TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – November 22, 2024

In Q4 of 2020, I served on the Tourism Task Force (TTF) which was appointed by the Province of BC to make recommendations to support a strong recovery from the pandemic, enhance the industry’s long-term competitiveness, and to review the province’s Strategic Framework for Tourism.

Each of the 11 individuals on the TTF brought meaningful perspectives to the table leading to a final report which outlined several actions that needed to be taken to advance the long-term sustainability of BC’s visitor economy.

While I can’t recall all of the discussions at each meeting, I’ve never forgotten the words, “stick to the Terms of Reference” that one colleague repeated every time we convened. It helped that he spoke with a charming, yet authoritative Irish accent that seemed to make the words ring and resonate even more. Clearly he was adamant about staying the course on what the TTF was assigned to do to avoid so-called scope creep that occasionally infiltrates working groups like the TTF if not for the intervention of the chair and committee members that hold each other accountable.

In my observation, extending the boundaries of responsibility inadvertently happens when boards of directors, corporate management, government, NGOs and other entities mix up noble intentions with the actual task at hand. Although it’s not an issue within TIABC, we’ve nonetheless taken additional steps to ensure our board understands its role and obligations as volunteer directors of a not-for-profit business association.

As part of our strategic planning process this year, we created a Governance Manual that focuses on a board Code of Ethics and addresses policies such as conflict of interest, fiduciary duties, duty of care and loyalty, use of confidential information, staff and director evaluation, operations, and of course, Terms of Reference for board members and committee chairs. Admittedly it’s not exciting stuff for most folks but still necessary to ensure that TIABC is positioned now and in future to deliver on its mandate no matter who’s overseeing the organization.

At our upcoming annual general meeting (virtual – December 10), we’ll share a few more details on our governance work, as well as some important bylaw changes for consideration by TIABC members. Most significant among them is a limit on how many years a director can serve. Without detailing potential scenarios, under the present system, a director could conceivably serve as many as a dozen years, which, in the view of the board, is far too long and doesn’t allow for healthy turnover and new engagement by others that wish to contribute.

We look forward to any questions or discussion on the bylaws and other matters at our AGM in less than three weeks. Also on the agenda this year is a voting process by members to elect two new directors from a list of four very talented and capable tourism industry professionals representing the DMO category. Please ensure that you are registered, and more importantly, commit to attending the (virtual) AGM so that we can share details of TIABC’s advocacy activities over the past year.

Once in a while I reflect on my experience with the Tourism Task Force and acknowledge the fact that even though we had plenty of intense discussions that could have divided the group, it was the steady leadership of the chair, the valuable contribution of each individual, and the wise words of my Irish–Canadian colleague to ‘stick to the Terms of Reference’ (that echo in my head every time I serve on a committee) that ultimately led to a positive outcome with several recommendations that the province acted upon.

NOTE – Allow me to take the opportunity to thank Minister Lana Popham for her valuable contribution to our industry in the two years she led the tourism portfolio. Minister Popham was engaged, responsive and passionate about the tourism sector and will continue to be an advocate on our behalf in her new role overseeing agriculture and food. I’d also like to congratulate Hon. Spencer Chandra Herbert on his new role as Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture & Sport. I’ve known Minister Chandra Herbert for many years, dating back to his days as opposition tourism critic. I will be meeting with him for the first time in his new capacity on Wednesday. In the meantime, TIABC will also be reaching out to other new cabinet ministers that touch the tourism file in the weeks ahead. I’ll be sure to report back on my discussions.

Walt Judas
CEO, TIABC