We increased our parking lot spaces from 120 to 160, set up a structured entrance and exit and created signage for navigation; all of which greatly increased customer safety, allowed for smoother traffic flow and ultimately improved their experience as they enter the farm. We were also able to purchase an additional wagon, we love to call it the 'people mover', that provides accessibility to those with mobility concerns and lets them experience all that the farm has to offer without challenge.

By creating this space, we have opened up a whole new revenue stream for farm-to-table experiences, collaborations with other businesses for events, and increased our tourism season by 6 months.

In order to realign the department around our team’s strength and core competencies, as well as meet increasing market demands with growing portfolios and capacity restraints, the department (now named the Economic Development, Tourism and Cultural Initiatives department) was restructured to address these issues. The Tourism & Culture Strategy arrives at a perfect time to help a very new team (5 new team members in 2022!) prioritize competing goals. From this strategy, we have a better sense of our DMO’s vision and mission and have the knowledge we need to successfully implement a municipal accommodations tax.

These weekly Thursday nights weren’t possible without the funding received by the Tourism Relief Funds. The majority of the events we hosted hadn’t happened before and the goal was to develop a sense of community in Paris. These events have made many of the local residents aware of the Downtown Paris BIA and future events we will offer going forward. This “increased awareness” has given us a lot of confidence that our future events will be a success and help bring locals as well as tourists to Downtown Paris.

The funds given a much-needed facelift to the grounds and infrastructure of the Adelaide Hunter Hoodless Homestead, a National Historic site of Canada and a gem of Brant County, located in the Heart of Ontario. It is expected to generate an increase in tourism and community participation in our programs and events. The upgrades to our signage, pavilion, heaters, stage and seating will all help to create a sustainable revenue stream for the Homestead and provide more educational programs. It will help the Homestead be a major contributor to the economic and social welfare of the County of Brant and surrounding areas.

This project will enable Five Oaks to increase its dining capacity and casual seating availability for three seasons and ensure that Five Oaks is able to generate more revenue and rebound from the effects of COVID. We constructed created a covered, 3 season patio, an extended uncovered patio, and a second floor viewing deck - increasing our dining capacity during peak and shoulder seasons, allowing for larger catered events to take place at the centre. We are also developing new on-demand food options to meet the needs of tourists who visit Five Oaks for anything from swimming to hiking to visiting our bookstore.

Our project has allowed us to position ourselves as a leading accommodation choice in the Brantford area. We have increased our digital footprint with the launch of a website and we have been able to renovate about 45% of our rooms. We also renovated various parts of the exterior to provide a more welcoming appearance and create an amazing wall mural in collboration Robyn Lightwalker, Natasha Rose, Felipe Encina to pay homage to the beauty of Brantford while recognizing the traditional territory of the Six Nations; a mural that is now a new minor tourist draw to our motel and for the city of Brantford.

After two years of being cancelled, we were happy to be back and this year the Pow Wow was held at the Ohsweken Speedway. This project funding helped to alleviate the event expenses and form new partnerships with suppliers. It also helped to shape the future events, as we encountered the pros and cons of moving to a new location. Still, the overall feedback was great and it was amazing to welcome everyone back to the Pow Wow!

Being able to provide our customers a trailer with flush units and running water has greatly improved guest experience by eliminating the smell and issues with portable toilets. Being able to upgrade to flush washrooms with no impact on the river ecosystem is another positive aspect and it also stopped the problem of river customers abusing the washrooms of local merchants; thus improving our relationship. Guests have been extremely grateful for the upgrade and we were happy to have support from the Relief Fund to have made this a reality.

The Tourism Relief Fund provided us with the necessary funding to promote the Grand Valley Trail and to generate awareness of this beautiful asset that is available for free to area residents and visitors from outside the region. As a result of the promotion campaign, we are already seeing an increased interest in organized hikes, volunteer numbers and an increase in membership. The campaign has also re-energized our membership as demonstrated by the increased attendance in our festive event and in organized hikes as well as through anecdotal comments received.

We have improved our presence on social media and now have a core group of followers on Instagram. We also have links to joining an email list, which enables us to stay in touch with followers and will be posting regularly to continue building engagement. We have the materials for on-trail events in the future, including a tent with the GWTN brand, banners, and branded merchandise to give to attendees and have further created one-day tours and scavenger hunts that will encourage people to use the trails, visit heritage and cultural sites, and to patronize businesses along the trail. We have partnered with local municipalities to put GWTN signage on the trails to increase awareness of the GWTN and we hope that more local visitors and tourists will come to Brantford, Brant County and Six Nations.

