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B C B U S I N E S S . C A
J U N E
2 0 24
To p : P r e s t i g e B e a c h H o u s e K e l o w n a : D a v i d M c Il v r i d e ; G o F i g u r e : A d o b e S t o c k / Q u a r t a ,
A d o b e S t o c k / I r y n a P e t r e n k o, A d o b e S t o c k /d j v s t o c k , A d o b e S t o c k /
O LY V I A
When the McDougall
Creek fire jumped Okanagan
Lake, Tanya Stroinig knew
things were serious.
The chief operating officer
of Prestige Hotels & Resorts
was at her home in Lake Coun-
try—one of the areas where hot
embers from West Kelowna
began landing—trying to reach
members of her staff and cor-
porate team to ensure they and
their families had safe places to
go. Meanwhile, vendors were
calling her in search of shelter
for their employees.
Within 48 hours, the B.C.
government had declared
a state of emergency and
imposed a controversial ban
B U S I N E S S C L I M AT E
CHECKING OUT
How climate change is turning up the heat on
B.C.'s hotel industry
on non-essential travel to fire-
affected areas—even though
most hotels had already
emptied out as tourists left.
"There were no evacuees be-
ing put into our hotels, and no
firefighters," she remembers.
"So we went from a full house
to single-digit occupancy."
The effects of the fires and
travel ban lingered long after
the flames were extinguished.
Because of the uncertainty,
groups that had booked for
September and October can-
celled en masse. At the same
time, much of the national and
international media coverage
SOURCES: BC STATS, FISA-BC, BC MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, VISA, RITZ LIMOUSINES, STATISTICS CANADA
A 2015 Visa survey indicated
that Canadian families
planned to spend an average
of $508 per teen on prom
night. That was significantly
lower than the US$919
American families expected to
spend, with around $324
spent just on the "promposal"—
an elaborate invitation recorded
for social media.
50.8%
of B.C.'s 2020-
21 graduating
class enrolled in
post-secondary
education within
one year of
graduation.
91.4%
of all B.C. students
completed high school
within six years in
2021-22, including:
▶ 97.9% of French
immersion students
▶ 77.3% of students with
disabilities and diverse needs
( 62.4% from 10 years ago)
▶ 75% of Indigenous students
( from 66.2% in 2016-17)
ESTIMATED
2024
PROM NIGHT
COSTS:
TUXEDO
RENTAL:
$200
AND UP
STRETCH
LIMOUSINE
(8-10
PASSENGERS):
$125/HR
PARTY BUS
(35
PASSENGERS):
$325/HR
by Jennifer Van Evra
Jennifer Van Evra is an
award-winning Vancouver
journalist, broadcaster and UBC
writing instructor.
ALL FIRED UP
Some B.C. hotels, like
Prestige Beach House
Kelowna, are still reeling
from the effects of the pan-
demic and wildfire season
