Following Quebec’s Office de la Protection du Consommateur (OPC) waiving permit fees for 2021, ACTA is clarifying that agencies and advisors who already paid their dues will receive a credit towards their 2022 renewal fees, as opposed to a reimbursement.
As Open Jaw reported, the OPC, Quebec’s consumer protection agency, waived permit fees earlier this month for travel agencies and advisors operating in the province from 01MAR, 2021 to 28FEB, 2022.
ACTA applauded the move when it was announced, but warned that additional measures are needed to ensure agency and agent survival.
ACTA continues to call on the OPC and the Quebec government to address other regulatory burdens including:
- Reducing the amount of the bond required and the length of time to five years
- Replacing costly review engagements with a verification statement for travel agencies with gross sales under $2 million, which would align Quebec with Ontario’s measures
- Providing aid under the Aide aux Entreprises en regions en Alerte Maximale (AERAM). This funding program is designed to help businesses which have been partially or completely closed due to the mandate of a public health authority. “With governments strongly reinforcing the message to not travel, travel agencies and travel agents have been effectively ‘shuttered’ since March 2020, and therefore, must be eligible under this program,” ACTA says.
ACTA is also continuing lobby efforts in British Columbia, urging the government to follow in the steps taken in Ontario and Quebec.
