Northern Ontario claimed a number of winners among the 2019 Ontario Tourism Awards of Excellence.
Winners were recognized during the organization’s annual gala on Oct. 30 in Collingwood.
Northern Ontario recipients include:
Wiikwemkoong Annual Cultural Festival: held each August long weekend on the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, the festival is the largest and longest running in northeastern America. It earned the Indigenous Tourism Award for championing Indigenous singing and dancing, authentic Indigenous foods and crafts and promoting Indigenous art and music;
Guy Lamarche and Ian McMillan: these two industry leaders, from Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie, respectively, were each bestowed a Lifetime Achievement Award, recognized for their long efforts to promote Northern Ontario as a destination of choice;
Radical Gardens: the Timmins eatery was given the Culinary Tourism Leadership Award for “redefin(ing) foodservice, agriculture and access in Northern Ontario by innovating everything from farming practices to supply chain management for the region”; and
Science North: cited for its “fun and friendly approach to science education,” the Sudbury science centre was named Attraction of the Year and has been called Northern Ontario’s most popular tourist attraction.
The awards are jointly presented by the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO), the Culinary Tourism Alliance (CTA), and Attractions Ontario.
