From: Vince Accardi, President, OMCA

Here we are at the end of my first week at OMCA, and I’d like to start with a big thank you to all the members and partners who have welcomed me to the association. Your kind words of encouragement have been appreciated. I’d also like to thank the team for keeping the association moving forward during our leadership transition. 

The week started with the tabling of the federal budget. The budget did include extension of businesses support programs like the CEWS, CERS, and Lockdown Support which are available to businesses that have suffered a loss of revenue due to the pandemic. It also included new Canada Recovery Hiring Program and employers eligible for CEWS would generally be eligible for this hiring subsidy. And although the budget did not specifically address the financial asks of the motor coach industry, it does lay the groundwork for supporting the tourism sector’s recovery, totaling $1 billion over three years.  This includes ​$500 million Tourism Relief Fund that will be administered by the Regional Development Agencies to support investments by local tourism businesses in adapting to the pandemic and investments in festivals, attractions, sports, and tourism marketing,  

We have much work ahead of us and we won’t stop advocating for you. I look forward to leading the association into recovery and to serving you, our members!

Take care and thank you for your support,
Vince Accardi