New committee formed to promote tourism

By Brady Grove, Times Reporter

Strathmore Town Council approved the creation of a new Tourism Development Committee with a mandate to expand Strathmore’s tourism industry, during the March 7 regular council meeting.
Membership on the committee will include a candidate appointed by Siksika Nation on how to advance tourism in and between the two communities.
“Bringing people to our community to see the natural environment, to see historic features, nearby lakes … all of that is really tied intrinsically to the First Nations and their relationship with the land,” said Ryan Roycroft, assistant director of infrastructure and development service for the Town of Strathmore. “Administration and council are really excited to see this committee take shape over the next month.”
According to Roycroft, there are many possibilities for the two communities to work together going forward. One area the town could really benefit from is Siksika’s access to government funding.
The Tourism Development Committee will represent the town and Siksika’s first foray into a joint venture specifically focused on tourism. A member of Siksika wasn’t originally planned to be on the committee during its initial concept.
“We noticed we were missing Siksika Nation as a partner and wanted to invite them to participate,” said Roycroft.
Siksika Nation hadn’t responded by the time the Strathmore Times went to press.
Along with a Siksika Nation representative, the committee will be made up of seven members. A Strathmore town councillor will serve, as will someone from the Strathmore and District Chamber of Commerce (SDCC) to bring the business perspective and complete the loop of communication back to the business community.
“We’re always more than happy to work with the town and get involved in tourism because tourism and business work hand in hand,” said Lawrence Carriere, executive director of SDCC. “Whatever areas we can help out and bring the town’s business community viewpoint to is perfect.”
According to a report submitted to council, the final four positions will be filled by applicants with experience in hospitality, entertainment, and government or private sector tourism and marketing backgrounds.
Originally the membership for the final four positions was going to be restricted to business owners but Roycroft wanted those restrictions removed to allow for employees to be hired. One reason was that employees can have a similar experience on the front lines and business owners can face time issues.
Once members have been chosen, the committee will officially be formed in the second quarter of 2018.