The Ontario government is committing $200 million to support the tourism industry as it recovers from the effects of the pandemic.
Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith was at Karlo Estates Winery near Wellington Monday afternoon to talk about the new Ontario Tourism and Hospitality Small Business Support Grant and the Ontario Tourism Recovery Program.
The money was announced as part of last week’s provincial budget.
The grant program will provide an estimated $100 million in one-time payments of $10,000 to $20,000 to eligible small businesses including hotels, motels, travel agencies and recreational and vacation camps including children’s overnight summer camps.
Another $100 million will be available through the Ontario Tourism Recovery Program to tourism businesses like resorts, northern lodges, tour boat operators, and amusement and water parks.
Smith said the funding will make sure Ontario tourism continues to be a key pillar of the province’s economy.
Audio Player“And I think it’s really important to note that when things are fully ticking like they were prior to the pandemic, this is a $36 billion industry for Ontario employing more than 400,000 people. So tourism is massive.”
Smith also said there will be another $10 million available to the province’s wineries and cideries through a new grant program that is on top of existing support.
Audio Player“So not only are we continuing with those support programs that I’m sure Sherry and the team here at Karlo Estates have relied on for a number of years, but we’re also introducing this $10 million grant program that’s gonna be available for wineries here in Prince Edward County and is definitely going to benefit those small craft wineries that have become a staple for tourism across Prince Edward County.”
“So we invested a large portion of the money into creating a virus-killing reverse filtration system in the wine lounge. We have four individual pods. It’s practically like being in a hospital room with wine.”
MPP Smith encourages any business owners wondering what supports are available to them to go to covidsupports.ca/bayofquinte
Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith speaks from behind plexiglass at Karlo Estates Winery in Prince Edward County Monday, March 29 to announce $200 million in provincial funding to support Ontario’s tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
