b'CCAB BUSINESS RECOVERY FORUMunderstanding about how this shift hasborders, restricted interprovincial travelHenry outlined how ITAC is working with impacted people in their homes andand gaps in public sector support havethe Indigenous business community to careers, and we need to facilitate theirput 714 Indigenous businesses at highprotect its tourism sector. Its strategies journeys through one-on-one coachingrisk of permanent closure and threatenedinclude its Escape from Home marketing or by giving teams the ability to talkover 21,000 Indigenous businesses.campaign, the provision of $16.7 million about their experiences. in financial support to businesses through The tourism industry has already seenits Stimulus Grant Program and research Not all industries, however, can adapt$1.07 billion in losses in direct GDP contri- into perceptions of Canadians towards to remote work, and this includes manybutions in 2020 compared to an antici- Indigenous tourism. companies operating in the tourismpated $1.7 billion in contributions. The sector, which has been hit particularlychallenges are real, said Keith Henry,What is needed from the government hard by the pandemic. According to statspresident and CEO of the Indigenousto offset the impacts of the pandemic from CCABs Rethinking Tourism for theTourism Association of Canada (ITAC), aton Indigenous tourism organizations, Future study, the combination of closeda session dedicated to the sector. said Henry, is more flexibility when it comes to government lending. Were not asking for governments to bail out Indigenous tourism. We know we will rebuild, but what we need are larger, more flexible loan programs, he explained.Several Indigenous tourism leaders were on the call to share their insights. Frank Antoine, co-owner of Moccasin Trails, spoke about his companys challenges and the value of forming relationships with other businesses and looking for new opportunities to stay resilient. It might take a few years, but the tourism industry is going to come back, he said. We are going to have that opportunity to share with our outside visitors again, BA BLACKTOP IS COMMITTED but we need to keep it simple, not over-to recognizing and respecting the rights of Indigenous People in Canada.think it, and really embrace what we Our goal is to be considered a respectful, trustworthy neighbour and tohave to share with Canadians.foster business relationships with Indigenous groups in British Columbia.www.bablacktop.com @euroviabc Similarly, Marilyn Yadultin-Jensen, a speaker, educator and performing artist, reiterated the importance of tourism and its role in building communities, saying, One of the most important impacts of Indigenous tourism is often cultural revitalization. [To be in this space] you Excellence ishave to learn a lot about who we are, custom-made,our traditions and how everything feeds and custom-madeback into the community.is personal. Darrell Bernard, president of Kluskap Ridge RV and Campground, was also on Dedicated to excellencethe virtual call. Speaking to the indus-in engineering andtrys sustainability, he emphasized that project management, ourcompanies in the tourism sector need seasoned team has theto rethink how they do business and expertise to tackle almostadjust short- and long-term business any project, and we careplans to accommodate for the many enough to do it right. risks tied to COVID-19. You have to be willing to look at options you didnt look at before and integrate pandemic Peter Sutherland Sr.practices into the way you do business kgsgroup.com Generating Station from now on. Because this might last another six monthsor 10 years. It may even be the way of the future. 36A CCAB PUBLICATION2020'