Innovative Workforce Solutions Roundtable with HAC
Last week, HAC was in Vancouver in partnership with BCHA to develop innovative solutions focused on the critical labour shortage in the industry. Many thanks to our stellar group of hoteliers and educational institutions who came together to tackle this issue.
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Fast Track Your Future | Register Today! |
Introducing the next installment in our Fast Track Your Future training series, Leadership for Hospitality Professionals, presented by Blue Mountain Solutions!
This six-part, live, online series develops leadership skills including your approach to being a leader, organizational skills, communicating to connect, people skills and how to keep yourself motivated. Theresa Ito (known to some as the Leader Whisperer) is a vibrant, caring, experienced hotelier with an abundance of tools and best practices to share which will improve how you lead and bring more joy into your leadership role.
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Meet the Team | Ingrid Jarrett |
BCHA's visionary and true industry champion, Ingrid's love for the hospitality sector knows no bounds. The first-ever female President & CEO of the BC Hotel Association, Ingrid works with government, partners, and stakeholders to impact positive change that members can truly feel.
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Hiring Temporary Foreign Workers |
If you are planning on hiring a temporary foreign worker now or in the future, we would like to remind you that Employers are required to register with the Provincial Government when hiring a temporary foreign worker (TFW). There is no fee and the registration is very straightforward but it is mandatory requirement for BC and there have been recent delays due to large amount of applications.
BCHA has met with Federal Government representatives from Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and BC Labour Deputy Minister to discuss this issue last week and to strongly advocate for members. Both levels of Government are aware of the long wait times and the Provincial government has recently doubled the number of staff processing certificates and are hoping the backlog will be resolved soon.
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Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Changes to Work Permits |
Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently announced two significant changes to work permit eligibility for the spouses and children of a principle applicant. This is welcome news for our industry and will be welcome news for many workers already in Canada.
Here are the key details:
You may be eligible for an open work permit if you’re a:
- spouse, common-law partner or dependent child of a work permit holder who
- works in a job of any Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category (0 to 5), or
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is the principal applicant and has an open work permit (example: post-graduation work permit holders at all skill levels)
- spouse, common-law partner or dependent child of an economic classes permanent resident applicant who holds a work permit
These changes will allow:
- work-age dependent children to be issued open work permits
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spouses of workers in all categories of jobs, including low skilled workers, will be eligible for an open work permit. For example, under the current rules, a light duty cleaner cannot apply for an open work permit for their spouse. Under the new rules, the spouse of the light duty cleaner will be eligible for an open work permit and can come to Canada to work and be reunited with their spouse.
- Workers in positions like light duty cleaners, launderers, servers, front desk clerks, kitchen helpers have the opportunity for their families to not only come to Canada but also be able to legally enter the work force.
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Consulate of Mexico | Memorandum of Understanding |
We are pleased to announce that BCHA is in the process of finalizing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Consulate of Mexico.
The purpose of this MOU is to create a partnership with the Mexican Ministries of Labour, Tourism and Foreign Affairs to expedite the hiring of workers experienced in Accommodation and Hospitality positions. Mexico is a valuable partner in resolving labor shortages that many hotels are facing. Many members successfully hire workers from Mexico on their own however we see this partnership as easing the challenge and logistics of recruiting and hiring workers from Mexico and will provide access to pre-selected, experienced, and qualified workers that are keen to come to Canada to work. Additionally, to provide momentum to this new program and upon conclusion of our negotiations The Consulate of Mexico in Vancouver will pre-qualify 100 initial workers to be available for interviews with BCHA members.
This agreement will be the third such one to compliment our previous announcements about Barbados and El Salvador. As a reminder, you can send any open job orders to Alison Langford alison@bcha.com if you are interested in candidates from these countries and she will gladly guide you through the process. Once the Mexico agreement is set, it will follow the same process and parameters.
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Register & Recruit: "Speed-jobbing" Hiring Fair |
Looking to Hire? You might be interested in participating in the Spring Recruitment Speed Jobbing event on Mar 22. This event connects BC employers with bilingual candidates from across the country. If you're interested in participating, you can register today and reserve your virtual booth!
