Bruce County is making funds available to help local tourism businesses.
On May 12th, Bruce County Council approved $1.75 million in grants, loans and investments to support local businesses for the next two years. As part of the Support the Bruce: Business Sustainability Fund, the county has launched a special version of the Bruce County Tourism Innovation Lab’s “Spark” program to help the local tourism industry.
Tourism businesses with up to 10 full-time employees can now apply for grants of $3,000 to $10,000 to help "re-tool or re-imagine" their business. Successful applicants will also receive advice from an experienced mentor. To apply, visit http://www.tourisminnovation.ca/reimagine.
Bruce County Warden Mitch Twolan says of the new funding "tourism businesses have been one of the hardest hit by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bruce County Council is pleased to support our local tourism providers as they recover and rebuild.”
“The Bruce County Tourism Innovation Lab was launched in 2019 to support the development of sustainable tourism initiatives on the Bruce Peninsula,” said Kara Van Myall, Director of Planning & Development/Recovery Coordinator. “This special edition of the “Spark” program can now support tourism operators across Bruce County as they respond and adapt to the evolving tourism landscape.”
“Tourism businesses can apply to upgrade their buildings or facilities, purchase new equipment that supports enhanced programming, or create a new digital platform, for example. The goal of the program is to inspire and support new tourism ideas and innovations," added Justin Lafontaine, Program Lead of the Ontario Tourism Innovation Lab.
