C-19 BULLETIN - August 5, 2020

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Applying for Temporary Layoff Extensions Reminder

Employers who need to extend workers' temporary layoffs beyond the end of August are reminded to apply for a variance using the Employment Standards Branch’s new online application by August 25th.

Businesses are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to ensure that all applications will be processed in time. The new two-step online application simplifies and streamlines the process for employers and workers to jointly apply for an extension by allowing documents and signatures to be submitted electronically.
Update on New Public Health Order for Licensed Establishments and Events

ABLE BC and the BC Hotel Association successfully secured several important changes for our industry reflected in the new public order.

Important changes:

  • Clarity on who the order is for: the public order is for owners and operators of restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, cafeterias and food primary and liquor primary establishments, including pubs, bars, lounges and nightclubs, as well as manufacturing facilities that have tasting rooms and lounges. The term "meeting" has been removed from the definition of events and the PHO does not apply to conferences held in hotels or elsewhere

  • Clarity on who the order does not apply to: the public order does not apply to events, which are not held in restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, cafeterias or licensed premises, including pubs, bars, lounges, nightclubs and tasting rooms, nor does it apply to meetings or conferences held in hotels or anywhere else.

  • Clarity around rules for manufacturer licenses: patrons do not need to remain seated in a premise with a manufacturer's license (i.e. do not need to be seated during a tasting). Please see sections 2-6 for more details.

  • Clarity around rules for cafeterias and private clubs: patrons do not need to remain seated in a cafeteria or private club. Please see sections 2-6 for more details.

  • Dance floors must remain closed with physical barriers or occupied with tables. Patrons must not song, engage in Karaoke, or dance on the premises. The new public order also clarifies that jam and open mic sessions must not be held on premises.

  • Extended hours and more events allowed: an event may be hosted between 5:30 am and 11:00 pm on the same day. No more than four events may be hosted in one day on the same premises or in an area of the premises. There must be at least one hour between events during which there are no patrons present to permit cleaning and sanitizing. Please see pages 4-5 for more details.

The amended public order is an example of the Provincial Health Officer and government being very responsive to our industry's concerns.

Click here to review the full Provincial Health Officer Public Order.

New public Order for Gatherings and Events

On July 27th, the Provincial Health Officer released a new public order for gatherings and events. This order repeals and replaces the order of May 22nd with respect to mass gatherings.

The order applies to persons who organize or attend events at vacation accommodation or other places; it does not apply to food service establishments or licensed premises.

Please review the public order to understand the conditions that must be met when hosting events outside of your licensed premises.
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Destination Greater Victoria
Tourism Rescue & Recovery Take Force
Releases Second Phase Priorities

The Greater Victoria Tourism Rescue and Recovery Task Force (Task Force) has released its Second Phase Priorities for tourism business and industry survival. The Second Phase Priorities builds on the Task Force’s First Phase Priorities released on May 13th, which proposed policies such as interest-free loans or grants, as well as support for COVID-19 safety oriented and physical distancing measures.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Greater Victoria visitor economy has experienced significant negative impacts from previous discouragement of travel by government and health officials, as well as the closure of the US-Canada border to non-essential travel. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Greater Victoria visitor economy employed over 22,000 people and generated $1.4 billion in revenue annually. However, Greater Victoria visitor economy employment and revenues have both declined up to 90% due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The release of the Task Force’s Second Phase Priorities aligns with Tourism Industry Association of BC’s (TIABC) submission to the Province as part of the consultation for stimulus and COVID-19 economic recovery, as well as recovery efforts of the Hotel Association of British Columbia.

The Task Force’s Second Phase Priorities are as follows:

  • Extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) beyond December 2020 and into 2021.
  • Measures to support liquidity and avoid insolvency.
  • Deferred or instalment payments for 2020 property taxes.
  • Clear, consistent messaging from government welcoming visitors from other provinces to BC.
  • Financial support for health and safety requirements.
  • Addressing shortfalls of the Regional Relief & Recovery Fund (RRRF) program.

Read the fulls Media Release here and download the report here.
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COVID-19 Tourism Impact Report

The British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat, British Columbia Hotel Association and the British Columbia Destination Marketing Organization Association are continuing to leverage their collective business network to collect, collate and report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism businesses and to gather feedback on potential response and recovery measures. This business intelligence was gathered through online and telephone surveys of a randomly selected list of firms across British Columbia, excluding Greater Vancouver and Whistler regions, from July 13 – July 24. A response rate of 33.4% yielded 203 tourism businesses, representing a margin of error for the sample-wide questions of +/- 6%, 9 times out of 10.

