New McCauley’s Motel and Restaurant owners eager to restart business

McCauley’s Motel and Restaurant, a landmark business in Havilland Bay, is under new ownership.

Justin and Alicia Doucette have bought the business, which was established in the 1930s.

“Justin and I grew up in the Sault. Our parents and our parents’ friends, neighbours, everybody has special memories of being at McCauley’s at some point in their lives,” Alicia said, she and Justin currently residing at Horseshoe Bay and intending to eventually move into a house adjacent to the motel and restaurant.

“It’s an amazing place. Everybody knows it and has been there for ice cream, dinner, drinks. It’s so beautiful up here. It’s right across from Havilland Bay and you have the beautiful mountains on the other side of the highway. There’s so much to do.”

In fact, the Doucettes spoke to SooToday by phone Friday as they were fishing.

A year-round business, McCauley’s consists of 11 motel rooms, a restaurant, general store and gas bar.

Sault and area visitors as well as countless tourists have enjoyed summer and winter recreation while visiting or staying at the motel.

For the Doucettes, it’s a matter of coming home.

Having lived and worked in Toronto for the last 20 years, the couple decided it was time to move away from the big city in March of this year and came back to the Sault and Algoma area.

“We were living in Horseshoe Bay and we needed a place to live so we bought a motel,” Justin chuckled. 

“It’s our first real business venture,” said Justin, who worked with a builder in Toronto for 15 years, Alicia having worked with a mortgage lending company.

“I’ve worked in construction my entire life. There’s some upgrading to do (at McCauley’s) so that’s right up my alley, and we always wanted to do something like this, where we work for ourselves. We work really well together. We love to renovate. We’ve renovated multiple homes in Toronto and sold them, but we didn’t want to just buy and renovate this. We wanted to make this our job,” Justin said.

“The restaurant’s been closed so we thought it would be a great opportunity to open it and get the community out, a place for everybody to meet out here,” Alicia said.

With a plan to renovate beginning in November, Justin said the couple hopes to open the general store and motel in January, planning to eventually open the restaurant.

“I think it’s going to work out well. We’re looking forward to being a part of the community,” Justin said.

For Cherokee Hoke, the sale of McCauley’s is saying goodbye to a family business, the end of a chapter in life and the start of a new one.

Her father Adrian Hoke purchased McCauley’s while vacationing in Canada on a visit from England in 2004.

Cherokee, her parents and brother lived and worked at McCauley’s.

Adrian Hoke, in awe of the area’s natural beauty, was inspired by a quote from the 1972 mountain man movie Jeremiah Johnson in buying the property.

“This will do. River in front. Cliffs behind. Good water. Not much wind. This will be a good place to live,” Hoke said, quoting that film. 

“I remember that from the movie. It really resonated with my Dad. Canada is a beautiful place that allows people from all over the world to come here and start a beautiful journey for themselves.”  

Adrian Hoke died in 2020, prompting the Hoke family to put the business up for sale.

“We put it out there and listed it last year,” Cherokee said, crediting realtor Kenny Pierman for handling the recent sale of McCauley’s.

“It’s very community-based near Havilland Bay. There’s lots to do out on the lake. There’s the trail, the beautiful fall colours that people come out to see, they come out for snowmobile riding and ice fishing, in the spring they come out for fishing and in the summer they come out and enjoy ice cream at the store, come to the restaurant and eat good food there. It’s very much a great place for the Havilland, Goulais River, Batchawana and Harmony community north of Sault Ste. Marie (as well as Saultites and tourists) to come and congregate,” Hoke said.

“As a family we’re going to branch out and see what life has to offer in Canada. As new Canadian citizens we’re going to see what there is to explore,” said Cherokee, now living and working in Sault Ste. Marie.

Hoke said she has plenty of good memories of McCauley’s.

“We enjoyed our time...a lot of customers in the restaurant have seen me grow up,” said Hoke, who was seven years old when her family moved to Canada.

Hoke congratulated Justin and Alicia Doucette on their purchase of McCauley’s.

“I’m very happy McCauley’s has found the perfect couple. It looks like they’re going to be hard working. They have some great plans for the business. I’ve already told them ‘when you guys reopen we’re coming back out for lunch and dinner.’”