• Evacuees may have checked in to your properties under several different circumstances e.g. with or without the traditional ESS referral forms.
• The following outlines steps that properties can use to now submit invoicing for payment for accommodations provided by your property.
  1. Evacuees WITH REFERRAL FORMS:  either staying with you / or have checked out.
     • Please refer to the attached is the “ESS Supplier Quick Reference.”
     • This resource outlines how to process Referral forms for evacuees that have stayed with you and for which you have a Referral form provided for their stay.
  2. Evacuees WITHOUT REFERRAL FORMS: still staying with you.
     • ​Majority of Referral forms have now been processed and provided to evacuees and hotels – if you are without a referral form for an evacuee, please contact 1-844-537-7377.
  3. Evacuees WITH NO DOCUMENTATION / REFERRAL FORMS AND entered into the “Hotel Accommodation – Wildfire Evacuee” spreadsheets: That have checked-out.
     • ​Evacuees may have been checked in with little or no ID / Credit Cards or referral forms.
     • Once the process was established – Hotels were asked to document these guests on the “Hotel Accommodation – Wildfire Evacuee” spreadsheets and submitted to ESS daily by 9 am.
     • These spreadsheets have been used to connect ESS with evacuees and to provide the necessary referral forms to evacuees and hotels.
     • The majority of Referral forms have now been processed and provided to evacuees and hotels – if you are without a referral form for an evacuee, please contact 1-844-537-7377.
     • NOTE: Any outstanding referral forms that are currently being processed will still be sent to hotels even if the referral period has ended and used by hotels to submit for financial re-imbursement from ESS.
  4. EARLY EVACUEES – NOT Entered into the “Hotel Accommodation – Wildfire Evacuee” spreadsheets: that stayed with you and have checked out AND evacuees did not have referral forms.
     • This category is specific to evacuees that may have checked-in prior to additional formalized processes being established and communicated to hotels to manage and track evacuees, and the different ways in which they were being directed by ESS to your properties (with or without referral forms).
     • Hotels are asked to summarize the following details for each evacuee stay:
       • Name of evacuee
       • Contact info
       • Date of check-in and check-out
       • # of people in room
       • # of hotel rooms
       • Room # if possible
       • Use subject line: Hotel report about early evacuees
     • Please send this information to pecc.ops9@gov.bc.ca<mailto:pecc.ops9@gov.bc.ca>
  5. Evacuees that have extended stays at your property:
     • Extension Referral forms will be issued as a new referral form and will be provided to the evacuee to give to the hotel.
     • This allows accommodations to submit invoices for the first period of the referral stay (and be paid sooner) rather than waiting for the final check-out of the evacuees once their stay has ended. Each invoice should match the Referral form valid dates.
     • See # 1 for instruction on how to submit.
     • NOTE: any extensions are anticipated to be up to Sept 8 – and may be extended further if needed.
  6. Payment for properties providing room blocks:
     • Ingrid D. has been in contact with all hotels participating in the Room Block program.
     • Hotels are to provide a summary invoice that shows the total number of rooms blocked and a breakdown of how many rooms on a daily basis were occupied versus not occupied.
     • Please also include with your submission All backup documentation (i.e. copies of individual referrals for evacuees).
     • Billing of invoices can be submitted in the ERA system or directly to EMBC_AP@gov.bc.ca | The processing of invoices will happen in a more-timely manner if submitted through the ERA system.
     • SPECIAL NOTE: For Kelowna / West Kelowna Accommodation providers only – managing Room Blocks: Please see the directions below provided for Aug 29 area evacuees.

SPECIAL NOTE TO KELOWNA / WEST KELOWNA ACCOMMODATORS – AUG 29 INSTRUCTIONS

Special Note for Kelowna / West Kelowna Accommodations ONLY – Aug 29th instructions

• At the direction of the Provincial ESS Program – please see specific instructions sent by the BC Hotel Association to accommodation providers in the Kelowna and West Kelowna areas for Aug 29th included below: 

Distributed August 29th | Kelowna / West Kelowna Hotels: IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please be advised that some areas of Kelowna and surrounding communities have been placed on Evacuation Alert due to increased winds and deteriorating weather. IF ALERTS change to ORDERS:

• OTHER ACCOMMODATION SUPPORTS FOR EVACUEES IN KELOWNA / WEST KELOWNA as of AUG 29 (and until further notice)
  • Evacuees are being encouraged to stay with friends and family.
  • Group Lodging is being made available in Vernon and Kelowna.

• HOTEL ACCOMMODATION – Please ensure all front desk and shift staff are aware of these changes in process.
  • As of Aug 29th – BEFORE CHECKING IN – any evacuee that wishes to check-in to hotels in the Kelowna / West Kelowna area MUST have an ESS referral form.
  • Anyone without a referral form will be expected to pay on their own and will not be reimbursed by ESS.
  • For instances where evacuees arriving with referrals and do not have ID or credit cards – please accept evacuees per the previous direction to do so.
  • Personal insurance may cover hotel expenses and evacuees may wish to confirm their coverage before staying at your property if expenses are a concern.
  • Note: Hotels may apply standard rates for any new evacuees checking in as of Aug 29th without referral forms.
  • Anyone needing ESS assistance including accommodation are to be directed to the local area ESS Reception Centres where needs will be assessed and supported.

• ROOMS in ROOM BLOCKS
  • For rooms being held in the “reserved room blocks” – these rooms must NOT be allocated to new evacuees arriving Aug 29 (or after), unless expressly directed by ESS staff to make the rooms available and accompanied with a referral form for the evacuee and hotel.

• EXISTING EVACUEES
  • This new direction does not pertain to existing evacuees that are currently staying at your property and that still require referral forms to be processed – these forms are in progress.

• REFERRAL FORMS
  • Traditional paper referral forms and /or electronic referrals via the ERAs tool will be provided to evacuees and to hotels for arrivals on Aug. 29 (and until further notice).
  • No other forms / letters will signal permission for an evacuee to stay at your property without direct payment by the evacuee.

For more information on the changing status of alerts and orders or other information related to local area ESS – please visit The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations website:  https://www.cordemergency.ca/ Thank you again for your tremendous contributions and support!