BLLHA Tourism & Hospitality Bursary Program
In support of the individuals pursuing career development opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industry, the Banff & Lake Louise Hospitality Association will be awarding bursaries of up to $500 each! Download the application form here. First intake for 2024 closes June 15 - send completed applications to info@bllha.ca.
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
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/