ONTARIO––The Cruise Ship Industry Group (CSIG) received an early Christmas present last month from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport (MTCS) in the form of a $250,000 grant. The grant will be used to support Ontario’s Great Lakes cruising industry, including the development of an Ontario cruise ship industry business case.
“Our government is pleased to support the development of a business case and strategy that will help to grow the cruise ship industry on the Great Lakes,” Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, said in a press release. “This is another step we are taking to boost tourism in this province, and I look forward to seeing the results of the study and what the future holds for our Great Lakes communities.”
“The funding announcement for the Cruise Ship Industry Business Case Study is great news for the Port of Little Current and the other Great Lakes ports,” commented Northeast Town Mayor Al MacNevin. “Now we will be able to assess the economic impact of the industry and develop our infrastructure accordingly.”
Mayor MacNevin said that the Northeast Town has been curious about the impact of the cruise ship industry and its potential for growth.
“Council has been wanting a study like this to tell us what the impact of the cruise ship industry is on our port and what type of growth is predicted,” explained Mayor MacNevin. “Cruise ship operators have suggested that the industry could grow up to four times in the coming years. This study is going to help us determine if that is the case, and what infrastructure we might need to accommodate the growth and the impact for businesses in our port and others.”
As The Expositor previously reported, Midland Mayor Gord McKay organized a meeting with the CSIG partner municipalities and the ministry earlier this fall to discuss the need for a study to look at the future growth of the cruise ship industry and seek funding.
CSIG is made up of representatives from the following Ontario port cities: Kingston; North East Manitoulin (Little Current); Parry Sound; Sault Ste. Marie; Thunder Bay; Toronto; Windsor; and Midland.
“This is fantastic news for Midland and all of our partner CSIG municipalities.” said Mayor McKay. “This grant gives us the ability to fully assess what is happening with the growing cruise ship industry, and to develop a robust business case and strategy to significantly increase cruise ship tourism in our region and throughout the Great Lakes. I am especially pleased that we are partnering with the province and Ontario municipalities around the Great Lakes to make this happen.”
These feelings were shared by mayors from the many other Ontario port municipalities.
“Working with other Ontario ports of call, the province, the Great Lakes Cruising Coalition and Cruise Ontario, we are excited to be part of the development of a feasibility study and identification of infrastructure needs to continue to grow and support the cruise ship industry,” said Parry Sound Mayor Jamie McGarvey.
“The Great Lakes offer a tremendous tourism opportunity and Sault Ste. Marie is very excited to be a part of this project,” added Christian Provenzano, Sault Ste. Marie mayor. “We look forward to working with our fellow Great Lake communities to develop this opportunity and we are confident that it will be a very productive effort.”
Working closely with the Great Lakes Cruise Coalition (GLCC) and its Canadian arm, Cruise Ontario (CO), CSIG will develop a business case that identifies the current state and future prospects of Ontario’s Great Lakes cruise ship industry, create a strategy to guide the development of a successful industry and identify the needed infrastructure improvements to ports and port attractions.
