Travel mag has one city councillor crying foul

When a provincial winter travel magazine recently inserted in the city's daily printed news edition it caught the attention of North Bay City Councillor Mike Anthony.

It wasn’t the glossy expressions of what north-east Ontario has to offer that caught his eye; rather it was the absence of our fine city and all it has to offer tourists this winter.

Below are Anthony's thoughts on the oversight.

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It's troubling to see a tourism publication that overlooks much of what North Bay offers. This latest example of provincial publication overlooking North Bay was a magazine insert in the city's Daily newspaper. It should be noted the North Bay Nugget had nothing to do with the content of this magazine, other than it being inserted in the paper.

'ONTARIO: THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE THIS' is the winter magazine meant to entice travellers. It's published by the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation, and Ministry of Tourism & Culture. Despite little coverage of North Bay's events, neighbouring Sudbury had at least seven mentions. North Bay had one incorrect "blurb" on page 43; with a Corbeil business incorrectly described as being in North Bay. The only other mention was a photo (no blurb or story) on page 19, identified simply as 'Lake Nipissing".

A few notables come to mind that could have been mentioned:

(1) The city's monster Pond Hockey Tournament (described as the world's biggest) is pretty exciting.

(2) The annual francophone carnival Les Compagnons would've been great for the french-language section but Sudbury got coverage there.

(3) North Bay's "Families First" New Years' celebration offers a safe, substance-free evening to anyone looking to experience Northern hospitality. Again Sudbury's New Years Family day at Science North was mentioned.

However; we might be able to avoid this in the future.

"The good news is this might change" says Councillor Mike Anthony. "I spoke by phone with a friendly editorial staff member who confirmed they do try to find content on their own. They acknowledged that perhaps there could've been more North Bay coverage. Even Sault St Marie, Thunder Bay & Timmins had more."

"The next issue is the Summer one and I made sure to mention our largest event: Summer in The Park. Plus there is an important option for all local organizers. Although editors try to find content, YOU can be pro-active. Any project that could attract tourists can be submitted for the magazine's consideration, by emailing details to [email protected]. You can also visit www.tourismpartners.com. Once regsitered etc, you can enter event info. If it fits the criteria; it'll appear on the government tourism website."

"To wrap up, here's hoping for more equal coverage next time!"

Councillor Mike Anthony

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