November 24, 2021:

The TIAC Team is pleased to provide you with this update on the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, including the steps government is taking to address the situation, as well as highlights of TIAC's recent advocacy efforts. TIAC is working hard to make sure the industry’s voice is heard by government, and that you have the information you need to keep your business going in these uncertain times.

Please find the latest updates on official announcements and a recap of TIAC’s advocacy work on behalf of Canada’s Visitor Economy:

The Leadership Report

TIAC’s President and CEO, Beth Potter, will present this year’s Leadership Report, titled Together we are Stronger at Tourism Congress on November 30th.

This will be Ms. Potter’s first Report to the industry at Congress as head of TIAC. She will highlight the organization’s efforts to support the industry over the past 20 months, including the powerful collaboration and unity that emerged between industry partners over this challenging time.

Beth will also discuss the strategic roadmap and vision for the future, as TIAC works to lead the industry’s recovery from the pandemic.

But perhaps one of the most important parts of this presentation will be the first appearance of the newly appointed Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault. Following the Leadership Report, delegates will have a chance to listen to Beth and the Minister in conversation, hear from the Minister on his views and priorities for tourism in Canada.

The reintroduction of a dedicated Minister of Tourism gives us a clear acknowledgment of the importance of our industry to Canada’s overall economic growth and future prosperity for all Canadians. 

Minister Boissonnault was first elected to the House of Commons in 2015 and was re‑elected in 2021, representing Edmonton Centre.

He is a successful entrepreneur, community leader, and philanthropist with a strong record of leadership in business, public service, and the not-for-profit sector.

TIAC is very much looking forward to working with Minister Boissonnault and his team to ensure we will achieve the goal of rebuilding Canada’s travel economy and regain our leading competitive position in the global tourism market. Beth and the Minister will discuss just this - goals and future thinking for industry recovery. 

For more information on the session click here.

To learn more or provide comments on any of TIAC advocacy initiatives, please reach out to Madison Simmons, Director of Government Affairs, at msimmons@tiac-aitc.ca.

National Policy Forum

On November 30th at 1:30pm, TIAC will be hosting the National Policy Forum at Congress.

This session aims to provide delegates the opportunity to help shape TIAC’s advocacy priorities over the coming year to address chronic and systemic labour challenges. Objectives will be outlined, the role of advocacy – including the key players – will be reviewed, and the issue will be presented and then discussed by an expert panel representing different sectors of the industry. And, lastly, a draft advocacy strategy framework will be presented for deliberation and reaction from delegates. Moderated by Huw Williams, President of Impact Public Affairs, with a panelist list including: 

• Susie Grynol, President and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada 
• Rebecca McKenzie, President and CEO of the Culinary Tourism Alliance 
• Kevin Eshkawkogan, President and CEO, Indigenous Tourism Ontario 

And 

• Philip Mondor, President and CEO, Tourism HR Canada 

Attendees can take a look in advance at the policy paper prepared for discussion, available on the Congress website below.

Briefing for National Policy Forum

Vaccine Update

➜ Vaccine Progression by Province
➜ Canada COVID Tracker
➜ Global COVID Tracker

PHAC Resources on COVID-19

• Among the eligible population, young adults aged 18 to 39 years have the lowest vaccination coverage, as of October 16, 2021
  • 75% of 18 to 29-year-olds are fully vaccinated
  • 77% of 30 to 39-year-olds are fully vaccinated
• Between July 14 and October 18, 2021, within the 18 to 39-year-old age group: 
  • 2,037 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19
  • 384 people have been admitted to ICU
  • 45 people with COVID-19 have died
• There is no way to tell how COVID-19 will affect you. While young people may sometimes have mild symptoms when infected with COVID-19, they can still get sick from the virus, spread the virus to others, and experience longer-term effects

Being fully vaccinated is one of the most effective ways to protect our families, communities and ourselves against COVID-19. By sharing this information with your stakeholders, clients and employees, you can help all of us to get back to the people and activities we miss.    

