Lakeshore Advance, 2013-01-30, Page 7Wednesday, January 30, 2013 • Lakeshore Advance 7
Grand Bend offtcials want tourism groups to focus on what the tourist sees
Heather Wright
Lakeshore Advance
It seems everyone wants a piece
of the beach, but that's not always
good for promoting Grand fiend.
That was the thought behind a
historic meeting gathering dozens
of municipal leaders and tourism
promoters.
Susan Nlills, of (rand Bend Tour-
ism, brought together politicians
from Lambton Shores, Bluewater
and South Huron; tourism officials
front Lambton County, Huron
County and the municipality of
Wiewater; and marketers from the
esly developed regional tourism
organizations from Huron, Perth,
Wellington and Waterloo.
Mills says (rand Bend is
"chopped up because ofgeo-politi-
cal jurisdiction and that doesn't
help us very much when we're try-
ing to promote tourism."
Mills adds Grand Bend lies mostly
in Lambton Shores but some of the
biggest tourists attractions -- the
Oakwood Inn, Huron Country Play-
house, and the Grand Bend Ntotor-
plex are outside of the municipality.
When tourism marketers are look-
ing at (rand Bend, those items are
often not included.
"'1he brand here is Grand Bend...
the tourist don't know the levels of
government,' she says. "For many
people Grand Bend reaches from
Susan Milts
Heather Wright
Cantlachie to Bayfield... A lot of
people are not staying in Grand
Bend Central but in their minds
they're coating to (rand (tend. We
have to stay focussed on how the
tourist sees us."
Mills says the chamber vas hop-
ing to bring awareness of the prob-
lem and begin to build a better
working relationship. "'the regional
tourism organization have their
strategies and directions...We're just
going to have to figure out how
we're going to work together."
Lambton Shores Mayor Bill
Weber, who was at the meeting, says
while the geographic boundaries
present a challenge, they also
present an opportunity for (rand
Bend. "We can look at this as a plot)
Tent because we (101'1 have ole
organization to deal with or, it the
glass is half full, we can use the dif
ferent areas to draw on for suppot
says Weber.
'Ile mayor adds the regional tour
ism organizations and the county
tourism groups should look at some
of the marketing strategies which
have already worked , including
Grand Bend l'otu ism's "It all begins
at the beach" and Ilrlron County
using the idea of "Ontario's \Vest
Coast':
While there are no firm plans for
the future, hills expects the groups
will sleet again to keep the lines of
communications opell.
Crackdown on party houses has helped: OPP
Heather Wright
Lakeshore Advance
There are still some loud par-
ties, but one of (rand Bend's most
infamous neighbourhoods is get-
ting better.
Lambton OPP say efforts to
quell some of the wild activity in
Plan 24 appears to be working,
but that doesn't mean everything
is quiet.
The OPP has all office at the
beachfront community and beefs
up the number of officers during
the summer. 011 long weekends,
up to 25 officers and two supervi-
sors are in the community to deal
with the tens of thousands of peo-
ple who conte to The Bend for
some fun.
Police lay hundreds of charges
404 under the Liquor Act last
Victoria I)ay weekend alone - but
1-
Lainbton ()PP detachment com-
mander Scott Janssens says 80
percent of the enforcement is in
an area called Plan 24. 'That's
where the party cottages are.
"'There is one house with 35 or
40 kids and they're all under
aged... or if you have 20 in there
and there is room for four, it
causes issues for us,",says
Janssens.
Last winter, the municipality
made changes to property stand-
ard and noise bylaws and decided
to increase the amount of enforce-
ment during the summer. lour
full -tithe and four part-time
officers spent a lot of time in the
area at a cost of about $3,200 but
officials say it paid off. The results
was Tess charges being laid and
fewer complaints from
neighbours.
Janssens says there has been a
noticeable difference this year
because of the bylaw enforcement
and security guards hired by the
owners of the cottages.
Janssens adds work to improve
the main street also helped. "The
municipality spent that money to
slake it more of a family-oriented
beach," he says adding, it brought
a calmer clientele to the beach.
But Janssens says it doesn't
mean the municipality could scale
back enforcement in the area,
because teens will continue to
come for fun. "There are always
going to be issues... but the calls
are going down.'
Heather Wright Lakeshore Advance
Bylaw help
OPP officials say the municipality's
efforts to curb noise at some of
Grand Bend's infamous party houses
appears to be working.
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