HMANL has been busy working on a variety of issues that have been impacting our industry in our province for the past several years.  As you may have noted in some recent communications, HMANL members along with representatives of HNL met with the Newfoundland & Labrador Employers Council (NLEC).  The purpose of the meeting was to gain an understanding of the regulations and processes to assist accommodators in their understanding of the WHSCC.  NLEC is an association that has worked with WHSCC on many occasions and with their guidance and assistance HMANL is confident that some long-standing concerns and issues with WHSCC will be communicated and improved upon for the benefit of all HMANL and HNL members.

A formal position paper will be published shortly and circulated to all the membership in order for us to collect your feedback on this issue.  Please stay tuned as it should be ready within the next couple of weeks.  The next step after the postion paper is finalized is to present the issue during WHSCC Public Review that is due to take place this Spring.  Every 5 years WHSCC conducts public reviews as a way to gather feedback from claimants and employers that will be taken into consideration when decisions are made to change or alter process and policy changes. 

More importantly, a new development with the WHSCC public reviews is the opportunity for private meetings.  HNL along with HMANL will request a private meeting to ensure the opinions of the hotel/tourism industry are heard, and it is strongly felt that WHSCC will agree to such a meeting as they are aware that issues exist and will welcome the feedback.  The following key issues will be the primary focus that will be presented:

1.  Problem with medical community, physicians do not provide adequate information or suggested treatments for modified work duties.

2.  Return to work is not a priority for physicans and instead authorize the worker to not work at all.

3.  Issues with WHSCC job classifications within the hotel industry and the effect it has on the rating system.

4.  WHSCC process for achieving PRIME status is too onerous, and the reward requires more effort than what is rewarded.

Again stay tuned and we look forward to achieving our goals in order to alleviate the burden that WHSCC premiums have on all of our businesses.

Yours in hospitality,

Greg Fleming

Some very interesting and telling data….Greg

Hello,

Please Click on the link to learn more about the HAC’s Government Relations Grassroots Program.  Thus far the HAC board and its members led by President, Tony Pollard, have met with over 150 MP’s.  The communication has begun to resonate in Ottawa, further updates will be provided.

Greg Fleming

September 22, 2011

Dear Valued Member,

The 2011 HAC Grassroots Campaign has been the highlight of the summer with 105 meetings having taken place to date. We have already begun to see some successes. The new Open Skies agreement with Brazil, the 7th most powerful economy in the world, and the implementation of a new ten year multiple-entry visa for international travelers wishing to visit Canada – both positive initiatives by the Government.

Meetings with Maxime Bernier, Minister of State Small Business and Tourism, and Opposition Tourism Critics

On August 19 the HAC and TIAC met with the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of State Small Business and Tourism, who stated he is delighted to be the “Advocate for the Tourism Industry”. We can expect the new Federal Tourism Strategy to be announced later this year. The HAC President has also met with Raymond Cote, NDP Small Business and Tourism critic and Joyce Murray, the Liberal Party critic.

Each requested further information on HAC policies and the HAC responded:

“Canadian Tourism Commission annual base funding has dropped 28 percent from 2001 to 2011. In real terms this is a drop of 40 percent. In 2001 it was $98.7 million. Today it is $72 million and through Program Review it could be cut a further 5 to 10 percent.

Visitors to Canada must undergo a long, time consuming process to secure visas. This can result in potential travelers choosing to visit other countries that have simplified and streamlined this requirement. As an example Brazil is the seventh most powerful economy in the world and outbound tourism from this country is growing exponentially. To obtain a visa to Canada, visitors must surrender their credentials and wait for the process to unfold – often taking several days or weeks. Compare this to the United Sates where the applicant receives their visa on the same day. Canada should seriously consider the Australian model with its Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) which processes visas instantly.

Airport and air charges have resulted in Canada being ranked in 125th position globally by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The airport rents charged by the federal government to airports downloaded to municipal authorities years ago totals $257 million annually. The aviation Excise Sales Tax was designed as a temporary measure but still is in place. The federal government derives $40 million in revenue for this charge.

The Air Transportation Safety Charge is completely paid for by the air traveler and not spread across all tax payers as in other countries; the ATSC generated $394 million to the federal government in 2009. These charges are all passed on to the traveler when purchasing airline tickets.

Based on the HAC’s 2011 Travel Intentions Survey, airline travel being artificially higher in Canada has also resulted in 21 per cent of Canadians traveling to the United States seeking less expensive airline tickets. At the same time air carriers choose to bypass Canada and are flying into US airports. It is for precisely this reason that Air France chose to serve the Pacific Northwest through Seattle as opposed to Vancouver International (YVR).

Around the world the CTC conducts marketing campaigns in 11 countries and Canada has Open Skies agreements with only three; namely the United States, South Korea and Brazil and liberalized air agreements with four others – the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan. Compare this to the United States which to date has 96 Open Skies Agreements in place. Immediate action must be taken to take advantage of new markets through new Open Skies agreements.”

Red Tape Commission

The HAC was once again invited by Minister Maxime Bernier to attend the Red Tape Commission Meeting on September 6, 2011 whereby the Minister indicated he is fully committed to reducing government red tape.

