FedNor invests more than $8.7 million in Northern Ontario’s tourism sector

by ahnationtalk on June 6, 202277 Views

From: Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario – FedNor

News release

Government of Canada funding to support the tourism sector by fueling a strong recovery, future growth and creating and maintaining over 578 jobs

June 4, 2022

Canada has much to offer travellers from all over the world: breathtaking landscapes and wide open spaces; diverse and inclusive experiences; and welcoming people from coast to coast to coast who provide outstanding service. Combined with a strong focus on health and safety and high COVID-19 vaccination rates, Canada is among the most alluring and smartest destination choices for visitors.

The pandemic has had an undeniable impact on Canada’s tourism sector. The Government of Canada has helped keep tourism businesses open and the Tourism Relief Fund will help them be even better positioned to welcome back guests.

In recognition of National Tourism Week, which runs from May 29 to June 4, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for FedNor, announced FedNor investments totalling $8,750,385 to protect, strengthen and grow Northern Ontario’s tourism sector. Provided through the Government of Canada’s Tourism Relief Fund (TRF), the investments will support 58 tourism projects in municipalities and Indigenous communities across the region. For the full list of projects, please see backgrounder.

Quotes

“We will support Canada’s tourism sector as it recovers from the historic disruption Covid-19 presented. Today’s funding creates local jobs, supports businesses, and helps welcome visitors to beautiful Northern Ontario!”

– The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for FedNor

“The Canadian tourism sector continues to be one of the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are fully committed to supporting businesses and organizations through these challenging times, keeping safety as the top priority while ensuring they get support to quickly recover, innovate their products and services, and thrive. The Tourism Relief Fund will help businesses adapt, make improvements, and be ready to welcome back guests. It also feeds into a broader strategy to help the sector survive the pandemic, recover and grow. The Canadian economy will not fully recover until our tourism sector recovers.”

– The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

“The pandemic and border closure has had a negative affect on our operations, as with most tourist operators. This funding assistance from FedNor will help ensure that Wilderness North is in a strong position to recover post-COVID-19 to once again offer visitors from around the globe, world-class Canadian fishing, fly fishing, and memorable adventure experiences in Northwestern Ontario. It will also allow us to maintain 12 full-time positions and create an additional 10 full-time jobs which are key to providing top, quality service to our clients.”

– Krista Cheeseman, Wilderness North

“We greatly appreciate FedNor’s assistance to help support Indigenous tourism recovery efforts and enhance tourism offerings during these challenging times. This project will allow Wikwemikong to move forward with phase two of building a new clean and fully accessible off-grid comfort station for visitors who wish to explore Point Grondine Park and experience the rich Anishnaabek culture. The new facility will be eco-friendly, using various energy and water saving technologies, including solar power to make your camping experience comfortable and enjoyable.”

– Adam Kaboni, President, Wikwemikong Development Commission

“We are grateful for the assistance from FedNor to enable us to do these important upgrades and make our new dock area safe and fully accessible for all who visit our area. By offering modern service hook-ups and stable, comfortable, and secure boat slips at the marina, we will encourage boaters to leave their boats and come visit downtown Blind River. This final phase of the Town’s waterfront regeneration initiative will help maximize the tourism and economic potential of our waterfront development area.”

– Mayor Sally Hagman, Town of Blind River

Quick facts

Tourism Week, May 29 to June 4, 2022, is a seven-day event to recognize Canada’s tourism economy, and the impact it has on every community across the country. This year, it aims to recognize the resilience of the industry through this unprecedented time.
The tourism sector is a key contributor to the Canadian economy. In 2019, tourism generated over $104 billion in revenue and directly employed 692,000 people, including those in underrepresented groups like women, students, racialized people, and Indigenous populations.
With a national budget of $500 million, including $485 million for regional priorities administered by Canada’s Regional Development Agencies and $15 million for national priorities administered by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, the Tourism Relief Fund is part of the billion dollars in tourism support announced in Budget 2021.
A minimum of $50 million of the fund’s budget has been earmarked for Indigenous tourism projects. Indigenous communities that rely heavily on tourism have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

FedNor invests more than $8.7 million in Northern Ontario’s tourism sector

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