The Vankleek Hill Tourist Info Centre is open for the summer at a new location in the centre of the village and staff are ready to answer any and all questions pertaining to local activities and events.

“It being in the centre of town, we’re going to see a lot more traffic, said Erin Dawson, of the Vankleek Hill Business and Merchant Association (BMA), which operates the Tourist Info Centre.

The Tourism Info Centre is now at 84-A Main Street East in Vankleek Hill – at the front of the historic Windsor Hotel. A sandwich-board sign with a large question mark is on the sidewalk at the centre’s entrance. A place to learn about the village, with a staff which will answer any questions, the office provides visitors with all the necessary information required.

“It is a great welcome to Vankleek Hill,” said Louise Sproule, co-president of the Vankleek Hill Business and Merchant Association.
Em Provencal, a summer tourist information attendant at the Tourist Info Centre, has already learned a great deal about the village in just a few weeks.

“I am no stranger to the area, as I previously worked for Apex Escape Rooms, however, this time around I am learning on the job, and patrons have also guided me towards new places I hadn’t previously known about,” Provencal says. “I have discovered new things I hadn’t known previously existed.”

Julianne Fortin is also a summer tourist information attendant at the centre and says is a great place for visitors to obtain information about local businesses, inviting entrepreneurs to provide brochures.

“Bring your brochures here. We are always open to promoting local businesses, and likewise we have information about all kinds of things to do in Vankleek Hill and in the region,” Fortin said.

The tourist info centre students are also working at doing additional marketing for Vankleek Hill on the BMA’s social media platforms. The BMA has recently launched a new website and a new way for business owners to become members.

“Businesses can now sign up on their own, add their business information and logo and pay a small monthly fee,” says BMA co-president Philippe Fortin.

It was Fortin’s idea to introduce the monthly membership. Tracking membership payments which were arriving throughout the year became a cumbersome task and it was difficult to send out renewals annually as membership payments were arriving throughout the year.
“This way, members can update their own information on the BMA website. We want the website to showcase our local businesses and we hope that members support the work that we do,” says Fortin, who adds that the BMA is working with Champlain Township to create a resource kit as a one-stop info source for new businesses looking for information. Another BMA initiative is to recruit new businesses to come to Vankleek Hill, following an in-person survey done by the co-presidents in Vankleek Hill.

The BMA is an incorporated, not-for-profit organization and received a $5,000 community grant from Champlain Township in 2022.
Canada Summer Jobs funds are supporting the salaries of the two summer students.

All business owners are invited to an open meeting taking place on Wednesday, July 27 at Good Food Garden, at 1793 Pleasant Corner Road East, Vankleek Hill. The owners of the recently-opened Vankleek Hill Tulip Fields will speak about their first season and what’s in store for the future. The meeting starts at 6:15 p.m.

For any additional information contact [email protected], or visit the Vankleek Hill BMA website at www.myvkh.com.