Hello CPBA Members,
The Executive Board of the CPBA understand the need for support in the hospitality industry and is here to help as much as we can during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last few days, we’ve been working diligently to find tangible ways we can assist our current and future members. We have been in constant communication with as many companies and organizations as possible nationwide to ensure that we’re providing an avenue of aid and information for all of you. This level of assistance continues to come in a variety of forms, such as food delivery, food discounts, financial aid, general information, etc.
Facts and information regarding COVID-19 looks to be changing very fast. Information that is being relayed as hard-truth can be out of date within hours. We are trying our best to keep up on the things that matter to us most and will do as much as we can to keep everyone up to date via our social media feeds (Instagram: @bcbartender).
In the meantime, our first priority has been to offer immediate financial aid to our members in need. As such, the CPBA has created a CPBA Relief Measures Fund, a program that will be dispersing financial aid specifically to those members who are out of work and need extra help covering their bills. This is a national effort and there are no regional restrictions.
Subsequently, we are inviting anyone who has the ability to donate to send their funds, via PayPal to CPBA.reliefmeasures@gmail.com, or to contact someone from the Executive Board privately for banking deposit information. We are accepting all cash donations, regardless of whether you are a corporate or a private donor. We will continue to disperse these funds so long as we have them.
Our plan is the following:
Phase 1:
One-time payment to all existing members with no outstanding dues on April 1st, 2020 (this includes all members who have been active in the 365 days previous to March 1, 2020 yet whose memberships have expired)
Phase 2:
Distribution of donated funds on the 1st and 15th of every month, to a maximum of $100 per month, or portion thereof depending on how much money is available in the Relief Measures fund to all eligible new members (those members signed up on or after March 22, 2020, or those members signed up prior to March 22, 2020 but had not yet paid their fees)
Please fill out the form below to let us know if you wish to benefit from this program. The system will operate on a self-assessed personal need basis. There is no panel deciding who gets what, so we urge you to be judicious in your decision making on whether or not you need help, as our resources are currently limited to outside donations only. In short, we ask that you register only if you truly need to.
In conjunction with launching this new initiative, we have decided to temporarily waive all new membership fees to Canadian bartenders looking to become members of our program. Anyone joining will receive a one year membership starting March 31 at no cost and will be able to take advantage of all CPBA benefits, inclusive of the relief fund and all other CPBA programs such as our extended medical and dental coverage, or discounts at local businesses around Vancouver.
For now, please continue to be safe and keep your personal health and wellness as your number one priority. We encourage you all to adhere to WHO, provincial and federal guidelines during the COVID-19 crisis. As hospitality professionals, we can set great examples for the rest of our community by doing our part. Stay home, wash your hands frequently & disinfect anything coming into your home. Maintain social distancing and treat COVID-19 as a serious global issue. The next weeks will be a lot for all of us, and things may get worse before they get better. Remember that we are a strong community and we are here for each other as much as we can be.
Lastly, social distancing does not mean we can’t stay social with each other. Feel free to reach out if you need someone to talk to or just need us to send an embarrassing photo of ourselves for you to have a laugh or just a picture of an adorable dog. We will get through this and be sitting at each other’s bars in no time.
Sincerely,
The CPBA Executive Board