• Video: We can all help 
• Video: I’m young and healthy. Why should I get vaccinated if I’m not at risk? 
• Video: Can the COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility? 
• Video: Do I need to get the second dose? 
• Social media shareables: Get the facts about the COVID-19 vaccines 

A COVID-19 Awareness Toolkit is also available online with additional COVID-19 resources and in multilingual formats.  

Travel Restrictions

Destination Canada provides up-to-date domestic travel restrictions and traveller self-isolation requirements for all provinces and territories. Explore Canada!

November 17, 2021:

The TIAC Team is pleased to provide you with this update on the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, including the steps government is taking to address the situation, as well as highlights of TIAC's recent advocacy efforts. TIAC is working hard to make sure the industry’s voice is heard by government, and that you have the information you need to keep your business going in these uncertain times.

Please find the latest updates on official announcements and a recap of TIAC’s advocacy work on behalf of Canada’s Visitor Economy:

Advocacy Update

TIAC Vice President, Marc Seguin, met with Liberal MP Francis Drouin last week to discuss a few advocacy priorities including labour and the need to remove the PCR test for returning fully vaccinated travellers. MP Drouin was supportive and will work with us moving forward on TIAC strategy to combat the labour challenge.  

TIAC President and CEO, Beth Potter, together with Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses Co-Chair, Susie Grynol, met with Finance last week to discuss the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program. The department was well briefed on the industry’s recommendations and TIAC looks forward to hearing further details on this program, including when applications will open. TIAC is well aware that industry is anxious to get answers on this program. 

TIAC continues with their weekly touch bases with the department to ensure top priorities for the industry are understood. 

To learn more or provide comments on any of TIAC advocacy initiatives, please reach out to Madison Simmons, Director of Government Affairs, at msimmons@tiac-aitc.ca.

Class Action Regarding Credit Card Acceptance  

Are you a merchant in Canada who accepted Visa or Mastercard credit cards?  

If you accepted Visa or Mastercard credit cards as payment for goods or services in Canada after March 23, 2001, your rights could be affected by a proposed national class action settlement with Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Bank of Montreal and Bank of Nova Scotia. Updates have also been made to the plan for distributing the settlement money. For more information or to view a copy of the settlement and distribution plan, visit creditcardsettlements.ca.

Vaccine Update

➜ Vaccine Progression by Province
➜ Canada COVID Tracker
➜ Global COVID Tracker

PHAC Resources on COVID-19

• Among the eligible population, young adults aged 18 to 39 years have the lowest vaccination coverage, as of October 16, 2021
  • 75% of 18 to 29-year-olds are fully vaccinated
  • 77% of 30 to 39-year-olds are fully vaccinated
• Between July 14 and October 18, 2021, within the 18 to 39-year-old age group: 
  • 2,037 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19
  • 384 people have been admitted to ICU
  • 45 people with COVID-19 have died
• There is no way to tell how COVID-19 will affect you. While young people may sometimes have mild symptoms when infected with COVID-19, they can still get sick from the virus, spread the virus to others, and experience longer-term effects

Being fully vaccinated is one of the most effective ways to protect our families, communities and ourselves against COVID-19. By sharing this information with your stakeholders, clients and employees, you can help all of us to get back to the people and activities we miss.    

• Video: We can all help 
• Video: I’m young and healthy. Why should I get vaccinated if I’m not at risk? 
• Video: Can the COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility? 
• Video: Do I need to get the second dose? 
• Social media shareables: Get the facts about the COVID-19 vaccines 

A COVID-19 Awareness Toolkit is also available online with additional COVID-19 resources and in multilingual formats.  

Travel Restrictions

Destination Canada provides up-to-date domestic travel restrictions and traveller self-isolation requirements for all provinces and territories. Explore Canada!

November 10, 2021:

The TIAC Team is pleased to provide you with this update on the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, including the steps government is taking to address the situation, as well as highlights of TIAC's recent advocacy efforts. TIAC is working hard to make sure the industry’s voice is heard by government, and that you have the information you need to keep your business going in these uncertain times.

