By Trudy Simpson, Staff Reporter
A LARGE number of Jamaicans are among hundreds of persons in the hotel industry in Toronto, Canada, who have lost their jobs or have been given reduced hours as a result of the devastating impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), on that country's tourism industry.
Zeleda Davis, vice-president of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union, Local 75 in Toronto, said Jamaican immigrants account for 50 per cent of employees in various hotels in the hospitality sector.
Using statistics from the union, which represents over 8,000 tourism employees, Ms. Davis, a Jamaican, said one-third of the workers have lost their jobs and another third are struggling on re-duced pay. She estimated that 40 per cent of those affected could be Jamaicans.
"It has been devastating. This has affected the hotel industry more than September 11," she said, in reference to the terrorist attacks on the United States. Those attacks took place on September 11, 2001. The attacks resulted in a drop-off in tourist travel and flights.
In addition, only about one-third of the total number of unemployed workers are getting significant unemployment benefits, she said.
Since March, SARS has cost the hotel industry Canadian $20 million and the union estimates that the respiratory illness has resulted in 95,000 potential visitors cancelling their visits to Canada.
Hotel occupancy rates, usually at 85 per cent at this time of the year, have fallen to 40 per cent.
Toronto has recorded the largest number of SARS cases outside of Asia and continues to be of concern to World Health Organisation (WHO) officials. WHO reports that there have been 249 cases and 37 deaths in Canada up to June 24, 2003.
But Ms Davis went to bat for Toronto's flagging tourism, stressing that Toronto is safe for visitors.
She stressed that most SARS cases are traceable and affect persons, some in the health sector, who have come into contact with infected persons. It does not affect the general public, she said.
"It was an unknown virus and there was a lot of sensationalism about it. Even though it was not affecting the general public, it was what was being conveyed to people. It didn't affect us in that way," she said. She added that "we don't see people walking on the streets with any masks on their faces."
Nonetheless, there is concern that the industry will lose qualified workers, some of whom have begun training for other careers, she said. The union representative stressed that no hotel worker had ever been quarantined or suspected of having SARS and that Health and Safety committees have been set up in the hospitality sector to ensure that proper precautions are taken against the illness.
