With uncertainty continuing for a second COVID-19 summer ahead, the B.C. government is opening applications for a $50 million fund for major attractions and tour bus operators to keep them going until they can welcome tourists again.

The program offers up to $1 million for operations with 150 or more employees, and up to $500,000 for smaller attractions and tour bus companies. Tourism Minister Melanie Mark said applications are and will be accepted until June 7 for anchor attractions such as the Pacific National Exhibition, the Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, museums, amusement parks, science centres and other visitor landmarks.

Premier John Horgan said the funding is in grants, not loans, and can be used for fixed costs such as payroll, rent and utilities that have accumulated for businesses during more than a year of pandemic restrictions.

Horgan said the relief is designed to help attractions prepare for an easing of non-essential travel. The B.C. government is preparing an announcement next week for a phased return to recreational travel that will lay out a timeline for what provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has termed 鈥淩estart 2.0.鈥� It will start after the 鈥渃ircuit breaker鈥� restrictions on indoor dining and recreational travel are lifted, some time after the May 24 holiday.

鈥淏ut I want to stress for people that we set the May long weekend as a target for the circuit breaker because we need to make sure we reduce cases, we see hospitalizations go down and we increase our vaccinations,鈥� Horgan said May 18. 鈥淲e鈥檙e right on track, but we鈥檙e not out of the woods yet, and I don鈥檛 want to give false hope until we get through the weekend and we look at the data and then we鈥檒l be laying all that out very clearly for the public at that time.鈥�

The PNE has said it needs $8 million to survive for another year. Horgan said it and other not-for-profit operations are the main targets for the program, and the PNE is looking to the city of Vancouver for further assistance.

鈥淲e鈥檝e seen a decline in case counts, the seven-day rolling averages are very positive, the impact on hospitalizations and acute care is very positive, so I鈥檓 optimistic that come the summer, we鈥檙e going to be having full mobility,鈥� Horgan said.

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