Simcoe County is a great place to play in the summer
A political point of view
By Tony Guergis Warden, County of Simcoe

Warden Tony Guergis

The places you can go in Simcoe County make the possibilities endless and as the summer vacation season approaches, this is a great time to plan day trips or longer getaways close to home.

It's also a great time for us to think about how we promote tourism in this region. Visitors provide a tremendous economic boost to our communities and I believe we need to find ways to better capitalize on that business for the good of all county residents and to improve on the experience that visitors have while here.

As you think about the opportunities, I have three questions for you to ponder:

Should we develop an area wide economic development plan rather than competing with each other?

Should we develop an area wide tourism plan rather than competing with each other?

Should we be developing sustainable, long term regional servicing solutions?

I believe that this region is missing out on tourism dollars because there is no cohesive strategy in place for bringing visitors here and convincing them to stay longer and visit some of our many attractions. If we want to be noticed by tourists and tourism-related publications, then the county can play an important role with our area municipalities to co-ordinate tourism efforts to market this region.

A regional tourism strategy would enable us to market the county in its entirety for the greater experience. A higher profile would result in more visitors choosing to come here and they would stay longer, visiting many attractions and communities. Just think about the range of experiences we have to offer across this tremendous county.

Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay offer spectacular beaches and boating opportunities. We have abundant skiing opportunities in the winter and numerous first-class golf courses for summer recreation, the Wye Marsh, hundreds of parks and of course over 31,000 acres of Simcoe County Forest and trails to explore.

Innisfil is home to Innisfil Beach Park, Georgian Downs and the Village of Cookstown has always been a popular spot for antique shoppers and day-trippers. We have the Elvis Festival in Collingwood, the Beatles Festival in Orillia, the Maple Syrup Festival in Elmvale and the Alliston Potato Festival, just to name a few special events. In fact, there is some festival or event in almost every corner of the county throughout the year.

The county is a fourseason destination - as residents, we know that because we take advantage of all that our geography has to offer. With a regional tourism plan we would be able to effectively sell the county experience to potential visitors in the GTA and beyond. I believe this is a natural destination and a dynamic tourism plan would truly benefit the entire region.

Since we are looking at the 'big picture', we should consider how a regional plan can work for economic development. A dynamic, forward-thinking economic development vision would put the county at the forefront for industries looking for locations to set up business.

A global economic development initiative would market the entire county to potential employers and local municipalities would no longer compete with their neighbours. The plan would highlight features from all areas and would offer the benefits of being able to market the greater opportunity of the region in a cohesive, strategic way.

After all, when employment lands are developed they bring prosperity and job opportunities to all residents regardless of municipal boundaries. If we are successful in attracting a new employer to Innisfil, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Midland or anywhere in the county, that creates jobs for local residents.

The county already provides paramedic services and social services to the entire region including the cities of Barrie and Orillia. We maintain roads and manage solid waste for all of our municipalities. We are also the upper tier planning authority.

Is it time to consider expanding regional services?

Should we be investigating efficiencies that could be realized by adding services such as water and sewers?

What about hydro services, police and fire services?

I believe the possibilities are endless.