Please find the latest updates on official announcements and a recap of TIAC’s advocacy work on behalf of Canada’s Visitor Economy:

Advocacy Update

TIAC is pleased to be meeting with Members of Parliament of all parties following the 2021 election to discuss the priorities. Last week, TIAC President and CEO, Beth Potter, met with TIAC's new Minister of Tourism, Randy Boissonnault. The Minister has been well briefed on the industry and TIAC looks forward to working closely with his office to continue TIAC advocacy efforts and bring the industry closer to recovery.

TIAC also met with Conservative MP Dane Lloyd from Alberta who was committed to working through labour challenges including temporary foreign worker program, and to the many tourism businesses in his riding.

TIAC continues with their weekly touch bases with the department to ensure top priorities for the industry are understood.

TIAC will continue meeting with federal officials in the weeks ahead and looks forward to Parliament officially resuming on November 22.   

Support Programs 

 TIAC continues outreach to fully understand the parameters of these programs. TIAC top priorities are to understand which sectors do qualify for this funding and to get clarity around the nature of seasonal businesses qualifying.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Madison Simmons, Director of Government Affairs at msimmons@tiac-aitc.ca.  

Details on the program are below: 

Funding includes two new streams: 

• Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program, which would provide support through the wage and rent subsidy programs, to a number of sectors within the tourism industry, with a subsidy rate of up to 75 percent
• Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program, which would provide support through the wage and rent subsidy programs to support other businesses that have faced deep losses, with a subsidy rate of up to 50 percent 

Applicants for these programs will use a new “two-key” eligibility system whereby they will need to demonstrate significant revenue losses over the course of 12 months of the pandemic, as well as revenue losses in the current month. These programs will be available until May 7, 2022, with the proposed subsidy rates available through to March 13, 2022. From March 13, 2022, to May 7, 2022, the subsidy rates will decrease by half.  

For more information, please see the backgrounder. 

The Canada Recovery Hiring Program will also be extended to May 7, 2022, for eligible employers with current revenue losses above 10 percent, with an increase in the subsidy rate to 50 percent. 

To learn more or provide comments on any of TIAC advocacy initiatives, please reach out to Madison Simmons, Director of Government Affairs, at msimmons@tiac-aitc.ca.

Professional Trustee Data Requirements

Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) is working proactively with members of the Professional Trustee Community and CDIC Member Institutions to facilitate implementation of legislative changes set to come into force on April 30, 2022. These changes, set out in the CDIC Act and the CDIC Co-owned and Trust Deposit Disclosure By-law (COTDB), include the establishments of a new framework for deposits held in trust by eligible Professional Trustees. Information on the new Professional trustee Framework and who can be an eligible Professional Trustee can be found at the following link: For Professional Trustees - cdic.ca

The new framework includes specific requirements for Professional Trustees to report key beneficiary information to CDIC when requested to do so, for eligible deposits they hold for clients in Professional Trustee Accounts at CDIC Member Institutions. This information will need to be reported to CDIC in an acceptable electronic format that permits CDIC to receive, extract and manipulate this data for deposit insurance calculation purposes.

To support Professional Trustees in reporting this data, CDIC has developed the Professional Trustee Data Requirements (PTDR) document, which will help ensure PTs can meet CDIC’s expectations with regards to the beneficiary information reporting requirements. The PTDR document can be found on the CDIC website at the following link: Professional Trustee Data Requirements (PTDR) - cdic.ca

Vaccine Update

➜ Vaccine Progression by Province
➜ Canada COVID Tracker
➜ Global COVID Tracker

PHAC Resources on COVID-19

• Among the eligible population, young adults aged 18 to 39 years have the lowest vaccination coverage, as of October 16, 2021
  • 75% of 18 to 29-year-olds are fully vaccinated
  • 77% of 30 to 39-year-olds are fully vaccinated
• Between July 14 and October 18, 2021, within the 18 to 39-year-old age group: 
  • 2,037 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19
  • 384 people have been admitted to ICU
  • 45 people with COVID-19 have died
• There is no way to tell how COVID-19 will affect you. While young people may sometimes have mild symptoms when infected with COVID-19, they can still get sick from the virus, spread the virus to others, and experience longer-term effects

Being fully vaccinated is one of the most effective ways to protect our families, communities and ourselves against COVID-19. By sharing this information with your stakeholders, clients and employees, you can help all of us to get back to the people and activities we miss.    

