A former mining town-turned-retirement community is seeking a local hotelier to help jump-start its sagging tourism industry.
The township of Manitouwadge has hired Toronto commercial real estate experts, Cushman & Wakefield Lepage, to see if an abandoned motel can be revived.
The former Manitouwadge Motor Inn has been empty for two years since the owner went into tax arrears. The 24-unit motel is the only one in town.
“We have some bed and breakfasts that can accommodate up to 12 people but there's no hotel and motel in the community,” said Dave Raymond, Manitouwadge's economic developer officer.
The lack of a hotel has hurt the community in benefiting from the spin offs in winter tourism and the resource industry.
“Everyone will tell you we need it,” said Raymond. “Without accommodations that's (tourism) actually suffered over the last year. When tree planters come to town there's no place for them to stay.”
The township recently received $15,000 from the Ontario government through the Northern Community Investment Readiness program to help fund the study.
The consultants will arrive in late October when the township takes possession of the motel. They will examine if the motel can be fixed up or recommend whether a new hotel should be built, possibly with a conference facility if the market supports it.
The economic development corporation has also set aside money to help a potential investor make renovations to the existing building, depending on the study's outcome.
Manitouwadge is located 50 kilometres off the Trans-Canada Highway at the end of Highway 614.
Similar to the early beginnings of Elliot Lake, the community was built during a mining boom of the early 1950s. Founded as a company town by Noranda, which built the Geco copper mine, many houses were built for mining families.
The community experienced a second boom in the early 1980s during the Hemlo gold rush. Noranda built the Golden Giant Mine on Highway 17.
But over the years, the population has plummeted from a high of 5,000 to 2,300.
Many of the former miners' homes have been sold as retirement residences.
The Geco Mine closed in 1995 and Golden Giant closed in 2005, but the nearby David Bell and Williams gold mines remain productive.
Some of the remnants of Manitouwadge's mining hey-days are scheduled for demolition. The township recently received $490,000 from Industry Canada for a community beautification project and there are plans to start bulldozing dilapidated residential, commercial and industrial buildings sitting in tax arrears.
But mineral exploration in the area still goes on.
To encourage prospecting, the township recently purchased a Beep Mat from the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry for $11,000. For $1 a day, prospectors can rent the hand-held base metal detector from the economic development corporation.
The township also has big plans for their airport where they intend to build a hanger for recreational aviation and business opportunities, as well as install a weather station, a new GPS approach system and new runway lighting.
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