Blogs

It was a pleasure to meet and reconnect with many of you at last week’s Ontario Tourism Summit. I am so looking forward to working with and for you again on our critical advocacy objectives.  

FALL ECONOMIC STATEMENT

On October 30, 2024, the Province released its Fall Economic Statement entitled, ‘Building Ontario for You: 2024 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review.’

Read the key highlights here.

ONTARIO TOURISM STRATEGY SURVEY

Your insights are crucial for shaping the future of Ontario tourism.  Please take a moment to complete the survey and share it within your communities as soon as possible, as the survey deadline is fast approaching, end of day tomorrow, November 1, 2024. Let’s make sure every voice is heard! Together, we can create a vibrant and inclusive tourism strategy for Ontario. Thank you for your continued support and participation!

Take the Survey Now.

POST GRADUATION WORK PERMIT CHANGES

Earlier this month, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced a number of details for new rules around Canada’s post graduation work permit (PGWP) eligibility. Graduates from a college program not listed as an eligible field of study will not be eligible for a post graduation work permit. The eligible academic programs are based on five broad areas including agriculture and agri-food, healthcare, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), skilled trade and transportation. Notably, tourism and hospitality, nor business programs, are PGWP eligible for students applying for a study permit on or after November 1, 2024. 

This change is concerning to the industry, especially amidst the suite of announcements on immigration policy recently. There is apprehension about the long-term impacts to the tourism workforce and labour gaps, and the sustainability of tourism and hospitality postsecondary programs. TIAO is working with partners both provincially and federally to assess the impacts of this change, as well as outline a plan to advocate for programs that promote recruitment and retention of unemployed and underemployed people through job readiness training and career planning, and to look at solutions to ensure we can retain Ontario trained international talent.

Thank you for your continued support. If you have any questions or comments, or would just like to chat, feel free to send me an email at msimmons@tiaontario.ca. 

Happy Halloween! 

Sincerely, 

This week, I had the privilege of representing Ontario alongside our tourism colleagues from across the country at Tourism Industry Association of Canada’s (TIAC) Hill Days in Ottawa.  It was an inspiring experience, as our delegation engaged in more than 40 crucial meetings with Senators, MPs from all parties, Ministries, department leaders, and key industry stakeholders. Our mission was clear: to raise awareness and advocate for 8 critical priorities in the upcoming federal budget.  These priorities include rebuilding our workforce, investing in tourism infrastructure, supporting business events, expanding national marketing efforts, enhancing transportation and connectivity (including the cruise ship sector), expediting international visitor entry, and enabling sustainable transportation solutions.

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the incredible TIAC team for their exceptional work in organizing such an important event, and for their close collaboration with TIAO and our members. Together, we are making real strides toward the growth and future success of our industry, and I couldn't be more proud of the progress we’re driving forward.

And speaking of driving forward, we are very excited to launch our Ontario Tourism Industry Strategy Survey in today’s newsletter!  This is the first of several industry consultation steps we are taking to chart a bold new course forward for Ontario’s tourism industry!  Please take the survey now and forward to your contacts, the industry’s voice matters!  Responders who complete the survey by Oct X will be entered into a draw for 1 of 10 free passes to either this year’s Ontario Tourism Summit or next year’s Impact Sustainability  Conference.  

Preliminary survey insights will be shared at our upcoming Ontario Tourism Summit.  If you have not registered yet, please do so right away.  Time is running out.

Sincerely,

Andrew Siegwart

President & CEO

Tourism Industry Association of Ontario

This week, TIAO provided a deputation to the City of Toronto’s Executive Committee in support of necessary infrastructure upgrades and operating agreement extensions required for the sustainability and growth of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (BBTCA).  The objective of the deputation was to support the airport’s key operating stakeholders as well as passengers and tourism industry operators who rely on the critical air service that BBTCA provides.

Please see here for a transcript of the deputation for more details about the issues and recommendations.  Thank you to the hundreds of TIAO Members who responded to TIAO’s call-to-action on this issue in last week’s newsletter.  Together, we are making our voice stronger!    

TIAO has been increasingly called upon to support our members and their destination communities at the local level to advocate for tourism infrastructure and investment and to help educate municipalities about the impact and needs of Ontario’s tourism industry.  It is a privilege for us to do so and this deeper level of collaboration is making a big difference.  Further, these engagements help us to sharpen our provincial and federal policy and advocacy work.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly at asiegwart@tiaontario.ca if/when we can be of assistance to speak on your behalf or to provide local-level support.  We look forward to continuing to support you and your communities.

Sincerely,

Andrew Siegwart

President & CEO

Tourism Industry Association of Ontario