WHITEWATER REGION (Cobden) — A special meeting of the Council of the Township of Whitewater Region happened last night and was followed by a public meeting to address the same topic.
A presentation was heard by Council from Chris Melmoth, who volunteers with the Ottawa Valley Tourist Association (OVTA). He was joined by Melissa Marquardt and Alistair Baird from the same organization.
The OVTA is the destination marketing organization for the County of Renfrew and the City of Pembroke. They are responsible for generating additional funding for tourism marketing, development and promotion.
In December of 2017, the Province of Ontario enacted legislation which grants municipalities the authority to implement a tax on short-term accommodations. This is referred to as the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT).
Council presented many questions to the OVTA representatives, with the main concern being the rise in costs possibly correlating to a loss in overall revenue for said companies.
“I would like to wait and see if Deep River or Pembroke get on board,” said Reeve Cathy Regier. She stated she would like to see how the MAT works for municipalities which are more rural than Toronto or Ottawa.
The OVTA is a not-for-proft corporation and has been in the Ottawa Valley for 62 years.
