Moose Cree nets funding to improve tourism

Tourism along the southern coast of James Bay will get a boost after the federal government announced it has committed funds to help grow the industry in the region.
On Aug. 14, FedNor announced it will provide $126,725 to Moose Cree First Nation in partnership with the Moose River Heritage and Hospitality Association (MRHHA) to develop a strategic plan to help create jobs and enhance tourism in Moosonee, Moose Factory and neighbouring communities.
The strategy, called the Moose River Hospitality Development Project, will be designed to integrate, enhance and expand tourism services and marketing efforts. Once fully implemented, the strategy is expected to attract an additional 10,000 tourists to the area and triple overnight visits to nearly 6,000 within the five-year period.
Moose Cree’s economic development officer Juliet Rickard said the funding comes as tourism operators have noticed a decline in tourists over the years.
“We used to get thousands of tourists in the 70s and then it slowly started to decline in the 80s,” Rickard said. “And it’s quite low now.”
Charlene Gunner of the MRHHA believes train ridership going to Moosonee and Moose Factory is down from past years as are numbers of guests checking into local hotels.
“A hotel Moose Cree used to run closed down,” Gunner said. “Looking at our community, the tourism facilities are closing.”
This includes a locally owned tourism company that would bus tourists around the communities and take them aboard a tourist vessel that brought them out towards the open waters of James Bay. It closed in 2007 due to declining business.
Nowadays, Rickard said it is difficult and costly for tourists to fully experience the communities with a train schedule that limits their visit if they do not stay overnight. Often, she said, they are unable to visit Moose Factory.
The new funding will allow MRHHA – formerly the Moose River Travel Assocation, a non-profit volunteer organization – to hire a development officer for two years to develop a strategic plan that addresses the impediments of tourism in the region and ways to address the issue.
Rickard said one of the issues that should be addressed is finding a way to work with boat taxi drivers to enhance services for tourists wanting to visit Moose Factory.
“If we can work with those people we can have more coordinated services,” she said.
Rickard added the plan should also include ways of combining culture with tourism.
“We were finding that visitors that come to the area were wanting to experience the culture as opposed to just coming and looking,” she said.
A development officer is expected to be hired by September.
Moose Cree Chief Norm Hardisty welcomed the news of the tourism funding.
“We are proud to work in partnership with the government of Canada to build a strong, self-sustaining regional economy for Aboriginal communities in the area,” he said in a media release. “This FedNor investment will help us attract more tourists to the area by creating new tourism offerings, expanding existing services and promoting the region as an ideal holiday destination to visitors and guests from around the world.”
FedNor Minister Tony Clement said empowering First Nations to take charge of their economic future is a key priority for the federal government.
“Today’s announcement will strengthen northern Ontario’s tourism industry by developing a strategic plan that will help Aboriginal communities capitalize on the inherent strengths of the region, create jobs and strengthen the economy,” he said in a press release.
Funding for this project was provided through FedNor’s Northern Ontario Development Program, which supports initiatives that strengthen community economic development, enhance business growth and facilitate innovation throughout the region.