BCBusiness reported in its December 22nd online edition that the "COVID-19 pandemic has been tough for local businesses, but it’s also reminded them what really matters. “Social purpose during these times is not a distraction,” says Hugh Jones, VP operations at Vancouver-based Gray Line Westcoast Sightseeing. “It helps us to focus on what’s important and how the business should align itself as we scale up again.”With most of its tourism activities traveling through the city’s Downtown Eastside, which suffers from some of the worst poverty in Canada, Westcoast Sightseeing sought to turn that negative perception into a positive one. It partnered with Exchange Inner City to develop an information guide so staff can speak positively about the neighbourhood, its history, and the social challenges being addressed by community agencies—helping to advance the company’s purpose, Guiding Shared Experiences to Foster Social Awareness. " Read the full article at BCBusiness. EIC's partnership with Westcoast Sightseeing is just one example of working to change people's perceptions of the DTES. Unfortunately, further collaboration with the company was put on hold because of the pandemic, but EIC hopes to continue in the future.