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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-05-03Clarington ape CLARINGTON TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE Members Present: Regrets: Staff: Minutes of Meeting May 3, 2021 9AM Teleconference Fred Archibald, Chair Petra Schwirtz Laura Holmes Christine McSorley Evan King Bonnie Wrightman, CBOT Councillor Ron Hooper, left at 10:20AM Amy Verwey Ann Harley Brandon Pickard, Durham Tourism Ashlee Kielbiski, Tourism Programmer and Staff Liaison Nancy Delvecchio, Community Services Lee -Ann Reck, Client Services Manager 1. Call to Order o Meeting was called to order 9:02 AM 2. Adoption of Agenda Moved by, Councillor Ron Hooper, seconded by, Petra Schwirtz That the agenda for May 3, 2021 be adopted. Carried 3. Approval of December 12, 2020, Meeting Minutes Moved by, Petra Schwirtz, seconded by, Councillor Ron Hooper: That the meeting minutes of February 12, be approved. Carried 4. Pecuniary Interest/Conflict of Interest o This was discussed as TAC has not included this in previous meetings. o Discussion around determining if there is a direct, indirect or pecuniary interest. Councillor Hooper gave some very helpful real -life examples for the Committee. o The Committee understands this as a direct personal benefit to your or your business and how to excuse yourself from the conversations/votes. 5. Municipal Re -opening plan o Municipal control group made up of department heads, Mayor Foster, and key staff meet twice a week and up to once a day when there is rapid change. o Discussions currently include summer plans, and what ,and how events may be able to proceed. o Fireworks were banned because they promote social gatherings o A Community Services senior leadership team meet every three weeks or as needed. o We are not encouraging people to come to our community. We are planning on a gradual re -opening in line with the Provincial framework o Staff have a framework in place depending on which level we enter back into after the stay at home orders are lifted. A note on budget: o The budget process is lead by the Financial Services division and gets presented to Council in January/February. This year was a unique circumstance as we had to make one-time COVID adjustments to revenue and expenses in an attempt to minimize the impact on resident tax bills. We hope to submit a more normal budget for 2022 o A benefit to Tourism moving to Community Services is working with a larger team. Community Development receives any funding opportunities — Provincial and Federal and works with anyone in the corporation to get this funding. o Where there may not be a full budget for certain projects, we work closely with our partners, including: CBOT, Durham Tourism, Central Counties Tourism 6. Review Terms of Reference o The Committee took the opportunity to review the terms of reference as to ensure the Committee remains on track. o Moving forward the Chair and staff liaison will enforce these terms of reference. 7. OBIAA Update o Various BIAs throughout Ontario meet weekly to discuss challenges and opportunities as COVID continues, and we start looking at recovery. o Outside of the box thinking is shared for tourism and events. o Partnerships are key. o Bowmanville BIA is in line with the rest of Ontario and the community needs to work together to gradually bring more people in when it is safe to do so. 8. Gates Open Update o Gates Open is currently sitting with Durham Tourism and Durham Farm Fresh. We are waiting until Durham Region Health gives the go-ahead to start planning. o Once Durham Tourism and Durham Farm Fresh have a plan, they will share actionable items with the Committee. We will create a working group responsible for these action items. This will include, but not limited to, increasing Clarington's participation in this event. 9. Re -opening within Provincial Framework — Tourism o Staff are prepared for the Provincial Framework once stay at home orders are complete. o Staff is considering a reciprocal program/passport/couponing tourism product that would incentivize residents to move around Clarington safely while supporting more than one business. o Staff and CBOT brainstormed reopening, recovery and retention ideas. o CBOT will be calling all tourism businesses asking them how they can best support the businesses during this time, while also asking if they would like to be a part of such program. o The Committee was very interested in this idea to experience Clarington and enjoy what we can while supporting local business 10. CBOT Update o CBOT will be making calls to tourism stakeholders and working with Tourism staff to create a strategy to support the operators, listen to their challenges, and help provide tools and support they need for short and long terms recovery. o Stakeholders will be asked if they would like to take part in a new tourism product to incentivize residents to support local. 11. Other Business o The Committee followed up on the Municipal branding strategy and where it currently stands. o It is currently with the CAO's office. Staff will follow up with a general timeline to bring back to TAC. 12. Date of next meeting: • Date to be confirmed and Ashlee Kielbiski to send information early June. 13. Motion to adjourn Moved by Christine McSorely, seconded by Evan King. Carried. The meeting concluded at 10:26 a.m.