Our first ski areas of the season are now starting to close winter operations. In many cases these are volunteer run organisations comprised of individuals donating time to support their community. Their motivation is as diverse as the people themselves, but their common purpose enables thousands of people to recreate and enjoy healthy outdoor activity. CWSAA recognises and appreciates these volunteers for all their selfless contributions.
Many community areas are seen to serve youth and schools, but there are enthusiasts of all ages. At a recent visit to Hart Highlands in Prince George, I had the privilege to ski with Zorro. This 73 year old sets out each day to do 100 runs at the local area. Some days he makes 100, others not, but the fact he is pushing for it and staying active motivates me and those around him. As does Muriel that skis Snow Valley weekly at 98 years old. Read more about Muriel HERE. We have likely all had the honour of meeting or hearing about a local or instructor in our industry whose birthdate is circa World War 2. In each case, they inspire and form an important part of our eco-system.
In only a few weeks, the CWSAA eco-system will be gathering for its annual conference in Whistler BC. CWSAA is indebted to the many hands that have contributed to the development of the agenda. We would also like to thank those that have already donated items for the Small Areas Assistant Fund auction, and invite additional donations. Twelve financial grants were given to community ski areas this year making it possible to attend the professional development sessions and workshops at conference. This continuous industry advancement in knowledge and best practises for all ski areas is an important part of our present and future. We wish ski areas the best of luck though the balance of the winter season, and we look forward to seeing all CWSAA member at conference.
Cheers
– Christopher Nicolson
CWSAA Spring Conference & Trade Show
April 25-27, 2023
Whistler Conference Centre
Registration rates increase soon!
Full Rate, Full Conference Registration price is $625 only until March 25.
Registration Price Increase Nears
- March 25 is the last day to receive the Full Rate registration pricing. Starting March 26, the Full Conference packages will increase another $50, and single day registration increases $25.
- All delegates must register for the conference by April 16. There will not be "at the door" registration available.
Whova Conference App
- CWSAA will be once again using the Conference App Whova. The app is an important tool for communication and building connections at the conference.
- Sponsors, Trade Show vendors, and speakers/presenters may have (or will soon) receive(d) a request to complete your Whova profile.
- In mid-April, all conference delegates will be sent an invite to download Whova and join the 2023 CWSAA Conference. In the meantime, the Conference Agenda can be found on our website HERE.
Conference Agenda
- More details have now been added to the draft conference agenda. Find the agenda HERE.
- The following sessions are included in conference registration (no additional fees required for either full conference or Tuesday registrants). However, these sessions require pre-registration, as participation may be limited or numbers required in advance. To register, find the session on the agenda, click "Read More" to view all the details, and find the registration link.
- Whistler Blackcomb Maintenance & Operations Tour – Full Day on Mountain: Tuesday April 25, 9:00 AM – 4:45 PM
- Women’s Mentorship & Networking Lunch: Tuesday April 25, 12:00 - 1:15 PM (Whistler Convention Centre, Grand Foyer).
- HR People Engagement and Best Practices: Tuesday April 25, 3:15 - 4:30 PM.
- Electrical Low Voltage 101 Doppelmayr Course nearly sold out. On Thursday April 27, during the CWSAA Conference, there will be a full day training course. There are only a few spaces still available. The course is $500, in addition to conference registration. To register for this course, add it to your Conference registration HERE.
- Join us for the conference social events. All socials are included with Full Conference Registration (not single day registrations):
- Monday April 24 (5:30 - 7:30 PM) will be our Kick-off social, sponsored by Marmot Basin. Pick up your conference badge (and drink & event tickets), sample some beer and food stations, browse local indigenous artisan collections and network with industry colleagues. Individual tickets (for those who have not purchased a full conference package), can be purchased for $50.
- Tuesday April 25 (5:00 - 7:30 PM) is the Trade Show Reception, sponsored by Kubera Payments and Leitner Poma. This is a great opportunity to view and connect with industry suppliers and services. Food (handheld) and beverages will be served. Individual tickets (for those who have not purchased a full conference package), can be purchased for $95.
- Wednesday April 26 (6:00 - 11:00 PM) is the Awards Dinner, sponsored by Doppelmayr and flaik. This evening will celebrate several industry leaders and gifts for some award recipients will include carvings from Squamish Nation and Coast Salish artists. Individual tickets (for those who have not purchased a full conference package), can be purchased for $120.
Alberta Provincial Election: May 2023
The provincial election is coming up. The Tourism Industry Association of Alberta (TIAA) has prepared a toolkit which includes supporting documents for each of Alberta's 87 provincial ridings, background info, advocacy resources and key messages industry can use. Please refer to the following resources.
