‘We’ll work with tourism sector,’ FedNor Minister, MP Sheehan say at funding announcement

“People have been working hard, playing by the rules, just to be cut by the tsunami that no one had anticipated.” 

That from Melanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for FedNor, describing the plight of northern Ontario business owners and employees who have suffered a drop in business or lost their jobs due to COVID-19’s economic impact.

“One of the top priorities we’ve been really focused on (in getting the economy back on track) is saving our ‘Main Streets’ across northern Ontario and really helping our entrepreneurs to bridge the gap between the pre-pandemic and what we’re going through right now,” Joly said Friday in a virtual FedNor funding announcement from Sioux Lookout.

Joly announced $4 million in FedNor funding for 16 projects in an effort to diversify and grow the northern Ontario economy in several of the region’s communities.

Joly was joined virtually by Sault MP Terry Sheehan, who serves as Joly’s parliamentary secretary. 

In regard to help for the Sault, Tourism Northern Ontario received $80,000 to prepare travel information centres that are not provincially supported to adapt to new COVID-19 safety requirements, enabling them to be ready to welcome tourists to the region.

“The (Canada-U.S.) border is closed (causing a hugely negative impact on Sault and area tourism), so we’re pushing northern Ontario folks to explore their backyard, so having these safety requirements in the various travel information centres is going to encourage people to further feel safe in enjoying tourism in northern Ontario,” Sheehan said, speaking to SooToday. 

“That money that’s being used by them will be used to benefit tourism businesses not only in Sault Ste. Marie but across the region. That is really exciting news for the folks in the tourism industry,” Sheehan said. 

The Sault MP said the federal government has had a roundtable discussion with David MacLachlan, Sault-based Destination Northern Ontario executive director.

“David MacLachlan has a tough job, to diversify the tourism base in the region. We’ve had really good conversations with many of the outfitters and tourism operators. We know they’re being hit hard by the pandemic, the economic crisis and the border closure...we hear them, we’re with them and we will work with them to find solutions,” Joly told us.

Examples of other community economic development initiatives supported by FedNor and announced by Joly and Sheehan Friday include:

• $67,370 for the Township of Dubreuilville to purchase  trail grooming equipment and complete infrastructure upgrades to a one-kilometre section of the Mooseback Trail system
• $117,000 to complete a full market feasibility study and business case to establish a thermal wood processing facility in Dubreuilville.
• $67,700 for the Township of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls to redevelop the Nestor Falls waterfall site to boost tourism in that region
• $975,000 for industrial and commercial development in Sioux Lookout, to complete infrastructure projects including the extension of municipal water and wastewater services to the Bigwood Lake and the North Airport Commercial Development sites.
• $450,000 for Thunder Bay’s Blacksheep Mountain Bike Club to build and upgrade up to 40 kilometres of high grade, multi-use trails in the Trowbridge Forest trail system
• $300,000 for upgrades to tourism infrastructure at Thunder Bay’s Fort William Gardens to enhance sport tourism and support large-scale events and cultural gatherings