2022 Third Quarter Economic Review RVDA

of Canada

The Third Quarter Economic Review is intended to deliver a comprehensive look at the economic indicators affecting the RV Industry in Canada. These products are intended to provide members with current economic information, which can assist them in gaining insights into the changing economic dimensions of the RV industry and the economy at large.

Download this report on RVDA of Canada member site under Member services / Industry Relations tabs (login required)

Cultivating ongoing government relations

RVDA of Canada’s continued efforts to engage parliamentarians’ awareness to the challenges faced by the RV industry can be viewed favourably in several areas. For this reason, continuity is important at all levels of government, at the grass-roots level and with all political parties.

The annual parliamentary advocacy day is organized in partnership with the Canadian Camping and RV Council (CCRVC) as RV and camping sectors both contribute substantially to Canadian outdoor recreation and share similar challenges. Last year, 22 RVDA dealer members and staff met with Parliamentarians to discuss multiple critical issues. The meetings are set up strategically to ensure all participants are paired with the Parliamentarian in their constituent or Province. All advocacy day participants will receive briefings on key issues facing our industry and what the government can do to help.

RVDA of Canada sent a strong message to Parliamentarians in 2022 of the impact of the pandemic on the RV industry and urge for key actions from the government to ensure we can thrive in our recovery post-pandemic. As a result, several key meetings were secured with prominent MPs such as Rachel Bendayan, Brad Vis, Rob Moore, and Tracy Gray. This was again with follow up meeting by RVDA of Canada President, Eleonore Hamm in May 2022 to engage with the Industry Committee to talk about challenges with labour shortages, lack of investments in infrastructure and major supply chain issues.

We’re delighted to report several wins on our advocacy efforts in 2022:

• RVDA of Canada is continuing to build a great rapport with political and ministerial teams in Ottawa. Leveraging this network effectively is essential for optimizing advocacy efforts.

• The RV industry and the tourism sector are abiding by the current government’s goal for achieving zero-emissions. With increased investment in green infrastructure, rural communities should also see additional support and funding to support local economies.

• The government is focused on rebuilding the economy and addressing severe labour shortages. RVDA of Canada offers solutions to address the severe labour crunch.

• RVs are exempt from the new luxury tax.

To kick-start the 2023 advocacy campaign, RVDA of Canada participates in the pre-budget consultations, which ran from December 14, 2022, to February 10, 2023. Members were surveyed between January 26 and February 10, 2023 to identify their advocacy priorities. Along with member feedback, the recommendations put forth by the RVDA of Canada will contribute significantly to the RV industry’s ongoing recovery from the pandemic and ensure the continued success of the RV and camping industry in Canada.

2022-2023 Budget Recommendations

1. Increased support for skilled workers in the RV industry

• Due to the geographic constraints of the existing programs, the Government of Canada should create an Apprenticeship Travel Grant that could be used by those who are required to travel to undertake an apprenticeship training program. This Grant should be targeted to wards those enrolled in programs that are not offered in their city, town or province.

• The labour mobility tax grant of up to $4000 per year to support temporary relocation within Canada by Skilled Trades People should be made available for those that are temporality relocating to pursue their apprenticeship training and Red Seal certification. The requirements need to be changed so that skilled workers, who are looking to obtain the necessary qualifications to join a specific niche of the work force, are covered and supported.

2. Critical infrastructure in our national parks and tourism investment to support the RV Industry is needed

• As RVing is a large component of tourism, both internationally and domestically, investment in camping and RVing infrastructure will play a crucial role in the overall contributions of the tourism industry to future economic development and prosperity post-COVID-19. Upgrades in infrastructure are essential if we want to be able to ensure the future of this industry and make it more accessible to all Canadians.

• Make a public and significant commitment to the electrification of campgrounds across Canada. Better access to electricity for RV drivers is an important driver of tourism and will contribute immediately to the transition towards electric recreational vehicles and zeroemissions campgrounds.

• Empower regional communities that are seeking to create, update or modernize camping and RV infrastructures. If smaller communities see investing in tourism as a great way for them to grow their local economy, the government needs to accompany them in such endeavour.

3. Border and supply chain issues

• The government must continue to provide financial supports and look for new ways to break up the bottleneck of supply issues and must ensure the border does not close again.

• The proposed $ 1.9 billion for the National Trade Corridor Fund to make Canada’s transportation infrastructure more efficient and effective. This will make resources more readily available to private transportation and trucking companies so that they can better adapt to new technologies, while increasing the flow of goods in and out of Canada.

Complete the 2023 RVDAof Canada RV Industry Compensation Survey to get some benchmarking data for employee reviews

The 2023 RV Industry Compensation Survey was launched on February 8, 2023.

Still not convinced the data collected in this survey will be relevant to your business planning?

