Peter Redwood had the pleasure of introducing our speaker - Kelly Haywood Executive Director of the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber. Kelly was born at a young age in Frobisher Bay, as her dad was in the banking business. She is one of the very few people to have three official languages on her birth certificate. She spent most of her childhood in Ottawa and came to a Muskoka cottage on occasion. She has taught skiing and worked at Rosseau College. Kelly has led the Huntsville Chamber for 22 years, and was instrumental in presenting a successful Ontario Youth Games in 2010, among other accomplishments.
Kelly opened with observations about the impact of Covid on our community and on herself personally. She was on a beach in Costa Rica in March, planning to extend a holiday there, when the call came from the Canadian gov't to return home
On arrival she was inundated with inquiries from local businesses, all related to the various (and often confusing) Covid rules and requirements. Zoom quickly became the de-facto meeting platform.
The biggest thing was the cancellation of many events of which the Chamber was an active partner. Golf courses were one of the first businesses to re-open, then restaurant patios and finally some in store customers.
A number of years ago the Chamber was very involved in initiating events but recently they have been more in the role of supporters. Their focus remains on shoulder season events, with the flagship being the Girls Getaway weekend. They are working on a variety of past events for this November, replacing the concerts and partying with a more food focused event and an opportunity to 'get away' with your social circle.
The Terry Fox fundraising event is celebrating its 40th anniversary on Sep 20 and will be done individually and virtually this year.
Kelly brought up the accommodation tax that has been in place for over a year and acknowledged that it generated over $800,000 in the first year, 30% retained by the Town for 'tourism' initiatives.
The Chamber is promoting their Fuel and Fun gift cards and are inviting people to come to our area - knowing their are risks to that strategy.
The Fall and Winter will be big concerns, with no bus tours, hockey tourneys, dance competitions and no conferences, and there will be a focus on promoting the great outdoors. Restaurant patios may want to continue hosting patrons but know there are limitations.
Various skating trails will be promoted, attempts to get Cann Lake's ice surface up and running as well as events like skiing and 'fat biking' in downtown Huntsville are all on the list. Opening Muskoka Heritage Place for walk through winter experiences will be encouraged. Illumination of the downtown will be a very large focus making us a winter wonderland.
A lot of these ideas rely on grant funding but apps have been sent off and hopefully there will be support from various levels of government.
Kelly responded to questions, the first being about the planned streetscape in 2021. She advised the plans are out there and there are no exact dates. The final result has been agreed on but timing will depend on weather.
Kelly also responded to Adrian's question that the Hunters Bay Trail and Fairy Vista Trail are both being considered as potential sites for winter activities.
Rob thanked Kelly for all she has done in leading the Chamber to improve life in our community!!
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