Monthly Archives: March 2020
March 19, 2020
A Message From Tourism Timmins,
Tourism Timmins would like to thank all of the residents of the community for understanding & adhering to the regulations concerning the need for social distancing during this pandemic.
Tourism is a multi-faceted industry & as per reports from 2016, just 4 years ago, tourism is “Ontario’s 12th largest employer,” & “the Ontario tourism industry employs over 390,000. Tourism in Ontario is a year-round industry, with more than 60% of tourism workers in full-time positions. Of those 390,000, a multitude of Timmins residents are employed by the 75 restaurants (including fast food, fine dining, family restaurants, coffee shops, juice bars and craft breweries), 15 hotels, & 11 lodges/cottages in our community. Timmins is proud to have the Timmins Museum and National Exhibition Centre, Cedar Meadows Wilderness Park, Dream Acres Alpaca, Kamiskotia Snow Resort, Timmins Wake Park, Apiary Tours, Mid-Town Bowl, Hollinger Park Mini Putt, Connaught & District Pioneer Museum, Porcupine Ski Runners & the best snowmobile trails in the north, as points of interest & most are employers in the community.
Our festivals are incredible & attract many people. Festivals such as the Northern Ontario Expo, Timmins Multicultural Festival, the Mining Expo, The Home Show, The Sportsmen Show, Timmins Celebrates Canada Day, Summer Concert Series, Rock on the River, Festa Italiana, Timmins Fall Fair, & the Great Canadian Kayak Challenge & Festival. These events all rely on business support via sponsorship, in-kind or purchasing supplies & services to make it all happen. These local businesses rely on the revenue generated through support of these events.
When listing all of those above items, it is amazing to think of all the residents who are employed by those stakeholders, & the number of local businesses who rely on orders from them. Retailers benefit from tourism, such as gas stations, outdoor adventure retail, & more. This tourism-generated revenue aids our ability, as a community, to raise the community profile, have extra-curricular activities, & provide jobs for our residents. All those who work & volunteer & support the tourism industry are going to be affected in the weeks & months to come. Many events & activities in the community have been canceled or postponed. This is necessary & we must congratulate the organizers for taking these precautions. These decisions were not made easily & many months of effort & planning for their development has to be shelved until the threat is lifted. The same is to be said of enterprises whose business is to provide social opportunities like dining, sports, and recreation.
Tourism Timmins continues to support our community during this time. We are working with the City of Timmins, Northeastern Ontario Tourism, Destination Northern Ontario, Destination Ontario, Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, Festivals & Events Ontario, and the Network of Municipal Event Planners, to provide information to government & to the community.
We are all conscious of the current need to restrict movement around the community, and to tighten the belt, in order to keep one another safe and healthy. It is a new challenge for all of us. But Timmins will persevere. How we treat one another is vital to a healthy routine, and maintaining a positive outlook. As a community, we can find alternatives to the normal activities during what was once called “spare time”.
Normally Tourism Timmins posts a list of the top things to do in Timmins. Right now, it’s stay home. For residents who are not accustomed to a confined space, we’d like to offer a few suggestions to become a tourist from the safety of your own house:
If you haven’t already, “like” the Tourism Timmins, Timmins Museum National Exhibition Centre, Science Timmins, Timmins Digital Creator, Timmins Public Library & Timmins Symphony Facebook pages & bookmark their web sites. (Links to follow) These sites all share excellent activities, videos, & links.
Use “Google” to explore virtual online museums, use a maps app to virtually visit points of interest around the globe. Music & art lovers can find many live and pre-recorded concerts, instructional videos, & learning opportunities on the internet, as well as social media. Learn to dance, paint, create, sew, woodwork, learn photography, web design, repair.
Read the books you have been meaning to for some time. Timmins Public Library is making membership free for six months & you can download books!
Prepare your seedlings, as gardening season will be coming soon.
Get ready for spring & tidy up the yard once the snow is finally gone. Make plans for the flower beds – let’s make them spectacular this year to show our community pride.
Share recipes. Take a culinary tour of the world via the internet. Create a cookbook to explore.
Have telephone conversations with friends & family.
Get some fresh air.
Play board games, create new ones!
There are so many more ideas that we can all share, to keep our minds occupied while we keep each other safe and healthy. Feel free to share those on our Facebook page. (https://www.facebook.com/tourismtimmins)
Important Links:
www.tourismtimmins.com
www.timminsmuseum.ca
http://tpl.timmins.ca/ (Timmins Public Library)
https://www.sciencetimmins.com/
https://digitalcreator.ca/timmins/
https://www.timminssymphony.com/
Go to the experts for recommendations concerning Covid-19. Visit:
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada.html
http://www.porcupinehu.on.ca/en/
https://www.timmins.ca/
If you suspect you or someone in your home has symptoms or are ill, stay home, use the self-assessment tool online at:
http://www.porcupinehu.on.ca/…/novel…/covid-self-assessment/
Tourism Timmins will continue to work on plans for the future and when the green light is given, Timmins will prove once again, that we can be a welcoming community.
Right now, we all need to keep a little space, wash our hands, act responsibly, & communicate.
Stay healthy & do your part to keep others healthy!
Marnie Lapierre, CTIS
Coordinator
Festivals, Events & Special Project
Lacey Rigg, Cert Ecotourism; BCRLS.
Coordinator
Meetings, Conventions, & Sports Tourism
Karen Bachmann
Director/Curator
Timmins Museum: NEC
