As we close out 2025, it’s clear this has been a year of resetting the foundation for CCRVA and the broader camping and RV sector. We’ve made real progress in the right places, we’ve stretched our capacity, and we’ve also exposed the gaps we need to close quickly if we want to lead at the level this industry deserves.
I want to be transparent about both.
Advocacy: we’re no longer on the sidelines.
At the federal and provincial levels, CCRVA is now consistently at the table when policy conversations touch campgrounds and RV tourism. We’ve continued to push on fairer tax treatment for campgrounds, the need to stop treating them as “specified investment businesses,” and the broader reality that our parks are small businesses with year-round operating pressures, not passive investments.
On the municipal front, we’ve been steadily building playbooks around zoning, licensing, seasonal use, and development charges. The volume of case studies coming in from across the country has allowed us to respond faster, spot patterns sooner, and support provincial associations with more consistent, aligned messaging.
Education and events: from one-off sessions to a real learning pipeline.
Our webinar calendar has matured into a reliable education channel, not just an occasional offering. Sessions on zoning and municipal issues, contracts and agreements, grounds management, data-driven operations, and AI for campgrounds have moved us from “awareness” to practical, operational guidance.
The Leaders Forum has continued to add value at the board and association level, surfacing the tough conversations on governance, succession, and member retention that most organizations avoid until it’s a problem. In Western Canada, the Western Ideas Forum has set the stage for a standing regional platform where campground owners, associations, and suppliers can share solutions instead of reinventing the wheel in isolation.
Partnerships: tightening alignment between suppliers and operators.
We’ve continued to build out endorsement and sponsorship relationships designed to do more than put logos on a slide. The goal is simple: negotiated value for parks (pricing, support, tools) and clear visibility for partners that genuinely invest in this sector. That work is ongoing, but we now have a clearer framework for evaluating and positioning partners so they contribute to the long-term health of the industry, not just the event calendar.
CampConnect: from concept to a real asset.
CampConnect has moved from an idea to a working platform: an online community and learning library where members can access recorded education, resources, and peer discussion in one place. It is not “finished” —
and won’t be — but we’ve proven the model and started to centralize content that was previously scattered across emails, Zoom links, and one-off documents. This will be a core piece of our member-value proposition going forward.
Where We Are Behind
We also need to own where execution has lagged.
In short, the strategic direction is sound, but some of the big structural pieces are behind schedule.
To keep this simple and actionable, here’s how CCRVA will focus its effort in 2026.
1. Secure tangible advocacy wins, not just “awareness.”
We will narrow our advocacy bandwidth onto a smaller set of high-impact files with clear outcomes:
The goal is measurable movement — policy language, program access, and regulatory decisions — that operators can feel in their businesses, not just talking points.
2. Deepen member value through education, CampConnect, partnerships and the 2026 Canadian Outdoor Hospitality Conference and Expo.
We will consolidate and scale the things that are already working and anchor them around a strong national event:
If a program, partnership or event doesn’t deliver visible value to operators, we will either fix it quickly or stop doing it.
3. Build the data, rating and insurance backbone of the industry.
This is the structural work that underpins everything else:
This won’t all be fully mature by the end of 2026, but you will see clear milestones, timelines and ways to participate.
Our industry has never been more visible to the public and more pressured by policy, infrastructure and cost realities. CCRVA’s job in 2026 is to stop spreading thin, double down on what moves the needle and hold ourselves accountable to results.
We will need your data, your examples, your participation in education, COHCE, and pilots, and your willingness to speak up locally and federally. If we align on that, we can turn this next year into a step-change, not just another cycle.
To everyone who has shown up this year — by renewing your membership, attending webinars, sharing your numbers and stories, serving on boards and committees, or simply picking up the phone to flag an issue — thank you. None of this work moves without your backing, your patience, and your candour. CCRVA exists to serve you, and I’m genuinely grateful for the trust you place in us, the time you give, and the resilience you show under pressure. We don’t take that for granted, and we’ll keep working to earn it in 2026.