MILLER WANTS TOURISM OPERATORS TO SHARE THEIR PAIN
PARRY SOUND-MUSKOKA — “Tourism is probably the part of our economy that has been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norman Miller, who is encouraging industry operators here to let the province know how they’re doing.
Ontario’s standing committee on finance and economic affairs wants to hear from them about the impacts of COVID-19 on their businesses.
“Given the importance of tourism to our local economy I encourage all local tourism operators to participate in this hearing,” said Miller in a release today, Friday, May 29.
The committee will be holding hearings with and writing reports on a number of different sectors, starting with tourism.
“Our government recognizes the extreme challenges this situation has created for our tourism businesses and communities like ours that rely upon tourism,” says Miller.
“That is why tourism is the first industry that is being invited to speak to the finance committee.”
Tourism operators are invited to register to present to the committee or to make a written submission.
Because the hearings will start next Thursday, June 4, the deadline to register to appear before the committee is Monday, June 1 at 12 noon.
The committee hearing will be held virtually, so tourism operators won’t have to travel to participate and won’t have to attend in person.
Miller said “I know I have spoken to many of you and I am sharing your concerns and challenges with my caucus colleagues, the ministers and the premier.
“But I hope you will take this opportunity to share the challenges you are facing as well.”
Interested business owners can register to present to the committee by visiting ola.org/en/apply-committees by Monday at noon or they can submit written comments through that website until 5 p.m. on Monday, June 22.
Miller says the committee will write a report based on what they hear from the industry shortly after the hearings. These hearings were created by a government motion outlining how the legislature would operate during the COVID-19 pandemic
For more information about the hearings visit the Ontario Legislative Assembly website at https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/committees/finance-economic-affairs/parliament-42/notice-hearings/2020-may-27-notice-hearings-standing-committee-finance-economic-affairs.