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Hotel Association of Canada | 5-Minute Labour Survey |
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In Memoriam | Help us Honour Those We Have Lost |
At this year's BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference, we will be paying our respects to those we have lost through an In Memoriam slideshow tribute. To ensure we respectfully honour all of those within our industry who have passed we ask that you please share with us using the link below.
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Last Week to Nominate for the BCHA Awards of Excellence! Deadline: Feb.3 |
Nominations for the BC Hotel Association Awards of Excellence will close Feb.3. The awards will recognize exceptional individuals and teams from across the province who are leading the global standard of industry excellence and will be presented at the 2023 BCHA Summit.
Submit your nomination for the following categories before February 3rd!
✔Housekeeping Excellence
✔Recruitment Award
✔Hotelier of the Year
✔People’s Choice | Hotel or Accommodation of the Year
✔Leader of the Future
✔Supplier of the Year
✔Heart of Hospitality | Culinary Excellence
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Sponsorship Opportunities | BCHA Summit |
Are you a forward-thinking organization looking to connect with BC’s accommodation community? The return of the BCHA Summit will bring an abundance of opportunity. This is your moment to be a part of the accommodation business event of the year. Learn how to get involved.
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Get Green This New Year & Discover Money-Saving Solutions |
BCHA has a number of sustainability programs aimed to help your property become more sustainable and save tens of thousands of dollars at the same time. Reach out to BCHA Energy Specialist, Dylan Tomlin at Dylan@bcha.com to get a FREE energy analysis or sign up for EcoFund today!
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Member Benefit | True North Hospitality |
True North Hospitality has been supplying the Canadian hotel industry for over 30 years with the essential products you require to create a memorable experience for your guests.
Our full selection of hotel supplies includes bed & bath linens, amenities, guest room supplies, coffee, housekeeping products, cleaning chemicals and more.
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Looking to Refresh Your Photography? Connect with Kasselman Creative LTD. |
Kassel Media is the 30-year culmination of professional photography and video production by Brad Kasselman. As the founder of Coast Mountain Photography, BC's largest event photo supplier, Brad regularly supports tour/travel businesses, governments and non-profits throughout Canada with compelling creative content and photo director consulting services. Contact him for samples, references, and creative consultation.
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Alltourage | 60 Day Free Trial for BCHA Members! |
Finding solutions to the workforce crisis is among our most significant priorities at the BCHA and Alltourage is here to help support the recruitment efforts for our association members.
Alltourage is a Vancouver-based company whose mission is to accelerate the hiring process by leveraging their own ecosystems in an easy-to-use referral platform, allowing employees to tap into their own networks, send referrals, and be rewarded.
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Virtual Event | How to Welcome LGBT+ Guests and Employees |
Join the BCHA and Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC) Feb.15 at 1pm to discover how to thoughtfully welcome the LGBT+ community to your property. Learn actionable tactics to create a safe space at your property and gain insight on how to market your efforts to the $200 billion LGBT+ travel market.
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Second Webinar in Stay Connected RTW Campaign: The importance of human connection in workplace safety
February 7, 2023
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Wednesday, February 22, 2023
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2023 International Indigenous Tourism Conference
March 8-10
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BCHA Summit
May 1-2, 2023
Kelowna
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BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference
March 1-3, 2023
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Fast Track Your Future: Leadership for Hospitality Professionals
March 7-May 16, 2023
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Thank you to our members for enabling us to carry out our advocacy work and for being part of the BCHA community. We are delighted to welcome the following new members and encourage you to explore below!
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Finalists for the BC Tourism and Hospitality Awards Announced! |
Earlier this week, the BCHA & TIABC announced the finalists for the BC Tourism and Hospitality Awards. Award winners will be announced at the Awards Gala as part of the BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference taking place March 1-3.
Congratulations to all of the short-listed nominees that are true examples of industry excellence!
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New Courtyard by Marriott hotel completed in Nanaimo, B.C. |
The new Marriott Courtyard hotel in downtown Nanaimo will use a cutting-edge construction methodology developed by Vancouver-based green construction firm Nexii.
The nine-storey building with 172 guest rooms is located right next to the Vancouver Island Conference Centre near the waterfront.
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THE BCHA INDUSTRY UPDATE IS PRESENTED BY |
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