- TIAA 2023 Provincial Election Advocacy Toolkit (Download Toolkit)
- Tourism Business & Employment Impacts by Provincial Riding (View Individual Riding Sheets)
- 2023 Election Readiness: TIAA Alignment to New Government of Alberta Mandate Letters (View Analysis)
In preparation for the election, businesses should advocate to local officials for tourism and for your business. How Can You Get Your Points Across in the Upcoming Election?
- Meet with Your Candidate - Find your local candidate by visiting Elections Alberta then request a meeting to discuss your key messages. Be sure to follow-up your meeting with a written summary of the points you discussed and the actions you are hoping to see taken.
- Advocacy Engagement with Candidates - Take the time to observe meetings that your local candidate may be hosting. Find out what they’re saying about the issues you consider important. In follow-up to those meetings, send positive and constructive messages that assists the candidate in understanding your key messages.
- Go Social - Be sure to amplify your meeting efforts by sharing a summary of the points you discussed. Include a picture of yourself and members of your meeting delegation, if any others participate.
Passenger Ropeways Courses - Spring is a great time to build on the team education.
It's a great time to build on the knowledge your team has gathered throughout the season. Passenger Ropeways courses provide important training for key individuals at every ski area.
Selkirk College Passenger Ropeways Mechanics: The Lift 151, Lift 152 and Lift 153 are all online self-directed programs. The Winter intake for Lift 151, 152 & 153 is now underway. It's not too late to join the winter courses, however, you must be completed by April 17, 2023. The Spring semester runs May 1 to June 19 Learn More & Register HERE
!! Did you know that Small Ski Areas can enroll in these courses at 50% discounted rate. There are limited discounted spots each semester.
In BC, Technical Safety BC also offers a free course to compliment the Selkirk College courses, that focuses on the Safety Standards Act, Safety Standards General Regulation and Elevating Devices Safety Regulation and how it applies to the Passenger Ropeway industry. This course is recommended for maintenance and operation managers/supervisors or anyone who is responsible for completing the PR Pre-Operational Inspection Declaration at BC ski areas.
Learn More & Register for the Technical Safety BC course HERE.
You already love the slopes and can’t get enough of the action, now you can take your passion to new career heights. Selkirk College's SROAM Program can help you become a top professional in this vibrant industry.
During the first three semesters, students take 22 courses focused on tourism, business, and operational subjects that prepare them for a role in the ski and snowboard industry. During the fourth semester, students undertake a 21-week paid work semester at a ski resort, which may lead to full-time employment.
During the program, the students participate in a number of field studies at ski areas in BC and Alberta. Learn More about what the current SROAM students have been up to this winter in their latest newsletter HERE. Find out more about the SROAM 2-year diploma HERE.
Safer Spaces: New Course for Workers now available
Workplace sexual harassment is a serious issue, particularly in service industries such as tourism and hospitality. One immediate action you can take to address this issue in your own business is by encouraging staff to complete go2HR’s Safer Spaces training program.
Last year 495 individuals enrolled in the employer-focued Safer Spaces course.
This month, go2HR introduced a follow-up course directed to workers that follows the same storytelling format, though enhanced by multiple storylines and different characters. Again self-directed and completed entirely online, this free course will help workers understand their roles and responsibilities when it comes to preventing sexual harassment, explain how to disclose or report sexual harassment, and describe how to build a safer and more respectful workplace.
We encourage you to consider participating in Safer Spaces – the new employee-facing course or the employer program – and take a step towards reducing sexual harassment in the tourism industry. Registration can be completed HERE.
Welcome New Members
CWSAA would like to extend a big welcome to the following new members this year.
Associate Members:
- Borden Ladner Gervais - legal defence
- Cape Smokey Holding - ski area in Nova Scotia
- CNie Industries LTD. - Mechanical/consulting company operated out of Humboldt Sk, specializing in fixing Snowcats.
- Intouch Technology Group - suite of ski resort management software including eCommerce, POS & Reservation Management
- OnTheSnow - Outdoor focused website featuring resort travel, lifestyle, gear.
- Steelhead Systems Inc.
- Trail Vision - SaaS platform, dedicated trail management platform
- UKG - offer cloud based HRIS/HCM solutions for employers
- West Electric - offer summer electrical maintenance on lifts as per manufacturers requirements.
- Yellowstone Track Systems LLC - Nordic ski trail grooming implements for snowmobiles, ATVs, UTVs, small snowcat
We would also like to welcome back Ascent 360 and MTN Equipment.
Regular Members:
- TransLink (Burnaby Mountain Gondola, BC))
- Golden Nordic Ski Club Society (Golden, BC)
- Caledonia Nordic Ski Club (Prince George, BC)
Responsible Stewardship
This month GreenStep’s Angela Nagy presented the third of three online presentations guiding members through the implementation of a responsible stewardship program. These sessions are available online in the CWSAA members section and build onto the CWSAA Responsible Stewardship Playbook and ToolKit launched for members earlier this year (see link, available for CWSAA members with a login to our website).
