Blogs

This week, the provincial government released its 2024 Budget, entitled Building a Better Ontario. In case you missed it, the highlights include an additional $100 million investment in the Skills Development Fund, new infrastructure investments, and a proposal to eliminate the 6.1% tax at on-site winery retail. For more top-level highlights, see our summary here, and be sure to look out for TIAO’s deep dive analysis next week.  

Yesterday, in response to the federal government’s cap on international students, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities announced that hospitality will be one of the priority program areas for Ontario’s allocation of international study permit applications. This was a key TIAO ask, which we raised with Colleges and Universities Minister Jill Dunlop immediately after the international student cap was announced in January. We thank Minister Dunlop for her support of Ontario’s tourism and hospitality sectors, and we look forward to working toward further measures to support our postsecondary partners. 

In other news, on the heels of last week’s announcement on changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, TIAO continues to seek member feedback to gauge the impact of these changes on tourism and hospitality sectors that rely on temporary foreign workers to meet employment demand. Preliminary results of our survey show concern around the change in Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) validity from 12 months to 6 months, and concern with capacity to fulfill the new requirement for businesses to explore every option before applying for an LMIA (including recruiting asylum seekers with valid work permits in Canada). If you haven’t already, you can complete our short survey here. The survey closes tomorrow, Friday March 29.  

Finally, Premier Doug Ford announced changes today to his team of parliamentary assistants. We offer our best wishes to outgoing Tourism, Culture and Sport PAs Laura Smith and Dave Smith for their new roles in the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and the Associate Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, respectively. And we offer a very warm welcome to incoming Tourism, Culture and Sport PA Sam Oosterhoff! TIAO has met PA Oosterhoff on many occasions in his former roles at the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Red Tape Reduction. A strong supporter of tourism, we look forward to working with him alongside Minister Lumsden.  

Thank you for your continued support. And as always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to send me an email at jng@tiaontario.ca.

Dr. Jessica Ng, PhD   

Director, Policy & Government Affairs

Tourism Industry Association of Ontario

Over the past few weeks, TIAO and our sector partners have met with several ministries to advance progress on a number of ongoing files, including: craft cider and craft beer tax reform; marketing and product development dollars for Northern destinations located on Crown land or beyond municipal boundaries; marketing support for Indigenous tourism; and local and regional transportation challenges.  

On the transportation file, we’ve been hearing quite a bit from TIAO members about worsening conditions affecting local and regional connectivity. With air and passenger rail service reductions, infrastructure deficits, road safety concerns, and declining connectivity, transportation is fast-emerging as one of TIAO’s top-line critical issues this year. TIAO is planning a series of more targeted advocacy initiatives to highlight the urgency of the state of transportation in Ontario and the impact on visitor economies across the province, and to elevate our solutions-based asks. 

To ensure that we have the full picture to work from, we are seeking feedback from members on:  

• The types of local and regional transportation challenges being experienced   

• Any examples/anecdotes/data that can be shared to illustrate the severity of the above issues 

• Any specific provincial or federal policies (or gaps) that are contributing factors to the above  

To collect this feedback, we will be hosting a virtual meeting next Monday March 25 from 2:00 - 3:00 PM.  

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP and register via the following Zoom link: 

If you have feedback or questions that you would like to submit in advance of or in lieu of attending the meeting, please direct them to Alexander Miceli, Manager of Policy & Government Affairs at amiceli@tiaontario.ca.

Thank you for your continued support. And as always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to send me an email at jng@tiaontario.ca.

Dr. Jessica Ng, PhD   

Director, Policy & Government Affairs

Tourism Industry Association of Ontario

Exciting updates and important actions are underway at TIAO!

In response to the recent changes in visa requirements for Mexican citizens, TIAO and 14 member partners have swiftly mobilized. We've penned a letter to The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, urging for immediate action. Our goal: expedited visa processing for those with pre-booked departures to Canada. By uniting our voices, we amplify our impact, pushing for timely decisions that benefit our communities. Please take a moment to review the letter and share it within your networks. Your feedback on how this affects your business is invaluable; reach out to us via email to share your thoughts: jng@tiaontario.ca.

In other news, the spotlight shines on festivals and events across Ontario.  Media coverage has soared this week, highlighting both the challenges and the remarkable impact of festivals and events.  TIAO and our partners have been actively engaged in these discussions, emphasizing the vital role festivals and events play in our communities.  We've also championed the investments made by the Province through the Experience Ontario program, eagerly awaiting updates—a key priority from our pre-budget submission.

Finally, today I had the privilege of delivering a deputation to Prince Edward County's Committee of the Whole. I shared insights and best practices on Municipal Accommodation Tax implementations, supporting our members in the County while providing valuable recommendations to local council members.  This opportunity excites me, and I'm eager to extend this support to members across the Province.  Don't hesitate to reach out—I'm here to help!

Let's continue driving positive change together.

Best,

Andrew Siegwart

President & CEO

Tourism Industry Association of Ontario

On this upcoming International Women's Day, we celebrate and thank all of the dedicated women across Ontario's tourism industry who are pushing boundaries to make a difference, and inspiring inclusion while strengthening communities and economies. Click here to learn more about  Government of Canada’s theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) 2024, Invest in women: Accelerate progress.

Andrew Siegwart

President & CEO

Tourism Industry Association of Ontario

TIAO has been actively responding to the recently announced international student permit cap, which aims to enhance the student experience and address housing concerns by reducing undergraduate study permits by 35% nationwide. Ontario, hosting 70% of Canada's international students, is expected to be disproportionately affected, particularly impacting its renowned post-secondary programs in tourism and hospitality, and their students who work in tourism while studying in Ontario.  A TIAO member survey highlighted concerns such as increased recruitment costs, reduced service levels for customers, and revenue losses for operators.

Andrew Siegwart

President & CEO

Tourism Industry Association of Ontario