By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
Ski Sutton, Ski Bromont and several other area tourist attractions will benefit from the latest round of post-pandemic “relaunch” funding from the provincial tourism ministry, Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx announced April 29.
“The tourism industry is booming in the Eastern Townships, a region that has nearly 1,400 businesses and more than 20,500 tourism-related jobs. According to the most recent data, the economic contribution of sectors associated with tourism amounted to $794 million. The supported projects will promote the growth of tourism, an important driver of local economic development,” the minister’s office said in a statement.
Alongside CAQ MNAs from around the region, Proulx announced that the government would provide $34.3 million of funding across five programs – the Programme d’aide à la relance de l’industrie touristique (PARIT), Programme d’appui au développement des attraits touristiques (PADAT), Programme de soutien aux stratégies de développement touristique (PSSDT) and the regional development agreement for digital transformation in tourism.
“The investments announced today demonstrate the dynamism of local businesses and the strong tourism potential of the Estrie and Brome-Missisquoi regions. I congratulate the organizations in my riding which have received support from our government, in particular Ski Sutton, whose project is in perfect agreement with its mission to offer … distinctive four-season activities in the great outdoors,” Brome-Missisquoi MNA Isabelle Charest said.
Ski Sutton was one of the largest recipients, receiving a $5-million PARIT grant to install a new four-person lift cabin, automate its lift access system, expand its sculpture garden with contributions from local artists, add a lookout for hikers and add summer glamping (luxury camping) facilities. Expérience Embargo, which organizes the annual Soif de Musique music festival in Cowansville, got a $35,000 grant through the regional development agreement toward organizing this year’s edition. Ski Bromont ($35,000 for real-time visitor communication tools) and the Vignoble Léon-Courville in Brome Lake ($23,000 for renovations and improvements to guided tour areas) also received regional development agreement funding.
Soif de Musique cofounder Philippe Mercier said the funding comes at a crucial time for the rapidly growing festival, which is preparing for its fifth edition. “Everything is costing more and it’s harder to find volunteers,” he told the BCN. This year’s festival has an impressive list of headliners – Flo Rida, Charlotte Cardin, Patrick Watson, Les Trois Accords, rising Montreal-based girl power band Les Shirley and Acadian trad-rockers Salebarbes – and will also feature an expanded campground and vineyard tours with surprise pop-up concerts.
Ski Sutton CEO Jean-Michel Ryan echoes Mercier’s sentiments. “This support is fundamental … since the pandemic, costs have exploded, and a lot of projects would not be realizable without PARIT.” he said. He said the new four-person lift will make it easier for families with young children to stick together on the same lift. The size, exact location, capacity and opening date of the “glamping” facility are yet to be determined pending discussions with the Town of Sutton, although Ryan said it would include “more cabins than tents” and would provide one more possible place for tourists to spend the night in a region struggling with a shortage of housing options.
Ryan said he expects the lookout, the new “glamping” facility (exact placement and capacity to be determined) and the expanded sculpture garden to help the resort develop year-round revenue streams, a necessity in light of climate change and shortened ski seasons.