In Today's Update
- A Message from NOTO's Executive Director
- Ontario Tourism Resiliency Awards
- Significant Report on US-Canada Border Released
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Northern Ontario Tourism Training Week - Registration Now Open!
- Federal Cabinet Announced
- REMINDER: NOTO AGM and Elections
- Proposed Legislative Changes to the Public Lands Act
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Tourism SkillsNet North - Join us at the ORHMA Online Community Roundtable
- Safe Travel Stamp
- Renew or Join NOTO! - Early Bird Rates Extended!
We will continue to strive to bring forward pertinent information to the tourism industry as it becomes available. We will also do our best to find answers to your questions. Do not hesitate to contact us. We are here for you.
NOTO Contact Emails:
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A Message from NOTO's Executive Director
Laurie Marcil
This week I attended TIAO's 2021 Ontario Tourism Summit in Ottawa. It was a hybrid event with in-person and virtual attendance. It was great to see old friends and new colleagues that I, to date, had only met virtually.
As you will read in this newsletter, NOTO was a co-recipient with Destination Northern Ontario for two collaboration awards at the summit. We are all so pleased to be recognized for the development of the RBT sector protocols and for our Northern Border Working Group initiatives.
I was also the recipient of the Tourism Champion of the Year award. I am very honoured to be recognized this way. I sincerely thank Kate Boissonneault and our Board of Directors for their tireless work and guidance through the last 18 months. Together we are making steady progress in building a stronger NOTO.
It is wonderful to be recognized but we have more work to do. We are not out of this just yet but there is more reason today to feel positive that we are moving a step towards recovery. There is also reason to feel positive that as we move forward there will be less red tape in certain areas for tourism business owners. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be reviewing a number of policies that impact our sector with MNDMNRF to simplify processes and remove barriers to grow.
We also have the Northern Ontario Tourism Training week and NOTO's AGM coming up November 16th - 19th. I encourage all of you to review the list of workshops and information sessions and register for this virtual event soon.
As we continue to bring key messages to all levels of Government about the tourism sector we could use your help. If you haven't completed our recent surveys, please take some time. We really do appreciate your time and effort. The US-Canada Border Survey is still open. It will take approximately 9 minutes to complete.
As always, I encourage all of you to keep the feedback coming in. We are always eager to hear directly from our stakeholders.
Be well,
Laurie
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Ontario Tourism Resiliency Awards
We are very excited and honoured to share that two initiatives that NOTO has developed over the last year have been recognized as part of TIAO's Ontario Tourism Resiliency Awards under the collaboration categories.
Destination Northern Ontario also won the collaboration award under the RTO category which recognized the hard work of DNO, NOTO and TIAO for the creation and collaborative work of the Northern Ontario Border Working Group.
We are also very excited and proud that NOTO's Executive Director, Laurie Marcil, received the Tourism Champion Award, alongside Mark Bingemans of Bingemans in Kitchener. See press release HERE.
It is an honour to be recognized and we want to take the opportunity to thank our partners Destination Northern Ontario and Tourism Industry Association of Ontario as well as the individual members of the Northern Border Working Group for their time and dedication. We also want to thank our members for their continued support!
Congratulations to NOTO members Lac Seul Wilderness Resort and Moosehorn Lodge for being named as finalists during the Ontario Tourism Resiliency Awards as well!
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Wilson Center Task Force on Public Health and the U.S.-Canadian Border Launches their Report
On Friday, October 29th the final report of the Wilson Center Task Force on Public Health and the U.S.-Canadian Border was launched.
The task force is composed of two former border-state governors, Christine Gregoire of Washington and James Douglas of Vermont, as well as two former deputy prime ministers of Canada. It was brought together by the Canada Institute of the Wilson Center, a U.S. policy think tank to review the impacts of the border closure and prepare recommendations for policy development based on wide outreach.
The Northern Border Working Group will be meeting in the coming week to review this report as well as the feedback that we have heard from tourism businesses and organizations since the reopening of the Canada border to fully vaccinated Americans on August 9th to develop more recommendations and bring them to the Federal Government. If you would like to share any feedback with this group send it via email to laurie@noto.net
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Join us for an opportunity to help grow Northern Ontario's tourism industry by joining industry peers and colleagues in our shared pursuit of excellence and success.
Building on 80+ years of successful fall conferences for the outfitting sector, the Northern Ontario Tourism Summit was developed as a partnership event between Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario (NOTO) and Destination Northern Ontario (DNO) to bring together tourism businesses, organizations and suppliers as well as all levels of government at a single event to find solutions to challenges facing the industry.
This fall, we will be introducing another virtual training week in lieu of our traditional summit to engage with industry across the North. The safety of the tourism industry remains a top priority while ensuring we deliver the most up to date and value information for the success of businesses in the region. We look forward to continue on building new partnerships, new opportunities and exciting developments for 2021-22, together.