Participation in this annual survey provides you with detailed compensation benchmarks for each position in each department. With this data, you can now create competitive salary and compensation packages, thus reducing employee turnover.

Each survey allowed respondents to provide information on compensation, benefits and demographics for an unlimited number of individual staff members. The survey covered full-time, part-time and seasonal positions. If a position was not full time, compensation data was adjusted to a full-time equivalent based on the number of hours worked. Respondents could also report data for groups of employees in a particular position, so the number of employees represented in the survey is not directly related to the number of survey responses.

For benchmarking, each position is further analyzed by average hourly, weekly and annual pay, gender, experience, employment status, number of staff (at the dealership) and region. For weekly and annual, benchmarks are presented for base compensation, bonus compensation and total compensation. The table also shows the average bonus as a percent of base compensation. Where data is available, additional benchmarks are also provided for each region. Hourly and weekly percentile (or quartile) benchmarks are also available for comparisons for each position.

The Canadian RV Industry Compensation Survey focuses on providing current compensation and benefits market data for RV dealership personnel across Canada. The services of The Portage Group have been retained to administer and conduct the 2023 RVDAof Canada RV Industry Compensation Survey and to compile the data for publication. Data for this survey is collected from all dealership departments from entrylevel to management positions representing 32 job categories.

Acopy of this summary will only be provided to participating dealerships. This summary report will serve as a great benchmarking tool for full-time, part-time and seasonal dealership positions.

This survey is open to all RVDAof Canada members regardless of size. This survey invites dealers, service centers, and rental dealers to participate in this survey.

Once you start the survey, you can pause and resume at any time. Please look for the survey invitation in your inbox. The survey link is unique, it will only accept one e-mail response per dealership location.

Surveys must be completed by March 8, 2023 to be included in the results.

In appreciation of your participation in the 2023 Canadian RV industry compensation survey, we will be giving away a FREE online subscription to any of the courses* offered by the Mike Molino RV Learning Centre. Those that complete the survey by February 22, 2023, will have TWO chances to win the grand prize!

Your results will be kept strictly confidential and will be used for research purposes only. Once the survey has been completed, the results will be developed into a comprehensive report that will be made available to survey participants. Please contact The Portage Group at surveys@portagegroup.com if you have any questions.

Your input is critical to making this extremely valuable research initiative a success. Thank you in advance for your participation in this important project.

RVDAof Canada created the George Goodrick Emerging LeaderAward in 2021 in honour of the association's past chairman.

Due to George Goodrick’s tremendous contributions not only to the RVDAof Canada, but to the entire industry, the association wanted to recognize his continued dedication through a legacy award.

Goodrick was active with both theAtlantic RVDAand the RVDAof Canada. He first joined the RVDAof Canada board in 2008 as a director. Goodrick then went on to chair the national education and HR committee from 2010 to 2014. He also served as Treasurer, Vice Chairman, Chairman and Past Chairman of the RVDAof Canada.

At the time of his passing, he was still serving as a director on the Canadian Camping and RV Council.

The Emerging LeaderAward will recognize and encourage early-career professionals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment, passion and promise of leadership to the Canadian Recreation Vehicle industry.

This award is open to all personnel in the Canadian retail and wholesale recreation vehicle industry sector.

To be considered, individuals will need to meet the criteria of exceptional:

 Customer Service

 Impact

 Innovation

 Initiative

 Social Responsibility

The recipient of the George Goodrick Emerging LeaderAward will be recognized in front of industry peers at a Provincial or Regional RVDAevent.

Nominations are open until June 30, 2023.

NTP-STAG Canada RV Technician and Fixed Operations Personnel BursariesAvailable!

Going to school is challenging yet rewarding at the same time. Men and women that participate in the RV service technician apprenticeship and other industry-led training programs reveal how exciting it is to learn new skills in a well-equipped and supported environment.

Canada is a big country! While RVDA of Canada strives to offer more training opportunities in-person and online, we also need to ensure we support the existing programs. Through generous sponsorship of $12,500 by NTP-STAG Canada, we continue to offer bursaries to eligible RV service technicians and fixed operations personnel, including service writers, service advisors, warranty administrators and parts sales employees.

The application criteria is pretty simple. Complete the application form, submit a written or video essay along with employer review and submit! That’s it! The application deadline is June 1, 2023.The bursaries will be awarded to the technician with serious interest and desire to succeed in the RV industry, as demonstrated by successful program completion.

RV Technician Bursary

Top bursary valued at $1,500

Seven bursaries valued at $1,000

Fixed Operations Personnel Bursary

A total of eight bursaries available to the RV fixed operations personnel valued at $500. The bursaries will be awarded to eligible RV dealership personnel.

All RV dealership personnel employed at an RVDA of Canada member location are eligible to apply. All training must be completed between August 1, 2022 and May 31, 2023 to be considered for a bursary.

For more information, visit RV Careers website.

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