Receiving the funds has enabled us to greatly enhanced our work. We replaced the oil furnace in the Langford Schoolhouse with solar panels and a heat pump that transforms it into a zero-carbon emission building. The constructed outdoor shelter will allow us to host more community events with social distancing and promote more eco-agri-tourism through our medicinal and edible plant walks. The shelter that was build along the Brantford to Dundas trail will also support cycling, walking and birding enthusiasts and allow basic bike repairs with the provided equipment. We’ve partnered with Brant County to care for the Tommy Williams forest by rehabilitating their forest trail with horse and pedestrian accessible gates. Overall, the grant has been a great boon and we are happy that we can improve our community and environment for the better.

Popularity for our store as a tourist destination has exploded over the last few years and our small store infrastructure couldn’t keep up. The funds enabled us to upgrade our parking lot and entrance, allowing safer travel for pedestrians, cyclists, and automobiles, regardless of weather or season. We also expanded our walk-in freezer space to support our “ready-to-heat” meals, add additional chilled display cases, and create a drive-thru window that moves the majority of quick transactions out of the indoor space for a better indoor guest experience by reducing counter lines.

The Tourism Relief Fund allowed the festival to return after cancelling in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID and saw the largest attendance numbers, community support, income generation, and tourism development in the event’s history. Paris Drinks Fest 2022 attracted 2,345 attendees including 350 local visitors, 1,902 tourists from Ontario, 60 out-of-province visitors, and 33 international visitors. The success of the 2022 festival encouraged economic growth of the region, increased music tourism, and benefited the surrounding areas with increased spending from previous years.

By making upgrades to our grandstands through accessibility infrastructure and paved walkways, we have been able to create a long term partnership with NASCAR. A new VIP lounge area would also attact a wider audience and improved revenue stream. These improvements have elevated the facility to a greater standard that made the largest racing entity in the world extend a partnership opportunity to the Ohsweken Speedway.

The brewery has been able to heighten our guest and visitor experience by expanding our sq. footage with an open plan bottle shop that allows customers to easily move about and look at our beers. We are now able to showcase and educate the culinary or beer trail tourist on the breadth and quality of our products. Additional seating has allowed for community events such as Library Libations, book launches, trivia and live music with endless opportunities to come. The pizza program will provide a flexible and convenient food option; to go, seated or delivery to an underserviced market in Paris.

The ability to provide a smooth, safe parking area to our visitors will strengthen our reputation as a welcoming venue for seniors and those with mobility concerns. The Brant County Health Unit has already added 5 vaccination clinic dates in the past month due to the increased accessbility to our venue.

Our food trailer and beer garden attracted beer and food tourists to Brant County. We were able to welcome more families and friends who were looking for food options, and coupled with our laid-back atmosphere and country vibes meant people stayed longer and enjoyed themselves at the brewery. The food trailer focused on offering pizza, and just like our beer, our pizza is handcrafted using local ingredients and quality products and this enhanced visits. This food trailer provided a much needed boost following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This project has strengthened our organization's position by providing a physical expansion of the gallery. It has provided a very unique experience for our visitors to not only visit our outdoor gallery, but also get closer to the Grand River. This new space will also allow us to offer unique workshops to visitors.

The County of Brant welcomes thousands of visitors each year who travel on some form of active transportation. Whether it be those who travel via bikes or paddle down the river, the additional infrastructure and enhancements we have made to our trails and across the county to cater to outdoor adventurers will strengthen our position as an outdoor tourism location. Having these amenities will also have a ripple effect to promote visiting Brant’s downtowns and contribute to the local economy.

We were able to increase the quality and quantity of our promotional materials: videos, photography, banners, signs, canopies, brochures and sound equipment. We now have a generator for non-electric campgrounds. We won a regional tourism award for our networking.

By hosting an event that featured local Six Nations artisans, we were able to offer visitors to Woodland an opportunity to see and purchase authentic Indigenous handicrafts. They were able to speak with the artists about how they create their work and the cultural connection that accompanies this. Events like this one, providing enriching interactions between Six Nations community members and non-Indigenous visitors, allow Woodland to strengthen our position as a world-class Indigenous cultural centre that aims to protect, promote and celebrate Hodinosho:ni culture.