City renews contract with local chamber to operate Port of Orillia
City renews contract with local chamber to operate Port of Orillia
The Port of Orillia, which opens on Friday, will once again be operated through an agreement with the Orillia and District Chamber of Commerce — the next step in a 40-year partnership.
When asked by OrilliaMatters why the operation of the port was not tendered out, staff referred to a council decision to award the contract to the local chamber Sept. 9.
At that meeting, council was presented with a staff report outlining three options: tender out the operation, re-sign with the chamber, or have city staff operate the port. Council voted to give the contract to the chamber.
“This direction was made in open session following consideration of the report’s analysis, which included discussion on the benefits and limitations of each option, including the possibility of issuing a formal tender,” explained Marcia Russell, the city’s director of recreation, youth and culture, who authored the report.
Allan Lafontaine, the executive director of the chamber who also serves as harbour master, says the partnership between the city and the chamber began when Doug Lewis, the former Conservative MP for Simcoe North, was able to secure federal funding to build the breakwater around 1990.
“He was president of the chamber before that and the rest is history. That relationship with the chamber has continued,” said Lafontaine, who is going into his seventh summer as the harbour master.
“The chamber and the city have had this relationship which has been very successful. We do a great job of bringing tourists in and marketing and the city has put all the capital into developing this place,” he said.
It helps that the chamber is a non-profit organization, he explained.
“So, we generally pop the money back into the community whether it’s the business community or through advocacy, which is the chamber’s No. 1 function,” Lafontaine said.
He said funds generated through the port last year were recently spent on putting together the Explore Orillia and Lake Country mobile app, that provides information on local restaurants, hotels, mechanics, shops and more, which helps local businesses.
“And we keep building exciting events for the boaters and the community … The boaters love our festivals and events. We are known for our fun,” he said.
The key events this year are:
- The Orillia In-Water Boat Show – June 13 to 15
- Christmas in June – June 21
- Mardi Gras Orillia – July 26
- Orillia Waterfront Festival – Aug. 8 to 10
- Orillia Pirate Party – Aug. 29 to 31
“Our citizens get a lot of free entertainment. . . The Orillia Pirate Party is free for the family,” he said.
“It’s something the chamber knows how to do. The chamber advocates for Orillia and Lake Country. How do you replace that? If we make a profit, we put it back into the business community,” he said.
He noted there are many factors — other than the weather — that affect the marine business, challenging profitability.
“We’ve had some lean times,” he said.
The port building burned down in 2014. The cause of the fire was later determined as arson by the Office of the Fire Marshal. The newly built Orillia Waterfront Centre was opened in May, 2017.
Over the last contract, there were two lean years due to COVID-19, followed by two years of waterfront road construction along what is now called Lightfoot Drive.
“We are very happy with the outcome,” he said.
This year, the port is adding the position of marina manager in addition to two returning seasonal supervisors, Jan Phillips and Karen Clark.
Lafontaine said he has built a good relationship with Boating Ontario and American’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association where boaters can boat around North America.
Many American boaters come to Orillia through the Trent-Severn Waterway, which forms a part of the loop and Lafontaine said he enjoys the American visitors and encourages them to stay at the port so that they can see Orillia and purchase meals and items from Orillia businesses.
“Those Americans who come here and stay here … they shop here. If you ask the shopkeepers, the restaurants downtown, it’s really important. It’s an important part of summer. Boaters spend a lot of money,” he said.
The City of Orillia owns the Port of Orillia and receives 31.5 per cent of gross revenues derived from the management of the Port of Orillia facilities and from the water-based activities of the special events agreement, according to the staff report. The city is responsible for capital costs.
The chamber is responsible for the operations of the Waterfront Centre including the associated public washrooms as part of their contract. The chamber is solely responsible for the weed harvesting and gull control.
Source：Google News