This year, registration is free to all industry partners, so you can focus on operations, saving money and staying safe.
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Federal Cabinet Announced
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his Cabinet on October 26, 2021. Here are some notable changes:
- Minister Patty Hajdu is now the Minister of Indigenous Services and the Minister responsible for FedNor
- MP Randy Boissonneault has been named Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
- Minister Joly is now the Minister of Foreign Affairs. NOTO thanks Minister Joly for her support of the tourism industry during her time as Minister of Economic Development.
NOTO is delighted to see that the Federal Government has re-created a Ministry specifically for tourism. We are also pleased to see that Minister Boissonneault was also named Associate Minister of Finance which we hope will create stronger opportunities for the sector.
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REMINDER: NOTO AGM and Elections
NOTO AGM
The NOTO AGM will be taking place virtually again this year on Thursday, November 18th, from 1pm to 2pm (EST), as part of the Northern Ontario Tourism Training Week.
NOTO Board of Directors Election
Similarly to last year, NOTO members will be able to submit their votes electronically, by mail, or by fax for the NOTO Board of Directors election in advance of the NOTO AGM. As always, NOTO members will be permitted to run from the floor at the NOTO AGM. To run from the floor, you must have paid your 2021 NOTO membership, and be endorsed by two other operators. It is recommended that where possible you have the nomination form completed and sent directly to laurie@noto.net or by fax 705-472-0621 prior to or during the AGM to simplify this process. The nomination form can be found HERE.
REMINDER: In order to vote in the NOTO elections or to run from the floor for a seat on the Board, you must have paid your 2021 NOTO membership. If you are unsure if you have paid, please contact NOTO staff.
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Proposed Legislative Changes to the Public Lands Act
Submit Your Comments Through the ERO (Link Included Below)
The Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (NDMNRF) is proposing legislative changes to the Public Lands Act. These proposed changes are intended to support the government’s commitment to reduce regulatory burden on business, and modernize government to be simpler, faster, and more cost-effective, without compromising public health, safety and the environment.
The proposed amendments to the Public Lands Act would:
- Provide the Minister explicit authority to set, charge, waive, change, or refund fees related to the management, use or disposition of public lands to provide for a more efficient approvals process.
- Provide the Minister explicit authority to make public lands-related decisions that currently rest with the Lieutenant Governor in Council (LGIC) to reduce the time needed for approvals.
- Prevent the loss of public lands without the Crown’s consent and for less than fair market value due to adverse possession by third parties, including providing the Minister with any necessary related authorities.
- Allow dispositions or transfers of lands bordering water bodies where less than 25 per cent of frontage would remain public land to support Indigenous community interests, land claim settlements, and local community and economic development. These proposed amendments are not intended to significantly increase dispositions along water bodies and the ministry will still be required to undertake any applicable environmental assessment process and fulfill the duty to consult obligations, should they arise, prior to making any individual land disposition decision.
You can review the proposal and provide comments using the following ERO link:
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TSNN will be presenting at ORHMA!
Join us at the ORHMA Online Community Roundtable, a gathering of tourism and hospitality thought leaders!
November 09, 2021 at 10 am (EST).
Explore innovative employment solutions in the tourism and hospitality industry! The roundtable will address training and employment gaps through solutions such as Tourism SkillsNet North (TSNN) and SkillsAdvance Ontario (SAO).
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REMINDER:
If you have hired staff after June 1st, 2021, you can register them to the Tourism SkillsNet North program to have them trained and receive a wage subsidy! As long as your employees complete the mandatory training courses, you will receive a 30% wage subsidy (up to $3000) per employee!
Register your business and your employees today by clicking on the button below.
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Safe Travels Stamp
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) created the Safe Travels Stamp which is an international symbol designed to allow travellers to recognize governments and companies around the world, which have adopted health and hygiene, standardized protocols – so consumers can experience ‘Safe Travels’.
In Ontario, the Safe Travels Stamp are administered by TIAO. NOTO's health and safety protocols, which have been vetted by the Government of Ontario have been recognized as standardized protocols for this purpose.
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Renew Your Membership or Join NOTO!
NOTO has extended the early bird membership pricing for the remainder of 2021!
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Entry Level: $452.00
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Bronze:
$621.50 NOW: $593.25
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Silver:
$734.50 NOW: $706.25
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Basic:
$621.50 NOW: $593.25
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Bronze:
$779.70 NOW: $734.50
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Silver:
$1,367.30 NOW: $1,299.50
Prices listed above include HST. To renew your membership or to join NOTO, please click on the appropriate category link above to access the membership form. Completed forms can be printed and mailed to the NOTO office, or scanned and emailed to kate@noto.net or laurie@noto.net.
Thank you for your support!
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NOTO is a membership based organization that works hard to support the outdoor tourism industry through advocacy and information services. We rely on annual memberships from tourism businesses, organizations, product and service suppliers, and partners to continue our work. For more information about membership with NOTO visit noto.ca
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