Miller, Yurek take to YouTube to promote tourism in Parry Sound area

Norm Miller and Jeff Yurek are on YouTube reassuring tourists that Parry Soundd 33 isn’t burning up the whole riding and that it’s business as usual this summer.

PARRY SOUND — Just like the village of Killarney, the Town of Parry Sound is fighting back as word spreads — like wildfire — that the east coast of Georgian Bay is a vacant, burned-out wasteland evacuated of people and bereft of tourism.

Norm Miller, MPP for Parry Sound-Muskoka and Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Jeff Yurek have released a video to remind residents and visitors to the area that Parry Sound and surrounding communities are safe and open for business.

Despite its name, Parry Sound 33 starts about 75 km north of the Town of Parry Sound and in no way threatens the town or any of the nearby tourist attractions, says Miller in a release Friday.

The Festival of the Sound is still going on, area resorts are still running and boat tours of the 30,000 Islands on the Island Queen or the Chippewa still offer a great way to spend a day.

At the same time, because of the very dry summer, Miller reminds everyone that the fire danger ratings are high in Muskoka and extreme in Parry Sound.

A high rating means fires are strongly discouraged and day-time burning is banned while an extreme rating means a total ban on all fires and fireworks.

“I know the long weekend is a great time to go camping,” said Miller.

“If you are doing so, please take a camp stove for cooking and don’t plan on having a campfire.”

As many of us enjoy a long holiday weekend, minister Yurek thanked the firefighters and other emergency personnel who are fighting Parry Sound 33 and other forest fires in Ontario.

View the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbm-DwNq0u4&feature=youtu.be