Key Issues for Consideration:
• 24% of firms are operating with business as usual, which is lower than the 38% national average.
• 907 staff have been hired or rehired across 203 firms.
• 51% of firms saw a decrease of at least 50% in year-over-year revenue.
• 36% of firms were unable to pay all their June bills.
• Remote and seasonal firms reported the largest number of staff layoffs, as well as the weakest rehiring activity since re-opening measures.

To view the report, please visit: www.totabc.org/resiliency-research

To view the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Resiliency Program Research Roundup for July 31, 2020, please visit:
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Leger Weekly COVID-19 Tracker Results

Current Perceptions Related to the Pandemic:
  • 59% of Canadians feel it is likely we will go back to a pandemic lockdown over the next three months. Quebec residents are least likely to believe this will occur (48%). Americans are even more likely to believe another lockdown will occur in the next 3 months (65%).

  • 76% of Canadians and 69% of Americans believe a second wave will occur.

  • 40% of Canadians rate their mental health as very good or excellent since the beginning of the pandemic, with a further 42% rating their mental health as good. 14% rate their mental health as bad, and 3% very bad.

  • There has been a slight upward trend on mental health ratings of excellent and very good over the past 4 weeks.

  • 57% of Canadians are afraid of contracting the virus. While this is down from levels reported in April (peak of 64%), there has been a resurgence in this fear since the end of June (when we reached a low of 51%).

  • 42% of Canadians feel the worst of the crisis is yet to come, while 31% feel the worst is behind us.

  • 76% of Canadians are satisfied with how our federal government has handled the COVID-19 crisis compared with 38% of Americans satisfied with their government.

  • Regionally in Canada, Alberta has the lowest percentage satisfied with their provincial government’s response (63%) and BC has the highest (87%).

Learn more at:
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Pandemic Continues
to Impact Tourism Businesses

Recently I was asked to put my thoughts to paper about the impact of the pandemic on my business. I was not sure what I wanted to say but I knew what I did not want to say. I did not want to say goodbye to 30 years of growth, success and being a respected member of my community.

In early March of 2020, I was looking forward to an exceptional, transformative season for Victoria Harbour Ferry. Plans had been made for new products, new opportunities, in fact for the next evolution of our business. We had fulfilled our complement of new captains, we were about to launch our “Triple E” initiative using more electric boats, annual passes were issued, we were readying our 2020 “Pickle Pub Crawl” products and providing passenger service to over 420,000 tourists and locals. There was a palpable sense of excitement and anticipation among all of our crew. And then came the prospect of a pandemic, and everything changed. Suddenly, as a business owner, I was faced with the likelihood of a complete business shutdown. After trying the recommended strategies of reducing ridership and providing personal protective equipment to all our captains and anyone riding our ferries, it became clear that for the safety of all, we had to close our entire operation. Our boats were tied up, our people were furloughed, and our revenues were reduced to zero. As a dedicated business owner, and passionate supporter of our community, both economically and socially, this was a devastating outcome for me and my business partners.

Having said that, I realized I still had choices. Without a doubt, I felt uncertain, stressed and sad – just like so many other people facing the same situation. However, I decided I could see this as an impenetrable wall or one that I could go over, around, or through to see what was on the other side. I chose to climb over without fear of what might be there. It has always been my practice to just keep going, knowing that there is no failure, just learning and opportunity. No one likely anticipated a pandemic, and most of us did not have a plan. However, I was tackling this head-on and built a plan envisioning the restart of our business. 

Like many in my industry who have shared their stories, I too had to re-learn much of what I had delegated to others over the years. I became the chief cook and bottle washer (finance management, human resources, etc.). I became re-engaged in the fundamentals of my business more than I have been for almost two decades. While I don’t have a crystal ball to look into my future, I do have the passion, the drive and the commitment to start over. I became certain that when I arrived at the “new normal”, I would not be there alone. Standing with me is my family, friends, crew and community, all of whom continue to be valued contributors to what the new Victoria Harbour Ferries will look like.

This is now the beginning of August and I am operating… perhaps not at a profit but I am employing working with my staff, serving my customers and working with my community. 

Here’s the rub. Like most tourism operators I work on a seasonal basis. I stop operating in September and my revenue goes down to zero. My expenses continue… lease costs, moorage costs, maintenance costs, insurance costs, etc. These costs remain and mount up in my books, without offsetting revenue. Like so many. I have worked hard to keep my business afloat. I have the support of my staff and over 3,000 emails from supportive community members who want to see my business survive. I won’t survive without the support of my federal, provincial and local governments. The loss of my business will mean the loss of over 125 jobs and several millions of dollars put back into my local community. Hope is not a strategy and I will not “hope” that government steps up to assist our industry through the next six or seven months. I will plan to restart my operations in 2021 and I will plan based on governments being a financial contributor to the future of my business. 
 
