The COVID-19 pandemic and near halt of global travel has hit retail travel agencies and counsellors particularly hard, but none are quite so vulnerable as independent agencies. In a bid to provide information and help, ACTA is hosting a webinar on Wednesday (Aug. 19).
Held in collaboration with HR à La Carte, the hour-long session will take place at 1 p.m. EST and is free for members, but also available to non-members for a fee of $75. Subject matter includes a human resources overview of the independent travel agent model, including becoming one or incorporating the business model into your travel agency. There will also be a Q&A.
ACTA says it has been receiving many questions from business owners and travel agents over the past few months about the human resource and potential Canadian Revenue Agency implications of an independent contractor business model.
“It is important that travel agency owners and independent travel agents understand Employment Standards and CRA implications before embarking on an independent contractor relationship,” says ACTA president Wendy Paradis. “Unlike any other event in history, the COVID-19 crisis has had a significant and unprecedented financial impact on the Canadian and global travel industries and we are seeing more agents becoming independent contractors.”
ACTA has also developed or updated a number of independent contractor-related tools recently to assist members. Available on the ACTA website under Member Resources/Business Tools, they include:
• An Independent Contractor contract template available free of charge to Members and $250 for non-members
• A link to the 2019 CRA document “Employee or Self-employed?”
• A webinar recording titled “A Review of the Independent Contractor/Outside Agent/Home Based Agent Agreement from Both Sides of the Fence.”
This ACTA-hosted, previously recorded webinar was presented by the law firm of Heifetz, Crozier, Law, which specializes in the travel industry.
The association has also launched a campaign urging and helping members contact their MPs to task the federal government to provide continued financial aid for independent travel agents due to the COVID-19 crisis. A letter template is available on ACTA’s website as well as a phone script.
ACTA says that a large segment of the 24,000 businesses and individuals selling travel are women and small businesses and over 30 percent of travel agents are independent entrepreneur contractors who will continue to require financial aid, given that travel advisories remain in place and many borders are closed.