As industry nears the end of the 22/23 winter season and look toward summer and 23/24, this timing is ideal to enhance or embark on implementations.
The Playbook, ToolKit and webinars are all practical. They offer real and actionable tactics for those either well underway, or just embarking on their sustainability programs.
Indigenous Tourism Employer Speaker Series
Join Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC)'s free Indigenous Tourism Employer Speaker series by registering for one of the following webinars:
- MAR 29 - Working with First Nations and Indigenous Organizations - Chef Andrew George, Gitxsan
- APR 12 - More than a Welcome Mat - Kelly Lendsay, Indigenous Works, Cree/Metis
- MAY 3 - Racism and Discrimination, What's the Difference?? - Joe Gallagher, Tla’amin Nation
Plus there will be a $100 Draw Prize per session. Learn More & Register HERE
Hiring Resources
Canadian tourism industry is expecting a shortfall of 200,000 workers this summer. In addition to holding onto valued employees continuing from the winter, Tourism HR Canada has some resources available yo help employers:
Now Hiring: A Guide to Help Employers Attract and Retain Workers in a Post-Pandemic Environment. From TourismHR Canada
The tools in this guide are intended to help tourism businesses get started on the path to recovery, with both short-term and long-term strategies to attract, retain, and grow a skilled workforce. Now Hiring covers a range of essential HR practices, tips to implement them, and practical checklists and forms to help tackle key issues. Learn More.
Propel: Tourism and Hospitality Student Work Placement Program
Aimed squarely at the tourism and hospitality sector, the Propel Student Work Placement Program is helping the hardest-hit sector recover from the devastating impacts of the pandemic.
Funded by the Government of Canada’s Student Work Placement Program, Propel offers post-secondary students opportunities to develop the work-ready skills required to secure meaningful employment upon graduation. Qualifying employers are provided with a wage subsidy for each qualifying student hired through the program. Learn More.
CWSAA Members are invited to post their jobs on the CWSAA Job Board.
CWSAA Partners
EASY RESERVATIONS: www.drivingforce.ca
CONTACT: 780-483-9559 or edmgdsreservations@drivingforce.ca
Save 10% on vehicle rentals with code "CWSAA"
Driving Force provides all types of vehicles to many CWSAA ski areas and suppliers including the above passenger van in Jasper Alberta.
Quality tires at an affordable price
Learn More about Kal Tire's current promotions HERE.
Employee Safety
Did you know that there are a number of tools available to help facilitate Safety Talk meetings. There are topics for many different departments and roles at Ski Areas, such as Snow Sports, Lift Operations, slips/trips/falls, shovelings and much more. These tools were made possible through go2HR, and can be found HERE on the go2HR ski area portal.
Places & Faces
Bernadette (Club President), Rob (Lead Patrol), and Jess Koppe (General Manager) of Hart Highlands (Prince George, BC) hosted Retro Day on a beautiful sunny March Saturday morning. Hart Highlands operates four surface lifts and a lodge in the middle of a residential subdivision and offers programs day and night to local youth.
Scott Zacharias and Hildur Sinclair stand in front of an early design of Troll Mountain (Quesnel, BC) prepared by Ecosign’s Paul Mathews. Troll's huge terrain comprised of cruisers and off-piste bowls, combined with great coaching are reasons that Quesnel won the BC provincial high school championships this winter.
Keith Buchanan stands in front of the lodge at Purden Ski Village (Prince George, BC). The family owned and operated ski area is complemented by their summer campground operation on Purden Lake.
Sunridge, Castle, Fortress, Lake Louise, Sunshine, Marmot and CWSAA were among 270 delegates at the Tourism Industry Association of Alberta Advocacy Summit, earlier this month.
Herwig Demschar (GM, SilverStar Mountain Resort) and Cassandra Zerebeski (CEO of the new Destination Silver Star) enjoy the sunshine during last weekend's Seismic Spring Sessions and Monster Energy Boarderstyle at SilverStar.
CWSAA joined BC Tourism Ministry officials at Mt Seymour earlier this month. Pictured above: Melissa Farrance (Chief of Staff), Eddie Wood (Mt Seymour GM & CWSAA BCY Division Chair), Honourable Lana Popham (Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport), Nick Grant (Assistant Deputy Minister).
Federal Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance Randy Boissonnault and Senator Karen Sorensen (former Banff Mayor) addressed the Alberta Advocacy Summit in Edmonton. Premier Danielle Smith, NDP leader Rachel Notley, Destination Canada’s Marsha Walden, and Travel Alberta’s David Goldstein also addressed the delegates.
Jana Gainor (far left) stands with part of the team at Murray Ridge in Fort St. James. Murray Ridge lays claim to the longest Tbar in the west with nearly 4 kilometres of haul rope. Fortunately what goes up must come down which is why Murray Ridge has some exceptional long fall line terrain.