What's New

Canada has no shortage of incentive possibilities. Cosmopolitan Toronto offers a vibrant theater-dominated arts scene; French-themed Montréal and Québec balance the exotic and historic with the modern and familiar. There are also top-tier resorts in spectacular natural settings in the Banff/Lake Louise area and the ski slopes of Whistler and Tremblant, and the cosmopolitan dining and seaside charm of Vancouver and Victoria.

Canada's appeal grows when one considers its easy travel access, lack of a language barrier (even in French-speaking Canada, most urban citizens are bilingual), high service levels, and a currency that closely parallels the U.S. dollar.

Planners concerned about the demise of the Goods and Services Tax rebate — which applied to “foreign” meetings at which at least 75 percent of attendees were nonresidents — will be happy to learn that the rebate has not entirely disappeared. On April 1, the GST rebate program was replaced by the Foreign Convention and Tour Incentive Program.

Now, if at least 75 percent of attendees are nonresidents, rebates apply to supplies (equipment rental, security, speakers, etc.) and convention facility fees. Canadian convention organizers are not required to charge nonresident attendees GST on admission prices; sponsors of foreign conventions need not charge anyone GST. Nonresident exhibitors at a foreign or Canadian meeting will not be required to pay GST or will be eligible for a rebate of taxes on use of the facility and supplies.

Facilities Update

Alberta

• Edmonton's SHAW CONFERENCE CENTRE debuted a 26,000-square-foot hall in 2006. The addition brings the facility's total to 110,000 square feet.

British Columbia

• The LODEN HOTEL is opening in phases beginning in July in Vancouver. The boutique hotel will open with 76 guest rooms. The second phase, with an additional 54 guest rooms, will open in September. The hotel will include 3,500 square feet of meeting space and a 16-seat boardroom.

• SIDNEY PIER HOTEL & SPA is set to open this month in Sidney, 25 minutes north of Victoria. The boutique hotel will include 55 guest rooms, a 3,250-square-foot spa and fitness center, and 1,388 square feet of meeting and banquet space.

• The second phase of the WESTIN BEAR MOUNTAIN VICTORIA RESORT & SPA opened adjacent to Victoria's new Bear Mountain Golf and Country Club, with the first Jack Nicklaus-designed course on Vancouver Island. It includes a 6,000-square-foot conference facility, spa, and 91 additional guest rooms. A second Nicklaus-designed course, along with a Nicklaus Academy, will open in 2008.

• In Whistler, NITA LAKE LODGE is set to open midyear. The resort includes 77 studio and one-bedroom suites, a spa, and 4,000 square feet of meeting space.

• An expansion at the VANCOUVER CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE is adding 359,000 square feet of meeting space, bringing the total to 492,000 square feet. It is scheduled for completion in 2008.

• A renovation at VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT will add nine gates to the international terminal; expand customs, check-in, passenger screening, and baggage-handling facilities; and more. The work will take a decade.

• SHANGRI-LA HOTELS AND RESORTS PLANS to open a five-star hotel in Vancouver in early 2008. It will occupy 15 floors of a new 60-story building downtown.

Ontario

• The HAZELTON HOTEL is slated to open in Toronto in July with 77 rooms.

• The 220-room SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, TORONTO will open in 2011 with a spa, ballroom, and 50-seat theater.

• RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL AND RESIDENCES, TORONTO, will combine a 267-room hotel, conference and meeting facilities, and a spa. Completion is slated for 2009.

Québec

• MARRIOTT will open a 275-room hotel at Montréal's Trudeau Airport in 2008.

• HOTEL WESTIN MONTRÉAL is scheduled to open in 2008 with more than 400 guest rooms, 20,000 square feet of exhibit space, restaurants, and a pool.

• L'HOTEL NELLIGAN, in Montréal's historic area, is expanding from 63 to 105 guest accommodations and adding a 3,500-square-foot banquet space. Work is expected to be completed this month.

• The HOTEL CHATEAU LAURIER in Québec City added 92 guest rooms, for a total of 260, and increased the number of meeting rooms to 16.

• HOTEL PLACE D'ARMES, in Old Montréal, added 39 rooms and 48 suites, as well as a spa with four treatment rooms. The Place d'Armes has four meeting rooms and banquet facilities for up to 200.

Contact the CVB

BANFF/LAKE LOUISE TOURISM BUREAU
(403) 762-8421
www.banfflakelouise.com
Total Hotel Tax: 10% (includes 4% Room Tax)

CALGARY CVB
(800) 661-1678; (403) 750-2370
www.tourismcalgary.com
Total Hotel Tax: 11% (includes 7% rebatable GST)

GREATER HALIFAX CONV. & MEETINGS BUREAU
(877) 422-9334; www.meethalifax.com
Total Hotel Tax: 14%

QUéBEC CITY AND AREA TOURISM AND CONVENTION BUREAU
(418) 522-3511; www.quebecregion.com
Total Hotel Tax: $2 night plus 14%

TOURISM BRITISH COLUMBIA
1-800- HELLO BC / 1-800-435-5622; www.hellobc.com
Total Hotel Tax: 16%

TOURISM VANCOUVER
(604) 682-2222
www.tourismvancouver.com
Total Hotel Tax: 16%

TOURISM TORONTO
(416) 203-2600
www.torontotourism.com
Total Hotel Tax: 14%

TOURISM VICTORIA
(250) 414-6987
www.tourismvictoria.com
Total Hotel Tax: 16%

TOURISME MONTRéAL
(514) 844-5400
www.tourisme-montreal.org
Total Hotel Tax: 16.5%

TRAVEL ALBERTA
(866) 511-1200; www.travelalberta.com
Total Hotel Tax: 10% (includes 4% Room Tax)

Phantom Planner

Canadians speak a version of English familiar to most Americans, but you might be confused by a few Canadianisms. For example:

• A parking garage is known as a parkade.

• Some people call automatic teller machines (ATMs) bank machines or ABMs.

• A sack is what many of us typically think of as a bag.

• If you want a soft drink, “pop” is preferred to “soda.”

• In Canada, it's petrol, not gasoline.

• What we call Canadian bacon is usually referred to as back bacon.

• We call them candy bars; Canadians call them chocolate bars.

• Some older Canadians refer to french fries as chips.

• Public restrooms are called washrooms.

• A loonie is a $1 coin; a toonie is a $2 coin.

• ZIP codes are postal codes.

• The letter Z is pronounced “zed.”

• An eraser is sometimes called a rubber.

Special Venues

• LE PARLEMENTAIRE, the dining room that serves the Québec National Assembly building in Québec City, features beaux-arts decor. It can accommodate groups of 176 banquet-style or 250 for cocktails.

• Toronto's BATA SHOE MUSEUM features modern high style, with details forged in glass, steel, leather, and wood textures. Spaces include a 1,200-square-foot reception area; two studios, each adjoining a reception area; an atrium; and a patio. The museum can host dinners for up to 100 guests and receptions for up to 275. www.batashoemuseum.ca

• Victoria's most unique wine experience happens at the ARTISAN WINE SHOP & TASTING ROOM. It features a tasting bar, mini-theater, fireplace, and wines from regional wineries. Tastings can be scheduled for groups of up to 15. www.artisanwineshop.ca

• DIRECT ENERGY CENTRE, formerly Toronto's National Trade Centre, is adding a 160,000-square-foot conference facility that is expected to open in 2008. The center now has 24 meeting rooms and more than 1 million square feet of space.