In an attempt to reach a new collective agreement with their more than 4,800 unionized employees, Parks Canada made an offer worth an estimated $28 million to the employees’ representatives during conciliation hearings. This three year contract would include a 2.25% pay increase for all Agency employees retroactively to August 5, 2003, an additional 2% increase to take effect August 5, 2004 and an increase of 1.5% to take effect August 2005. In addition, Parks Canada’s offer includes a 4% increase in the top level of its salary scales for employees in certain job categories, retroactively to August 5, 2003. Parks Canada and the Public Service Alliance of Canada began the conciliation board process on July 12, 2004, in an effort to reach a new collective agreement. Agency employees will not be in a strike position until the board submits its findings and both parties have had an opportunity to review the document.

The new Passenger Transportation Act came into effect June 28, 2004, replacing the previous Motor Carrier Act. This piece of legislation establishes a new regulatory structure for licensing commercial passenger vehicles such as taxis, limousines, hotel shuttles, and sightseeing or chartered buses. Passenger directed vehicle operators will continue to be required to meet both economic entry criteria as well as safety requirements, while general passenger vehicle operators must only meet safety requirements to obtain a license. This new Act will make it easier for some operators to enter the marketplace and respond to changing business needs while maintaining public safety. For more information about this Act and how it will impact your business please refer to the Ministry of Transportation’s Passenger Transportation Branch.

The first quarter of 2004 saw even more Canadians discovering what international visitors have known for years; Canada is a great place to be a tourist. The quarterly National Tourism Indicators report, released by Statistics Canada, indicates that $13.4 billion was injected into the Canadian economy as a result of tourism activities, a 1.5 percent increase over the previous period. Domestic demand played a large role in the gain, with expenditures reaching $9.2 billion, marking the 8th consecutive year-over-year increase. Tourism employment also realized gains in the first three months of 2004 with an increase of 0.5 percent for a total of 559,900 people employed within the industry. Job gains were widespread, with a notable 1.6 percent increase in the air transportation sector. The accommodation sector was the only area to experience a contraction in the first quarter of 2004, with receipts totaling $1,918,000 - a decline of 1.6 percent - and a 0.4 percent decline in employment.

The Ministry of Transportation is investing $2.4 million to improve more than 150 rest stops throughout British Columbia. The rest stop upgrade is meant to encourage motorists to take more breaks when they are travelling while providing a safe pull off area for tourists and truckers alike. The strategy includes funding for more than 150 students to act as ambassadors for their local communities by providing visitors with local information and performing vehicle counts. Washroom facilities will also be upgraded as well as two rest areas to enable year round operation. Tourism BC’s British Columbia Visitor Study, released in 2002, shows that 57 percent of non-residents enter British Columbia via our highway system and once here, 79 percent of vacationers explore the province using cars, small trucks, vans or motorcycles. The rest stop upgrades will improve the experience of many travellers and will ensure that our highways are equipped to manage and impress visitors during the 2010 Olympics.

Members of the Customs Excise Union demonstrated at the Peace Arch/Pacific Highway border crossing on June 26th. Approximately 30 BC customs officers took part in the protest, which caused hour long delays for travellers entering the country. The dispute has been brewing between border staff and the Canadian Border Service Agency since 2000, when the duties of customs officials were expanded to include Criminal Code enforcement activities. At that time the federal government assured the union that the added duties would be accompanied by a pay review. No such review has taken place. Similar protest lines have been waged across the country, with action at border crossings in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

In response to recommendations made by a local Task Force, the provincial government announced plans to provide $2 million in funding for the Barkerville Heritage site near Wells, British Columbia. The announcement, made July 1, offers $1 million in the first year and $500,000 in the following 2 years to assist Barkerville with the transition to community based management and heritage site maintenance in the near term. Members of the Barkerville Task Force are pleased with the government’s decision but fear that without long term sustainable funding Barkerville will face similar budgetary problems in years to come. The transition to the local governance model promises to give local operators more flexibility to promote Barkerville and will allow the heritage site to be more responsive to the needs of the local community.