NDP Tourism critic responds to tourism support delays

ELLIOTT LAKE – NDP MPP Michael Mantha (Algoma-Manitoulin), the Official Opposition critic for Tourism, released the following response to the announcement from Minister Lisa MacLeod that applications for the long-overdue Ontario Tourism Recovery Program (OTRP) still won’t be open until Oct. 13:

“Throughout the summer, the tourism sector has called on Minister Lisa MacLeod to make good on promised funding through the OTRP, which was announced in March. After almost two years of uncertainty and stress for businesses, the government’s announcement today that the process for accessing the $100 million will not begin for a few more weeks is incredibly disappointing.

The limited eligibility of the Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Grant left behind businesses struggling to reopen as the province relaxed public health restrictions. Going into the third stage of reopening, over half of businesses cited lack of revenue and uncertainty about their future as reasons for not hiring employees, according to a survey from the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario.

Waiting so long for this long-promised OTRP could be the last straw for some tourism business operators, who have done everything possible to keep their dreams alive and their staff teams employed.

The OTRP would have helped businesses to hire workers and contribute to the province’s economic recovery over the summer months; instead, the Ford government spent that time re-announcing old money and leaving struggling businesses in a state of uncertainty about when funding would come.

I am calling on the minister and Premier Doug Ford to make sure that this money gets into the hands of businesses immediately, and that those left out of past funding be included in the OTRP. Workers and businesses owners deserve certainty after 18 months of crisis.”