Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

$50M fund to support B.C. anchor attractions

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 May, 2021 05:25 PM
  • $50M fund to support B.C. anchor attractions

The B.C. government is offering up to $1-million grants to help "anchor" attractions and tour bus operators survive the pandemic and ramp up operations when it's safe to do so.

Premier John Horgan and Tourism Minister Melanie Mark said they believe the $50-million BC Major Anchor Attractions Program is enough to prevent any of those not-for-profits and businesses on the edge from going under.

Few sectors have been hit as hard by COVID-19 as tourism, Horgan told a news conference Tuesday.

Anchor attractions have ripple effects on the economy as visitors stay in hotels, eat at restaurants and shop in the area, while also offering employment opportunities, especially for youth, he added.

"Many of our major tourism attractions we all know and love are struggling and we need to make sure we're there for them," Horgan said.

Marks said the program could help about 30 urban attractions and 40 rural ones. As examples, she gave the Museum of Anthropology, Butchart Gardens, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Pacific National Exhibition and Science World.

Urban attractions that get at least 75,000 visitors each year are eligible for the maximum amount, while rural attractions with 15,000 or more visitors, and tourism bus companies with a minimum of 30,000 passengers annually may receive up to $500,000.

The funding will cover expenses like payroll, rent and utility costs related to restarting operations in preparation for gradual reopening in alignment with provincial health orders.

Applications will be accepted until June 7, with funds provided in July.

"This is, with all due respect, new terrain for government to be handing out grants to a sector," Mark said.

However, not everyone agreed the funding is a sufficient life line. It doesn't meet the $8 million the PNE has said it needs to stay afloat.

The attraction employs 4,300 people and is the largest employer of youth in B.C., the PNE said in a statement May 5 when it announced it would have to remain closed for a second season due to COVID-19 restrictions.

It said last month that with forecasted losses of $15 million, it would need about half that in emergency grants from the province to survive.

Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said in a statement he was disappointed that the B.C. funding announcement meant the city-owned operation will still be left critically short.

It should receive the same level of support from senior levels of government as other fairs across Canada, but unlike other major attractions, the PNE has not been guaranteed any COVID-19 funding to date, he said.

Stewart said he would work with PNE leadership on next steps.

PNE president and CEO Shelley Frost said the funding is a step in the right direction and she took comfort in Horgan's comment that the organization's application will give the province a better understanding of its challenges.

Frost said she hopes the government recognizes the difference between an organization that generates $2 million and one like the PNE, which generates $60 million and has significant fixed costs.

"I hope they will be moved to realize there will be some unique situations where $1 million is not going to be enough in the first step, but hopefully it will be only a first step," Frost said.

Tracy Redies, president and CEO of Science World, said the not-for-profit has seen an 80 per cent drop in revenue during the pandemic and is projecting a loss of about $5 million over two years.

Tourists aren't the only ones who benefit from its programs as the organization works closely with the education system to welcome about 140,000 students and teachers in a typical year.

"We hope we can have more holistic discussions with government about the longer term and the importance of these attractions in the social fabric of B.C.," Redies said.

Walt Judas, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of B.C., said the funding announcement will go a long way for many attractions, particularly the not-for-profits, but others will need more support to recover.

"For some of the larger attractions, no question, this is some welcome relief. But their fixed-cost expenses, as you can appreciate, are extremely high," he said, adding they won't see that revenue flow return without significant volumes of visitors.

The association estimates it would take "iconic businesses," a category including for-profit anchor attractions, hotels and resorts, about $150 million to $300 million to recover.

There are other forms of relief that could be immediately helpful depending on the business. Tenure relief or water lease relief could go a long way for adventure operators, for example, Judas said.

— By Amy Smart in Vancouver.

MORE National ARTICLES

Jump in backyard projects prompts safety concerns

Jump in backyard projects prompts safety concerns
The report says tree trimming is the most common offence as novice pruners drop branches across power lines, frequently causing outages. More than 100 reports linked to what BC Hydro calls "backyard logging" have been received since March 2020, but the utility suspects the number is much higher. 

Jump in backyard projects prompts safety concerns

Surrey schools to provided with take-home COVID-19 Mouth Rinse/Gargle Sample Collection kits: Fraser Health

Surrey schools to provided with take-home COVID-19 Mouth Rinse/Gargle Sample Collection kits: Fraser Health
Beginning today, COVID-19 Mouth Rinse/Gargle Sample Collection kits will be available in all elementary and secondary schools in the Surrey School District. 

Surrey schools to provided with take-home COVID-19 Mouth Rinse/Gargle Sample Collection kits: Fraser Health

24 year old man in police custody for shooting a woman in Surrey on Tuesday night

24 year old man in police custody for shooting a woman in Surrey on Tuesday night
Police found 20-year-old Keryane Arsenault suffering from gunshot wounds when they arrived at scene of the shooting around 9pm. She was transported to hospital but succumbed to her injuries.

24 year old man in police custody for shooting a woman in Surrey on Tuesday night

BC RCMP COVID-19 road checks in place this weekend for BC highways

BC RCMP COVID-19 road checks in place this weekend for BC highways
The checks are part of the provincial enforcement actions that are meant to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 throughout the province by limiting travel between three regions: Lower Mainland/ Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, and Norther/Interior.

BC RCMP COVID-19 road checks in place this weekend for BC highways

Surrey's 9 high transmission neighbourhoods prioritize vaccination

Surrey's 9 high transmission neighbourhoods prioritize vaccination
Eligible people who live in these neighborhoods can register now on the Get Vaccinated website and will be immediately contacted to book their vaccine. 

Surrey's 9 high transmission neighbourhoods prioritize vaccination

Serious crash at a main intersection in Surrey impacts traffic for several hours

Serious crash at a main intersection in Surrey impacts traffic for several hours
Surrey RCMP say the accident happened just before 1 pm on Thursday. The cause of the 3 car crash is unknown. 

Serious crash at a main intersection in Surrey impacts traffic for several hours