Many industries are being hit hard by COVID-19 and Northwestern Ontario’s important tourism sector will be no exception.
Nature and Outdoor Tourism along with other tourism groups are calling on the provincial and federal governments to provide support for impacted businesses.
Executive Director of NOTO Laurie Marcil says “In our northern economy, that seasonality of the businesses and the influx of jobs and money and guests into our areas in northern Ontario, that’s crucial to a lot of small businesses.”
Marcil says it’s important that both levels of senior government work closely with the industry to help it survive now and beyond 2020.
She says they hope to see land tenure permits among many others waived for this year since they can’t predict what the tourism season will be like, if there is one.
“Obviously the border closure and the extensions and not knowing when leisure travel is going to be able to cross. That’s a huge, huge impact, particularly in the northwest.
