Elliot Lake economic development manager Steve Antunes laid out projects his department is doing to get more people to call the city home and, with that, the spinoffs that a larger population could have for the service and business sector.
The work now taking place in his department has set a goal of establishing Elliot Lake as a tourism destination, Antunes told the small group of people attending the economic development department’s first quarterly town hall meeting to keep residents aware of work that is being done to improve the city.
Antunes said the role of the economic development department is to “create a positive environment that helps businesses succeed, grow, thrive, and make a community better.”
“We’re here to make our community better.”
Focusing on the tourism destination theme, Antunes said, “We’ve got the opportunity, we’ve got the assets to make Elliot Lake a top tier tourist destination."
Antunes said as part of tourism promotion, the city has established plans to improve streets, and plot vacant property for industry and residential development.
Also important is promoting the other assets the city has to offer such as the beautiful natural environment which offers hiking trails, fishing and other sporting opportunities like skiing and skating to those who are considering a move to Elliot Lake.
A key project being worked on is improving the Trail Head centre on Highway 17 and Highway 108 into a tourism travel information centre.
The centre will offer travellers and their pets a place to stop and take a break, while at the same time getting information about the city from tourist ambassadors working at the facility.
Antunes said the centre is expected to be open when tourism traffic is heaviest, from the long weekend in May until Thanksgiving.
It will augment information offered at the city welcome centre operating in Elliot Lake at Simpson park.
Antunes said online promotional advertising about Elliot Lake and surveys conducted continue to create a lot of traffic along with highway signs promoting the city as an all-seasons destination.
He also talked about a phone app known as Driftscape people can use to pinpoint places in the city they are interested in finding.
The evening also had Antunes answering questions from some of those attending.
He urged people interested in getting more information on economic development in Elliot Lake, or with ideas about making the community better, to contact him at city hall at [email protected] or to call him at 705-848-2287, ext. 2107.