Working for You: Top 5 Things to Know About Your National Association This Month

Fostering Fair Competition in Budget 2019 

As part of its #FairRules campaign, HAC recently authored an op-ed piece which was featured in The Hill Times. This publication is an essential part of the Canadian political scene and an influential must-read for the savvy political and government insider. Its readers include Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, Senators, political staffers, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Finance Department, and more.

The op-ed focused on the need to ensure that any business operating in Canada, whether it has physical space or not, is given the benefit of a level playing field. This is a great follow-up to our most recent press conference on Parliament Hill in December, where we called on the federal government to follow through on the Finance Committee’s Pre-Budget Consultations Report. The Committee recommends real actions focused on tax fairness and tax avoidance, which would help address the existing inequities currently enjoyed by foreign digital players. Read now >

HAC Conference: One Industry, One Voice

The HAC Conference is approaching quickly. The HAC Conference offers top name speakers, insightful information and national networking. Designed for property-level decision makers, our sessions are focused on delivering solutions that can be implemented immediately.

Highlights include:

• Insightful keynote sessions with Michelle Romanow and Eric Termuende
• An informative panel session about hotels, travel and the global economy with David Goldstein of Destination Canada and Nik Nanos of Nanos Research, moderated by Suhana Meharchand – an award-winning CTV News anchor
• The celebration of six new recipients of the HAC Awards of Excellence. A special ceremony will take place on Feb. 27 at 5:30 p.m. followed by an evening reception
• An enlightening panel session exploring the Destination Employment program
• A Sip+Social cocktail reception inspired by women in Canada’s hotel industry. There are only 200 tickets available for this exclusive industry event – confirm your attendance today!

For full conference details and to register now, visit www.hacconference.ca.

A New Policy to Diversify HAC

Following the July 2018 amendments to our Bylaws and the subsequent launch of our new membership model, the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) has now released its new Diversity Policy in advance of the 2019 Board elections. Diversity is inherent in HAC’s constituency and the policy will help to ensure that the diverse makeup of the association’s membership is reflected at the Board level and within its committees. The promotion of a diverse Board makes prudent business sense and ultimately leads to better corporate governance. HAC will seek to maintain a Board comprised of talented and dedicated directors with a diverse mix of expertise, experience, skills, and backgrounds. The skills and backgrounds collectively represented on the Board should reflect the increasing diversity of the Canadian lodging industry, diversity which has contributed cultural, social and economic benefits to both our industry and to the communities in which our members operate. For HAC, diversity includes, but is not limited to, business experience, geography, age, gender, sexual identity or orientation, ethnicity, culture, language, ability, and indigenous status. HAC will be proactive in seeking diversity at the Board and Committee tables, so as to avoid bias and discrimination and to welcome individuals from minority groups, and multiple views and perspectives. The first objective will be to increase the number of women Directors serving on the HAC Board with a goal of 20% representation by 2020.

#FairRules Digital Campaign

Following the success of HAC’s political activity in the fall, a digital campaign was launched to emphasize the #FairRules message among regulators and elected officials.

The campaign bolstered FairRules.ca content, in order to: dispel the myth that Airbnb’s growth is driven by the occasional renting of spare bedrooms; explain how shadow hotels negatively affect housing affordability; explain that shadow hotels are not held to the same health and safety standards as licensed hotels; and finally, explain the tax situation and identify how improved regulation and oversight would result in additional tax dollars that could in turn be reinvested into the communities in which Airbnb operates.

This narrative was amplified to a key target audience on Twitter, earning the attention of political stakeholders, including MP Sheri Benson, NDP Critic for Housing. Overall, the campaign was a success, reaching an Ottawa-based audience greater than 450,000 people and earning more than 8,000 engagements. The key messages also captured the campaign’s overall objective of highlighting the problem and making the case that governments need to step in. Stay tuned for more campaign updates as we move forward!

Government of Canada Tourism Stakeholder Meeting

As a key tourism partner, HAC recently participated in the Government of Canada’s Tourism Stakeholder Meeting, chaired by the Department of Innovation’s Tourism Branch. This is a key forum for dialogue and exchange with the government and other tourism stakeholders, ensuring the hotel industry’s concerns are heard.

This first meeting of 2019 was very productive. The government was keen to learn and hear from the group, as our collective views will play an important role in shaping the new tourism strategy. Moving forward, these meetings will be taking place monthly. HAC will continue to be at the table to receive updates on the Advisory Council on Jobs and the Visitor Economy; learn about the continued work on the Federal Tourism Strategy; and share updates on our industry’s top priority issues.

As a reminder, as the Government continues its important work on the Federal Tourism Strategy, your views can be shared via an online feedback form on the government’s Tourism in Canada website.

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