Local Entrepreneurs Awarded Funding to Make Innovative Tourism Ideas Come to Life

Bruce County is celebrating the success of its fifth annual Bruce County Spark Program. Held on November 21, this innovative event showcased three finalists who delivered winning pitches. Each finalist is now set to receive a $3,000 grant along with a valuable three-month mentorship opportunity with a seasoned tourism innovator. This initiative aims to elevate their unique tourism ideas to new heights of development.

“Bruce County innovators continue to produce high quality tourism ideas that the Tourism Innovation Lab and our regional partners are excited to support,” says Justin Lafontaine, Program Lead for the Tourism Innovation Lab. “We are excited to see the ideas of this year’s "Spark" Program winners come to life.”

The 2023 Bruce County Spark Grant and Mentorship Program winners are:

• Lisa Mills & Janice Vilaca, 173 High Street (Taste Like a Local)
• Daniel Banko, Little Blue House Coffee Co. (Arts & Culture Program)
• Courtney Morrison, Grassroots Farm Life (Farm Stay Accommodations)

“Congratulations to this year’s winners of the 2023 Spark Grant and Mentorship Program,” says Bruce County Warden Chris Peabody. “Every year we see a wide range of innovative ideas put forward by local entrepreneurs, small businesses and non-profit organizations. It is refreshing to see so many applications focused on creating new sustainable tourism ideas for the region.”

The goal of the “Spark” Program is to find, foster and support new sustainable tourism ideas in Bruce County. The Program exists to nurture new, innovative ideas that enhance current tourism offerings; create high-quality, low impact tourism experiences; address gaps in tourism products and service; motivate longer stays and repeat visits; and increase shoulder season visits and tourism spending. 

The Bruce County Spark Mentorships and Grants Program is a partnership between the Tourism Innovation Lab, Bruce County, Bruce Grey Simcoe (Regional Tourism Organization 7) and Bruce Power. It is one of 15 regions in the province to offer the program.

“Bruce County is thrilled to announce the sixth iteration of the "Spark" Program and actively encourages tourism innovators to begin brainstorming their ideas for fall 2024,” says Jeff Loney, economic development manager for Bruce County. “Our aim is to transform these innovative concepts into tangible realities, igniting the potential within each unique idea.”

For more information, visit www.tourisminnovation.ca/bruce.

Bruce County is an upper-tier municipality in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, made up of 8 lower-tier municipalities and 77,221 residents. The explorers who visit, live, and work here are the dreamers who take roads less travelled and see tried and true as an invitation to try something new. Be an Explorer and call Bruce County home.