important that we addressed your questions and provide the details of our toolkit created in response.

A recording and the presentation from the webinar are available below. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our team with any questions.
New Patio Guidance Document and Policy Directive
To help clarify confusion around patios, the Ministry of Health has published new 'Guidance for Outside Dining Spaces.'
 
This document provides information on ways to comply with the Provincial Health Officer's Order on Food and Liquor Serving Premises, specifically the requirements for providing outside food or drink services (e.g., on a patio).
 
We strongly encourage you to download and review the document and ensure your patio is in compliance.
 
As an owner or operator, this guidance will support you when preparing or amending your COVID-19 Safety Plan and outside dining set up. This document is also being used by health inspectors.
 
The document states: "Only patios that meet the requirements of the Food and Liquor Serving Premises Order to avoid crowding will be acceptable. Many patios that have been operating prior to April 21, 2021 would meet the requirements in the Order and can continue to operate. Some patios would not meet the requirements in the Order and will not be able to operate or must make changes to be able to operate."
 
Inside the document you will find:
 
  • Definition of a patio
  • Capacity tips
  • Walls and air flow tips
  • Cooling and heating tips
  • Visual examples of acceptable outside dining spaces and unacceptable outside dining spaces
  • How to determine if your patio meets the open vertical space requirement of the Order
 
Download the guidance document here.
BC Meetings & Events Proposal Response
The BCHA has been advising and collaborating with the BC Meeting & Events Working group on their re-start plan. The working group is committed to ensuring the government includes meetings and events in a broader industry re-start plan. Please click here to review the latest letter to Minister Melanie Mark. 
Mark Your Calendars
Immigration Webinar

Bewildered by the complexities of immigration processes for hiring foreign workers in the age of COVID-19?

Join the Vancouver Coast & Mountains Tourism Region, managed by Destination BC, and go2HR for an informative session on Navigating the New Normal When Hiring International Workers in the age of COVID-19: May 5, 2021 from 10am to 2pm.

New B SAFE training for BC's tourism and hospitality industry

B SAFE is a new 90-minute, online course oriented toward staff in BC’s tourism and hospitality industry. The training aims to provide staff with a strong foundation in COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and to assist them in understanding ever-evolving best practices. Upon successful completion of the course, participants are awarded a certificate that demonstrates their knowledge of and commitment to COVID-19 health and safety. go2HR's objective is for B SAFE to become an industry standard: a recognizable indicator of the extent to which health and safety is a priority for BC’s tourism and hospitality employers. B SAFE stands for BC Safety Assured For Everyone Supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, B SAFE aims to build community and staff confidence in the health and safety protocols of BC’s tourism and hospitality industry as the province navigates and emerges from the COVID-19 era.

Sponsorship Opportunities
The BCHA offers opportunity to reach a diverse array of individuals across the accommodation and tourism sector through our sponsorship opportunities.

If you are interested in sponsoring an upcoming BCHA webinar, we have availability for the next two months. Please contact Mike Macleod at membership@bcha.com for more information.