BLLHA - BLLHA Member Homepage

VISION

The Banff & Lake Louise Hospitality Association is a respected, consensus-building organization that promotes the well-being of the accommodation, food & beverage, and tourism sectors in Banff National Park.

MISSION

The Banff & Louise Hospitality Association (BLLHA) is a powerful advocate for the accommodation, food & beverage and tourism sectors. Since 1974, BLLHA has been helping the tourism industry work toward common political and economic interests that will benefit the communities of Banff and Lake Louise as a whole.

BLLHA EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS WEBINAR SERIES: GOVERNMENTS PRESENT THEIR PLANS

TOWN OF BANFF WEBINAR

April 16, 2024 | 9:00 - 10:00 am

Director of Emergency & Protective Services, Katherine Severson, will present Town's emergency and disaster risk reduction activities. In the context of the most probable hazards in the region, she will share current Town initiatives, and will preview what's on deck in the future. Highlights will include the upcoming Town of Banff FireSmart Forum on May 7, updates to the Town evacuation plan, extreme weather planning, and mass violence mitigation.

REGISTER FOR THIS ZOOM WEBINAR HERE.

PARKS CANADA (BANFF & LAKE LOUISE YOHO KOOTENAY) AND ID9 WEBINAR
May 8, 2024 | 9:00 - 10:00 am
Parks Canada and Improvement District No. 9 will provide an overview of the emergency management and planning activities underway in Banff National Park. Join the conversation about what happens during an emergency in the park and how Parks Canada works with partners and neighbouring jurisdictions during a response. Highlights will include an update on regional partnerships, preliminary draft of the Lake Louise Area Emergency Plan and the role of ID9 during an emergency.
REGISTER FOR THIS ZOOM WEBINAR HERE.

* Speakers, dates, subjects, and locations are tentative and subject to change

Francophone Mobility

In November 2023, BLLHA's Director of Workforce & Communications, Karli Fleury, attended the Destination Canada Francophone Mobility Forum in Paris, France, and Rabat, Morocco. Representing BLLHA members and speaking to qualified candidates about working in Banff and Lake Louise, BLLHA was the only Tourism and Hospitality representative from Alberta, giving our destination exposure as a standout career destination. Karli can be reached with questions at Karli@bllha.ca.

Situational overview

With the COVID-19 era policy allowing Accommodation and Food Services to hire up to 30% of their workforce through an LMIA slated to end in August 2024 (extended from October 30, 2023) we encourage members to broaden their international labour strategies now. Complimentary to the Working Holiday (IEC) stream is the Francophone Mobility Program. It is rooted in francophone cultural preservation rather than a response to current economic conditions which creates more stability and predictability. The program addresses operator barriers that exist in other programs and with recent updates to skill and French level requirements, and is much more friendly to hospitality and tourism.

For members interested in learning more about the Francophone Mobility Program, BLLHA will be coordinating information sessions in 2024 through IRCC. Tourism HR Canada has excellent, plain language resources about all temporary foreign worker programs.

BLLHA Public Relations Communications

David M Bayne Legacy Bursary

Supports post-secondary students facing barriers to advancing their tourism and hospitality careers in Banff National Park

The David M. Bayne Legacy Fund supports post-secondary students facing barriers to advancing their tourism and hospitality careers in Banff National Park. The vision for the fund is to inspire students and celebrate the virtues David embodied – leadership, hard work, and professionalism.
The ideal candidate for this bursary is actively pursuing educational goals in the field of tourism and/or hospitality and has a demonstrated relationship (personal and/or professional) with Banff and Lake Louise. The candidate may be entering first year of post-secondary studies in this field or pursuing continuing education beyond that first year. The ideal candidate values leadership, hard work and professionalism.
Visit the Banff Canmore Community Foundation page to learn more.

Targeted Mental Health Awareness Project

About the campaign
While it’s no secret that the pandemic has affected the outlook of people far and wide, in a recent survey of our destination, BLLHA found that 93% of local employers are seeing mental distress in their teams.
To help the destination’s workforce, BLLHA will be leading a hyper-segmented awareness campaign so locals better understand what help is available. With support from Banff & Lake Louise Tourism, BLLHA will lead this work alongside countless local agency partners, the Town of Banff, ID9, and health care providers such as AHS, Primary Care Network, Banff Mineral Springs Hospital and more.

Three distinct segments of our workforce have been identified to focus efforts on:

Staff aged 20-30 who are living away from family
Those in management and leadership roles
ESL foreign-born workers

How can businesses get involved?

Support Packages will be available with materials such as posters, floor decals, etc. for back of house employee areas, and for organizations that any of the three segments frequent (local grocers, etc.) to use in their customer-facing areas. An order form will be shared with members the week of April 19, 2021.
Add a note about mental health in newsletters, on your intranet, in welcome letters, etc. using our messaging and include a link to our website so your teams have direct access to free targeted supports.

Learn more at www.bllha.ca/support/

THE VIEWS: BLLHA MEMBER NEWSLETTER

Read our most recent newsletter HERE

Photo courtesy of Reuben Krabbe / Banff & Lake Louise Tourism

HR UPDATE
HR GROUP MEETING SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 16, 2024 AT 2:00 P.M.

Read our most recent HR newsletter HERE

Photo courtesy of Travel Alberta/Chris Amat_@christopheramat