Tourist information is on the move this summer along Ontario’s eastern boundary.
Travel counsellors from the Ontario Travel Information Centre on Highway 417 westbound near the Québec boundary are taking their task to Confederation Park in Hawkesbury each Saturday and Sunday during the summer so visitors can more easily get information about what to see and do in Ontario.
“We come out here so people can get maps and things,” said Travel Counsellor Tyler David of Hawkesbury, who is working for the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport this summer while studying International Law at Carleton University in Ottawa. David is joined at the information stand by fellow Travel Counsellor Lindsay McPherson of Alexandria, who recently graduated from Glengarry District High School.
In addition to the Trans-Canada Highway (417), the Long Sault Bridge is another major local point of entry into Ontario, and Confederation Park is packed with cars and people on summer weekends. The provincial information stand is usually set up across the lane from Maison de l’île.
David said most people he and McPherson talk with want maps and information. Northern Ontario, fishing trips, and Sandbanks Provincial Park in Prince Edward County are popular topics.
At Confederation Park in Hawkesbury, the travel counsellors are often asked about local destinations and events. Davids said those have included the L’Orignal Park and Beach, the marina in Rockland, and Confederation Park itself.
David added some visitors have recently been asking about the Glengarry Highland Games, taking place on August 2 and 3 in Maxville.
The weekend provincial tourist information stand at Confederation Park is somewhat of a return to the past. During the 1970s and 1980s, the Province of Ontario operated a permanent information centre at Maison de l’île.
