(Prairies Economic Development Canada)

By Alessia Proietti

Tourism Relief Fund

The Launch at Sylvan Lake receives nearly $100,000 in federal funding

May 25, 2022 | 4:04 PM

Sylvan Lake is one of 30 recipients to receive federal funding to improve tourism experiences in Alberta.

Announced on Tuesday, The Launch at Sylvan Lake, a boat rental shop simultaneously serving food and beverages, will be given $99,999, delivered by the Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) department.

The funds will be allocated towards revitalizing the interior and exterior of the main launch building at the Sylvan Lake Marina to improve functionality, appearance and patio gathering spaces.

On May 24, Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, made the announcement on behalf of Daniel Vandal, Minister responsible for PrairiesCan, that a total of $17.5 million would be invested to support Alberta’s tourism sector.

“The tourism industry provides quality jobs for Canadians across the nation and is a significant contributor to a strong Canadian economy, including in beautiful Alberta. Our government is helping businesses linked to tourism adapt their products so they can welcome more domestic and international visitors to explore the beauty, culture and spirit of Alberta. Our support is helping keep Canadians and visitors to Canada safe and is positioning Alberta tourism businesses to thrive for years to come,” said Vandal.

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Government officials claim the investment will create or maintain over 4,000 tourism jobs in Alberta and attract more than 2.1 million national and international visitors.

While $10 million would be allocated to Edmonton’s K-Days summer fair, the other $7.5 million would be divided to 29 tourism projects to adapt their products and services to create new experiences, develop long-term strategic plans for continued growth in the tourism sector and attract more visitors to the province.

“As Alberta’s visitor economy returns to strength after being decimated by the pandemic, we face a significant gap between customer demand growth and a long-standing structural deficiency in our labour talent pipeline. This significant investment will help us bring forward recruitment marketing plans as well as enable us to conduct in-depth research into how we resolve systemic labour attraction and retention challenges,” said Darren Reeder, Board Advisor for Tourism Industry Association of Alberta.

PrairiesCan will be delivering the investment through two funding streams.

The Tourism Relief Fund (TRF) will support 23 of the projects, including that of Sylvan Lake. Set up in 2021, the TRF is geared towards helping organizations in the tourism sector to adapt operations to meet public health requirements and offer innovative products and services to visitors.

The Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) will fund seven of the projects. The RRRF was established to provide additional supports to businesses and communities in their recovery from the pandemic.