March 1, 2021 Dr. Bonnie Henry Provincial Health Officer Ministry Of
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March 1, 2021 Dr. Bonnie Henry Provincial Health Officer Ministry of Health PO Box 9648 STN PROV GOVT 1515 Blanshard St. Victoria, B.C. V8W 9P4 Dear Dr. Henry, By way of introduction, we represent a province-wide, cross-section of meeting and event professionals who are working to develop a safe and measured plan for the timely and responsible re-opening of our sector to preserve businesses and put people back to work. The plan is designed to support and ensure compatibility with the Province’s COVID-19 mitigation objectives and to be part of the early phase of a reopening plan for the overall tourism industry in BC. This proposed restart plan specific to business meetings and events is intended for two purposes: 1. To re-activate the meetings & events industry, which has virtually been shut down since March with hundreds of companies closed and thousands of people out of work 2. To allow venues and professional organizers to conduct safe, in-person meetings & events that will re-engage our workforce and stimulate creativity, innovation and community building. Based on research, evidence, best-practices, and specific health and safety protocols, we believe that slowly and carefully re-starting the BC meetings & events sector can be achieved in compliance with PHO directives that ensure the protection and well-being of attendees, employees and suppliers. Until recent restrictions were imposed in December, meetings and events for up to 50 attendees were permitted under public health orders. Over an eight month period leading up to December 2020, evidence suggests that business meetings and events can be held safely when health and safety protocols are successfully implemented in the planning and operations of these gatherings. Since the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak at the March 2020 Pacific Dental Conference, there have been no known instances of COVID-19 transmission for an event planned and organized by professionals in our sector when protocols are implemented according to the BC Meetings & Events Industry COVID-19 Safe Restart Guidelines. We are confident that with similar or even stronger measures and more manageable numbers of participants, meetings and events can be scaled accordingly. It is important to distinguish between business meetings, and trade shows and conventions such as the dental conference which are completely different in scope and scale from the smaller events we propose. The enclosed BC Meetings & Events Safe Restart Plan is being submitted under Section 43 of the Public Health Act (specific to the 50-person limit for gatherings) that allows for the introduction of new information within a revised proposal for consideration by your office. We have also included a copy of the BC Meetings & Events Industry COVID-19 Safe Restart Guidelines that were developed in coordination with the Province’s Safer Operations Working Group and WorkSafe BC. Please know that the meetings & events sector will align its efforts with your mandate and in consideration of public sentiment toward gatherings. Dr. Henry, thank you for your leadership and all that you're doing to keep our province safe. We also appreciate your consideration of our submission and request a meeting with you or a representative at your earliest convenience to gain valuable insight from your medical expertise and discuss our plan in further detail. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Joanne Burns Millar Chair, BC Meetings & Events Work Group CEO, Pacific Destination Services Inc. [email protected] O: 604.685.2205 M: 778.233.7553 Cc: Hon. John Horgan, Premier, Province of British Columbia Hon. Adrian Dix, Minister of Health Hon. Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Hon. Mike Farnworth, Solicitor General Hon. Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation Hon. Selina Robinson, Minister of Finance Working Group Members: Joanne Burns Millar, CEO - Pacific Destination Services (PDS) Jennifer Burton DMCP, President - Pacific Destination Services (PDS) Shawn Cheng CMP DES, Project Manager – MCI Canada, Vancouver Matthew Coyne, President – Cantrav Dave Gazley, Vice President Meeting & Convention Sales & Service – Tourism Vancouver Matthew Hussack, Vice President, Production - Proshow Audiovisual Walt Judas, CEO – Tourism Industry Association of BC Alexis Kereluk, Partner - ConnectSeven Group Stephen Melville, President – Fraser Valley Event Planners Association Emma Parston CMP, Partner - ConnectSeven Group Paul Runnals, Vice President, Production & Technical - Brand Live James Thornley, President - The Peake of Catering.