The HAC participated in the Commission hearing and submitted the following recommendations:

• It is the owner/operator who is responsible for compliance along with all other aspects of the business.
• Refrain from asking business for information which is already available within the administration, unless it needs to be updated.
• Set up single points of contact through which business can obtain all relevant information and complete all necessary procedures by electronic means.

The What Was Heard Report will be tabled in December in order that recommendations can be included in the 2012 February Federal Budget.

Re:Sound Proposed Tariff #3 – Background Music

The Hotel Association of Canada has formally objected to Re:Sound Proposed Tariff No 3, the Use and Supply of Background Music in accordance with the Statement of Proposed Royalties as published in the Canada Gazette on June 4, 2011.

Hotels have to pay Re:Sound tariffs for tariffs are already certified by the Copyright Board of Canada but not new “applied for” tariffs. For example under Tariff 3 “Use and Supply of Background Music” hoteliers have to pay the certified tariff for 2003 to 2009. This rate still applies to 2011. However Re:Sound has applied for a tariff increase which HAC has officially opposed. Re:Sound can invoice a hotel under the 2003-2009 rate but not for the new rate if and until the Copyright Board approves it. The same procedure applies to SOCAN.

As always, do not hesitate to contact me to discuss further.
]]> http://hmanl.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/hac-president-message-from-tony-pollard/feed/ 0 hmanl2011 http://hmanl.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/sports-teams-standards-of-conduct/ http://hmanl.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/sports-teams-standards-of-conduct/#comments Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:48:10 +0000 hmanl2011 http://hmanl.wordpress.com/?p=103 ]]> Hello,

As was brought forward during our recent AGM at the Delta St. John’s, the general behavior of independent sports teams has been a problem for many hotels and motels throughout the province for a long time.

In fact some operators in some cases no longer will accommodate sports teams over concerns of damaging the rooms, disturbing other guests among other things.

In order to address this problem I am meeting with the President of NL Sports along with a couple of their board members to outline our concerns and determine the best course of action to develop a standard code of conduct.  This code of conduct, once developed and approved, will be distributed to all sports organizations in the province with the intent of communicating the policies and guidelines up front.

I will follow up with further communication as this process progresses.

Greg Fleming

Here is the latest issue of the HAC Roomers newsletter for May 2011.

 http://www.naylornetwork.com/hoc-nwl/newsletter.asp?issueID=24472

Greetings from the Hotel/Motel Association of Newfoundland & Labrador (HMANL)! I would first like to extend my gratitude for being elected to represent the HMANL as President during our Annual General Meeting which occurred during Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador’s 2011 Annual Conference and Trade Show held at the Delta St. John’s Hotel and Conference Centre.  Due to the joint membership our association holds with HNL, we are able to hold our AGM during HNL’s Annual Conference and I hope you all enjoyed the event.  It was a very successful conference and with a fresh and exciting new logo and website it is definitely representative and symbolic of our ever-growing and prosperous tourism industry. 

On behalf of HMANL, I would like to thank Todd Wight, outgoing President, for his hard work.  As Past President, he will no doubt prove to be a wealth of knowledge for myself and the association going forward. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge Rex Avery for his leadership on the HMANL Board of Directors.  His commitment and contribution to our association has been immeasurable.  

In my current role as General Manager of the Ramada St. John’s since 2009, and with several years of hotel management experience in St. John’s and Calgary with various international hotel brands, I hope that my varied experience will help me represent the diverse interests of all members across the province.

Also elected to lead HMANL are:

Past President: Todd Wight
todd@theoceanview.ca
Telephone:  709-458-2730

Vice-President: Cathy Lomond
hotelpab@nf.aibn.com
Telephone:709-695-2171

Secretary / Treasurer: Larry Laite
llaite@capitalhotel.ca
Telephone: 709-738-4480

Western / Labrador Representative: Peter Antle
pantle@fortisproperties.com
Telephone: 709-634-5381

Central Representative: Karen Mills
kmills@comfortinngander.ca
709-256-3535

Eastern Representative: Derrick Aylward
reservations@guvnor-inn.com
709-726-0092

Along with these talented individuals, I am excited to work with all of you to lead HMANL into 2011 and continue providing as much or more communication along with some new initiatives and programs to give value to our membership.  If you have any suggestions on how we can better meet your needs, I strongly encourage you to share them, no matter how big or small.  Please send your feedback to gfleming@ramadastjohns.com.  I look forward to gaining an understanding of how best we can meet your needs.

Newfoundland and Labrador continues to be a popular destination and our presence on the international stage is greater than it ever has been before.  While our world class marketing campaigns continue to receive rave reviews and draw people to our province, we must recognize the international tourism industry is very competitive, where only the best-managed destinations are likely to prosper with quality hotel and lodging operations contributing greatly to its success.

Stay tuned and look forward to receiving future email communications with pertinent hotel/lodging information, updates and HMANL news, and also remember to check out our blog found at http://hmanl.wordpress.com/ where all communications will be stored along with past information from our association.

Here’s to another exciting year for our industry and I am very confident it will be another successful one for us all!

Yours in Hospitality,

Greg Fleming
President HMANL