• Video: We can all help 
• Video: I’m young and healthy. Why should I get vaccinated if I’m not at risk? 
• Video: Can the COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility? 
• Video: Do I need to get the second dose? 
• Social media shareables: Get the facts about the COVID-19 vaccines 

A COVID-19 Awareness Toolkit is also available online with additional COVID-19 resources and in multilingual formats.  

Travel Restrictions

Destination Canada provides up-to-date domestic travel restrictions and traveller self-isolation requirements for all provinces and territories. Explore Canada!

November 3, 2021:

The TIAC Team is pleased to provide you with this update on the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, including the steps government is taking to address the situation, as well as highlights of TIAC's recent advocacy efforts. TIAC is working hard to make sure the industry’s voice is heard by government, and that you have the information you need to keep your business going in these uncertain times.

Please find the latest updates on official announcements and a recap of TIAC’s advocacy work on behalf of Canada’s Visitor Economy:

Advocacy Update

TIAC is pleased to be meeting with Members of Parliament of all parties following the 2021 election to discuss the priorities. Last week, TIAC met with Conservative MP Aboultaif from Alberta to discuss the recovery of the industry. MP Aboultaif has a number of tourism businesses in his riding and was committed to working with TIAC to discuss solutions to the labour challenge and the commercial insurance issues the industry is facing.

TIAC will continue meeting with federal officials in the weeks ahead and looks forward to Parliament officially resuming on November 22.  

Support Programs 

TIAC continues outreach to fully understand the parameters of these programs. TIAC's top priorities are to understand which sectors do qualify for this funding and to get clarity around the nature of seasonal businesses qualifying.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Madison Simmons, Director of Government Affairs at msimmons@tiac-aitc.ca.  

 Details on the program are below: 

 Funding includes two new streams: 

• Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program, which would provide support through the wage and rent subsidy programs, to a number of sectors within the tourism industry, with a subsidy rate of up to 75 percent
• Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program, which would provide support through the wage and rent subsidy programs to support other businesses that have faced deep losses, with a subsidy rate of up to 50 percent

Applicants for these programs will use a new “two-key” eligibility system whereby they will need to demonstrate significant revenue losses over the course of 12 months of the pandemic, as well as revenue losses in the current month. These programs will be available until May 7, 2022, with the proposed subsidy rates available through to March 13, 2022. From March 13, 2022, to May 7, 2022, the subsidy rates will decrease by half.  

For more information, please see the backgrounder. 

The Canada Recovery Hiring Program will also be extended to May 7, 2022, for eligible employers with current revenue losses above 10 percent, with an increase in the subsidy rate to 50 percent. 

To learn more or provide comments on any of TIAC advocacy initiatives, please reach out to Madison Simmons, Director of Government Affairs, at msimmons@tiac-aitc.ca.

Next Member Talk is November 9 – join TIAC!

Mark your calendar for TIAC next Member TALK on Tuesday, November 9th, from 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET.

Join TIAC President and CEO Beth Potter as she reviews:

• The new Federal Cabinet appointees
• Recent meetings with MPs
• TIAC's efforts surrounding the Tourism Relief Fund and advocacy work moving forward

Member Talks is an informal and friendly gathering of members to network and share concerns, stories and ideas. 

When you register to attend, you have the opportunity to submit a question in advance to be addressed during the virtual meeting. Of course, you can also ask questions throughout the session.

Member Talks take place on the second Tuesday of every month.

Register Here

TIAC in the Media

President and CEO Beth Potter has been active in the media over the past two weeks given the numerous announcements. Watch Beth’s interviews here:

• TIAC Celebrates Appointment Of Minister Of Tourism
• Welcome, Now Let’s Get To Work
• Tourism industry on new Manitoba vaccine credential and Canadian standards

Vaccine Update

➜ Vaccine Progression by Province
➜ Canada COVID Tracker
➜ Global COVID Tracker

Travel Restrictions

Destination Canada provides up-to-date domestic travel restrictions and traveller self-isolation requirements for all provinces and territories. Explore Canada!