Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. The opportunity to come before you all today is very much welcomed by our ski areas from coast to coast to coast.

Here's a bit about my organization. The Canadian Ski Council is the national association that represents the interests of alpine and cross-country ski areas in Canada. Our mission is to assist in growing the snow sports industry in Canada through consumer-facing programs that encourage all Canadians to enjoy the physical and mental well-being that come from year-round, outdoor activity. We also have a mandate to support our industry with research and data gathering, education and other supports that enhance their business acumen and success.

To open today's meeting, I think it's important to set the stage for Canada's ski areas. We have 240 active ski areas located in all 10 provinces and three territories. We are a national body. More than 2.5 million Canadians actively skied or snowboarded last season. The resulting economic impact was a little over $5 billion for Canada.

In a normal year, over two million of our 21 million skier visits come from the United States and international destinations, making us a large part of winter tourism success for Canada as well.

One of the large challenges we have is that ski areas in Canada are often described as large, corporate-owned entities. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth, as the bulk of Canadian ski areas are privately owned, small and mid-sized enterprises across the country.

Turning to the topic at hand, the story of seasonal workers in our business mirrors the very nature of Canadian ski areas. Our ski areas are labour- and capital-intensive businesses. Ski areas, by their very nature, are also very seasonal, with a winter operating period that ranges from 14 to 23 weeks, or approximately 100 to 150 days, depending on the region of the country.

Severe weather events and climate change are impacting the operating days negatively, with later starts and earlier finishing dates becoming ever more apparent. As part of that, though, we also have to recognize that the greater potential for violent weather changes has increased the possibility of more than a handful of weather-related closures happening in the ski season.

Ski areas are very interested in investing in climate mitigation strategies. Many will have heard of snow-making or snow farming. Other opportunities exist for ski areas to winterize their businesses. Areas are also interested in expanding into summer operations and other seasons with sport offerings such as mountain biking, sightseeing, conferences and many other unique tourism experiences. These summer operations are still confined to a relatively short period of eight to 12 weeks at most ski areas. Fewer than 12 ski areas across the country have viable four-season business models.

The impact on the seasonal employee mirrors the circumstances of our businesses. Bear in mind, please, that 85% of our workforce is seasonal in nature. These employees cover all levels of employment, from lower-skilled, frontline jobs in hospitality and our guest services applications to higher-skilled persons such as grooming operators, lift mechanics and snow-makers, to mention just a few.

The short and potentially weather-affected winter season can make it difficult for seasonal employees to access EI benefits. For example, here in Collingwood, Ontario, where I am located today, the required number of hours to gain access to benefits is 700 working hours. With a short operating season of around 100 to 105 days, there is a slim margin of approximately 80 hours that the employee has to work with to ensure access to benefits.

A late start to the season or an early closure can mean all the difference for a winter season employee, not to mention the closures that are brought on by increasingly volatile weather. It is not unusual here in Ontario to lose more than five operating days per year due to rain, wind, lightning and, believe it or not, excess snowfall.

Summer operations, as we all begin to move to them, can add to an employee's 52-week total of working hours. However, the season is very short, particularly in western Canada, where the snowpack hampers the start of summer operations for mountain biking and sightseeing, etc. While a ski area attempts to move key staff into summer roles, the overall size of the summer workforce is currently less than 60% of the winter workforce, which exacerbates the need and the change we go through.

For employees of ski areas without summer businesses, the length of time between the finish of one winter season and the start of the next can be a significant challenge, especially in rural environments in Canada. We believe extending the maximum weeks of employment insurance benefits would ease the social burden on the small rural communities in which ski areas operate.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to future questions.