CANADIAN COVID-19 UPDATE | SEPT. 3-9

September 9, 2020

TIAC’s Advocacy Update

• This afternoon, TIAC’s President and CEO presented virtually to the Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers, which brings together all ministers responsible for tourism across the country.
• In her presentation, the President & CEO called for better coordination between the federal and provincial governments to ensure the tourism sector is receiving adequate support during the pandemic, regardless of where they are located. This includes a balanced recovery and reopening plan that is similar across jurisdictions. She also called for positive messaging to Canadians from elected officials to encourage travel.
• Keith Henry from ITAC also presented a dire picture of how COVID is impacting Indigenous tourism businesses across the country.
• TIAC continues to work with various stakeholder groups to grow our advocacy voice and initiatives. 
• This week, TIAC’s President & CEO participated in a stakeholder call with officials from ISED to discuss the industry’s ongoing need for liquidity support and extension of the CEWS specifically to help the hardest hit businesses.
• The President & CEO also participated in several calls with Canada’s Tourism Roundtable. 

In the coming days, TIAC and the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) will launch a short industry survey to help us gather more recent data to support our joint advocacy efforts. Please keep your eyes out for the link to this new survey!

Government Announcements 

• Yesterday, the Government of Canada announced that Rent Relief for small businesses through the  Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program will be extended by one month to help eligible businesses pay rent through September.
• Last week, Parks Canada announced the extension of visitor season operations for Georges Island National Historic Site, citing high public interest from visitors.
• New Conservative Party leader, Erin O’Toole announced the members of his ‘shadow cabinet’ who will act as opposition critics to various government portfolios. 
• Notably, long-time tourism critic Blake Richards (Banff-Airdrie) will now serve as the Conservative Party’s Chief Opposition Whip, and Tony Baldinelli (Niagara Falls) will take on the position of Special Advisor on Tourism Sector Recovery. 

TIAC congratulates both Mr. Baldinelli and Mr. Richards on their new roles. We have already reached out to Mr. Baldinelli to schedule a call in the near future.