📈 Skiing into the New Normal

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Skiing into the New Normal

Ski resorts are finding operating in a pandemic tougher than a double black diamond. As ski season begins, resorts across North America are struggling with how to open safely.

Skiing itself is fairly COVID safe but the risks for a resort are in the lifts, chalets, hotels, restaurants and bars.

With international travel still limited, we know a lot of you will consider traveling to one of our country's world renowned resorts so here's how they're handling COVID-19:

Mont Tremblant: Controlled resort visitation levels, including mandatory pre-reservation of lift tickets. The gondola will be running at 50% capacity and interior eating spaces will be modified to comply with public health guidelines.
Lake Louise: Reduced resort and indoor area capacity. Lifts will open earlier that usual to reduce the amount of people in the base area. Indoor dining will be permitted.
Whistler Blackcomb: Reservations will be required for anyone looking to ski and face coverings are required for anyone accessing the mountain. Lift boarding will be modified to accommodate for social distancing. All transactions in the village and on the mountain will be cashless.

Zoom Out: Alpine tourism is worth billions of dollars to the Alberta and British Columbia economies and create thousands of jobs.

Any disruption to their ability to operate would have a significant impact on an already struggling Canadian economy, so we hope the resorts have a smooth and COVID-free season.

The Great Leap Back (to December)

It's been almost nine months since COVID-19 reached Canadian shores and it feels like we're back to square-one. But China is offering a glimpse into what a return to normalcy looks like.

Yesterday, China announced that their economy expanded by 4.9% in the last quarter. After a historic decline in the first half of the year, China is seeing an unprecedented recovery. How did they do it:

China took aggressive action to minimize the spread of COVID-19, including locking down major cities during their busiest holiday period (Chinese New Year);
Once they got a handle on the virus, China moved to safely open up their manufacturing. In September industrial production jumped to 6.9% – the same rate as before COVID-19.
Over the past 4 month, China has worked hard to contain the virus. Last week, they tested a city of nine million people in five days. The Government's control of the virus has increased consumer confidence and boosted spending.

Zoom out: China is the first country to really get a handle on the virus. Their ability to control COVID-19 has sparked an economic boom and offers a window into how Canada's recovery might look once we permanently contain the virus.

Battery Beware

This month, US safety regulators opened an investigation into more than 77,000 Chevy Bolts after two owners complained of fires that began in the area where the engine sits. Both Hyundai and BMW have issued vehicle recalls over similar issues.

Cars use more and higher capacity versions of the lithium-ion batteries that power our phones and laptops. Rarely do these batteries cause fires but the higher demand put on them by electric vehicles increases the risk.

A Green Future

As governments and consumers become more critical of a brand's carbon footprint, car manufacturers are investing heavily in electric vehicles to offset their gasoline models.

Governments, in particular, are imposing strict carbon emissions limits on manufacturers. Firms responded with investments of nearly $200 billion in electric vehicle technology to avoid fines.

But a wave of fires in electric vehicles have put in question whether companies are moving too quickly in their conversion to full electric.

Zoom out: Last month, Ford announced a deal with UNIFOR – the auto workers union – and the Governments of Canada and Ontario to convert a plant into an electric car facility.

Canada is betting on electric vehicles to be the next generation of manufacturing jobs. If the rollout of electric vehicles is disrupted, Canadian jobs and investment could be on the line.

Stargazing

This is the biggest Canadian business story no one is talking about. Yesterday, SpaceX announced they received CRTC approval for their Basic International Telecommunications Services license.

This is a step forward for the company as they move closer to providing high speed internet access to Rural Canada.

How it works: Elon Musk's SpaceX has launched over 800 Low Earth Satellites that can high speed provide internet access without on-the-ground infrastructure.

The service aims to help rural residents who lack access to internet infrastructure. Private beta testing of the satellites has achieved download speeds of nearly 100mbps in remote areas.

Why it matters: Canadian telcos (Rogers , Bell, Telus, etc.) justify their high rates by arguing that profit is being reinvested into expensive infrastructure to service Rural Canada.

But... if Rural Canada instantly had access to high speed internet, how can the telcos justify their high prices? That's what Starlink will test when they launch their Southern Canadian beta later this year.

Leftovers

Halloween is Cancelled: Premier Doug Ford announced that trick-or-treating in red zones, including Toronto and Peel, is not recommended.

Chips (No Dip): Intel is nearing a sale of its memory chip unit to South Korean chip maker SK Hynix for $10 billion.

Russian Roulette: The US Justice Department charged six Russian military officials with hacking En Marche, French PM Emannuel Macron's political party, the Olympics and the UK lab investigating the poisoning of Sergei Skripal.

Peak Picks

Designer Disasters: Meet the [Direct to Consumer brands](https://www.insidehook.com/article/gear/stylish-apocolypse-prepper-gear-judy-pottery-barn?) making high-end apocalypse gear. The End never looked so stylish!

COVID Sanctuaries: Interesting read about the lengths Nunavut has gone to become the only place in North America with zero COVID cases.

Foxconned: The Verge published an excellent long form piece into Chinese manufacturing giant Foxconn's failed foray into Wisconsin.

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October 19, 2020