Regards,
B.D. (Barry) Hobbis, Managing Partner
Victoria Harbour Ferry Co. Ltd.
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Occupational Health & Safety Resources

The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) and go2HR are supporting Biosphere Committed Companies in the region with resources for occupational health and safety, including enhancements specifically pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of the Biosphere Commitment Program, go2HR provides Biosphere Committed Companies with added value through the go2HR Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Biosphere Framework. The go2HR OHS Framework offers a roadmap for participating organizations to help them establish and maintain an effective health and safety program. Eligible businesses may choose to progress to the Certificate of Recognition (COR) program, a voluntary audit and incentive program.

The go2HR OHS program includes one-on-one consultations, training sessions, online webinars, access to resources, and opportunities to complete certification programs.

TOTA and go2HR have been in partnership for several years to enhance regional efforts and align tourism businesses with the Biosphere Certification and the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

To learn more about this program, please contact:

Mike Overend
(778) 721-5462

Ginger Brunner
(250) 469-1032
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Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) has created a video, Accessibility in a New Light, to emphasize the importance of creating region-wide experiences that everyone can enjoy.

Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA president and CEO, said the tourism industry can help make a difference by thoughtfully working to create accessible experiences. That would include building hotels, restaurants, outdoor adventures, transportation and more designed to make it easy for those who have ability challenges to take part.

“Each of us has varying levels of ability, whether aspiring athletes, small children, aging seniors, or gold-medal contenders. Whether we have a child in a stroller, use a walker, a cane, or a wheelchair, we all have a need that must be met so that we can fully take part in all aspects of life and engage with everyone around us,” he said.
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Tourism Vancouver
Seeks Survey Input from Members

It was welcome news to our industry in early June when the provincial government announced that BC would be moving into Phase 3 of the Restart Plan and allowing non-essential travel throughout the province. However, we know that domestic travel will not make up for the ongoing international travel restrictions and the impacts of COVID-19 continue to be far-reaching. We are halfway through the vital summer season and we understand that for many businesses the summer season is critical to long term sustainability.

As we collectively navigate this health pandemic, the Tourism Vancouver team needs to hear from its members to help better understand the challenges you are still facing and how we can best address them together. Your participation in our member survey will also support TIABC’s advocacy efforts to the provincial government for immediate support for our industry with their most recent ask of a $680 million recovery stimulus package.

We know that you have been asked to fill out many surveys since the very beginning of the pandemic. The information being collected through this survey isn’t covered elsewhere and will help inform the priorities for Tourism Vancouver.

Follow this link to the Survey: Take the Survey

Or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:
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Government Support Measures
Survey Results
 
TIAC has released the results of their July industry survey on government support measures, and the state of industry businesses 
(489 responses).

  • 79% of all respondents are small business operators with $5M or less in annual revenue.

  • 82% of all respondents experienced between 61% and 100% revenue decline.

  • 68% of all respondents say without access to government supported financing, they will be unable to stay in business.

Download the full report here.
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Join Leger for a webinar about the results of their latest study on travel and tourism, Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism in North America.

This study provides a comprehensive look at the current and future state of travel and tourism in Canada and the United States, as well as insights and recommendations to help the industry achieve success moving forward.

Thursday, August 6 @ 9:00 am (PT)
Register at:
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BCHA / Ministry of Labour Webinar

The BC Hotel Association is hosting a webinar and open forum in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and The Employment Standards Branch. The webinar will outline important information surrounding the Temporary Layoff Variance tool and how to apply. 

Thursday, August 6 @ 1:00-2:00pm PT
    
The webinar will be 45 minutes in duration, with a 15 minute Q&A to follow.

Please complete the registration form and a Zoom link will be sent to you with meeting details the day prior to the webinar.
  
Register HERE
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Small Business BC Webinar

During COVID-19, business owners have been looking at different ways to cut costs and become more efficient. What if it was possible to achieve this goal while helping to reduce transmission of COVID-19 at the same time?

Delivered by Sam Thomas, Principal and Kootenay Branch Manager of Prism Engineering, and Tiago Pereira, Energy Solutions Manager at FortisBC, attendees will learn practical steps for making the workplace safer, while also saving money in our “new normal.” We’ll also be covering tips for making your space cost-effective, COVID relief incentives for small biz and plumbing/environmental controls.

What Will I Learn?
Best practices in HVAC and safety during COVID-19 reopening
How to develop a pandemic response plan
Steps to prepare your business for a potential second wave
Identifying opportunities for increased energy efficiency in your business
Available rebates and energy saving resources from Fortis BC

Wednesday September 2, 2020 @ 10:00am (PT)

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****NOTE: TIABC's C-19 Bulletin is now published every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Feel free to send us your ideas on what information would be valuable for TIABC to share through our COVID-19 Bulletin going forward. Drop us a line at [email protected].