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Dozens of Fort Frances residents joined local MPP Sarah Campbell’s rally here Saturday in support of tourism and to show the provincial government that the Ontario Travel Information Centres in Northwestern Ontario are not for sale.
“The fight is not over,” Campbell told those who gathered outside the former OTIC here despite the heat, rain, and threat of thunderstorms.
“I’m not prepared to let this go,” she stressed. “We have to keep up the pressure.
“We don’t know what can happen yet.”
But with indications the McGuinty government may be reconsidering its decision to close all three OTICs in the region, Campbell said she will continue with her “Not For Sale” campaign in hopes of reversing the move.
Campbell noted Tourism and Culture minister Michael Chan recently decided to close seven centres in the province, including the ones in Fort Frances, Rainy River, and Kenora, because of a push towards Internet marketing and declining numbers.
Her response was that those living in Northwestern Ontario don’t necessarily have high-speed Internet or reliable cellphone service, so apps won’t work. And many of the remote tourist camps are not on the web.
Campbell also noted the decline in the number of people visiting the centres does not add up, citing traffic at the OTIC in Pigeon River is lower yet it remains open.
She said a statement from Kim Craitor, parliamentary secretary to Chan, suggested the Pigeon River centre is vital because of the service it provides to tourists from the United States.
“Last time I checked, Fort Frances and Rainy River both serviced visitors from the United States,” Campbell said in response.
Campbell noted by closing the seven OTICs in the province, the government only is saving $300,000.
“So they are not saving a whole lot of money,” she told those at Saturday’s rally.
Among the dozens there were Val Martindale and Jane Johnstone, who were the first employees at the Fort Frances OTIC when it open on Oct. 28, 1982.
“We’re here to support those whose jobs will be lost,” said Johnstone, who worked there for 26 years.
“We know that it’s a wonderful job and how important it is to the community.”
Martindale said tourists came from all the states that line the Mississippi River.
“They come through here because it is more direct,” she remarked, rather than using the border crossing at Pigeon River.
“We knew everything there was to know about the province of Ontario,” Martindale stressed. “They would want to know where to stay, where to eat, how the fishing was, and even about forest fires.”
Both noted they would see many of the same people year after year.
“It really was the best job and a good job for summer students, as well,” Johnstone said.
“We were the ambassadors of tourism, Fort Frances, and Ontario,” echoed Martindale. “It’s foolish to close it when it is such a busy border crossing.”
Campbell, meanwhile, does not think the answer to the problem is having municipalities run the centres.
“Municipalities are cash-strapped and it’s just more downloading,” she argued.
She intends to put pressure on the bureaucracy, as well as the ministry.
“I’m here to try to work with the government,” Campbell pledged. “But now it’s time to bring in public pressure.”
The “Not For Sale” petition incorporates postcards around the communities that people can sign and send in.
It states that whereas tourism plays a vital and irreplaceable role in Northwestern Ontario’s economy, and whereas the decision to close Travel Information Centres in Kenora, Fort Frances, and Rainy River was made without notice or consultation, we, the undersigned, petition to the Legislation Assembly of Ontario as follows:
“To immediately reverse the decision to close the Travel Information Centres in Kenora, Fort Frances, and Rainy River until such time when an alternate plan can be reached through consultation and discussion with members of the tourism industry, municipalities, Chambers of Commerce, and other stakeholders across the northwest.”
“So if you are going to close it, give the community the opportunity to come up with a plan,” Campbell reasoned.
