Owners of Closson Chase Winery, Minister Joly, MP Neil Ellis, and Lesley Lavender, Executive Director with the Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce. (Photo By Lindsey Harren).
The tourism sector in Canada has received another boost from the federal government.
Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, was joined by local MP Neil Ellis in Hillier today for the funding announcement.
The government will invest $500 million to establish a new Tourism Relief Fund, that will help support businesses as they rebuild from the pandemic or expand as the sector continues to open back up. The fund is apart of the government’s $1 billion dollar investment into tourism that was announced as apart of the 2021 Budget.
As apart of this investment announcement:
- $485 million will be distributed by Regional Development Agencies to support businesses and organization.
- A minimum of $50 million will be invested to support indigenous tourism projects. According to the government, before the pandemic that sector supported over 41,000 jobs and was worth $2 billion of the country’s GDP.
- An additional $15 million will be distributed through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
“Today’s announcement is meaningful for the tourism sector here in southeastern Ontario, and across the country. With the launch of the Tourism Relief Fund, we are providing support for businesses, organizations and tourism entities across Canada to adapt operations and also create new offerings and experiences for future visitors to enjoy,” said Ellis.
Statistics Canada has estimated that in 2019, the tourism sector contributed to $104.4 billion in revenues.
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