KILLARNEY—On August 15, Marc G. Serre, MP for Nickel Belt and parliamentary secretary to the minister of official languages, announced a FedNor investment of $53,500 to enable Friends of Killarney Park (FOKP) to hire a youth intern as a publications coordinator for a one-year period to help increase camping tourism at Killarney Provincial Park. The announcement was made on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, minister of Indigenous services and minister responsible for FedNor.
With help from the funding provided through the tourism relief fund (TRF), the intern will work with Friends of Killarney Park (FOKP) to redesign the organization’s key tourist information pamphlets, including printed back country and trail tourism guides and the main canoe guide. The enhanced marketing products will target the increased number of first-time campers and contain more inclusive content reflecting the local Indigenous culture and history, specifically the neighhouring Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and its Point Grondine Park. The intern will also create digital versions of the guides for use on social media platforms to further promote tourism online.
“Investing in youth employment opportunities is a great way to help recent graduates learn valuable skills while also supporting community development plans,” said Minister Hajdu. “Today’s investment from FedNor of $53,500 is a great example of this, helping Friends of Killarney Park to boost camping tourism, and strengthening the region’s economy.”
Mr. Serre said, “this internship is providing a recent graduate with valuable new skills for career advancement and it will help market Killarney Park to a wider audience which, in turn, will bring economic benefits to the region. Investments like this enable communities like Killarney to develop tourism products and experiences that will attract more tourists year-round.”
Rachel Mantas, executive director of Friends of Killarney Park said, “we are thrilled that FedNor saw this project as a priority for the community and our region and provided the funding so we could hire a youth intern to help us market the park as a prime camping and tourist destination. We are excited to have a young creative mind join our team’s efforts to help us increase the awareness of the benefits of visiting the park.”
The mission of Friends of Killarney Park is to support the environmental, educational and recreational goals of Killarney Provincial Park, on behalf of its over two hundred individual members. FKOP’s office is located at the main entrance of Killarney Provincial Park, a popular attraction that saw over 150,000 visitors in 2020.
