Update 6 p.m. from the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mine, which oversees the NOHFC:
"NOHFC investments for approved projects are disbursed on a cost-incurred basis. Not all project costs are eligible for reimbursement. Eligible project costs are determined by published program guidelines.
NOHFC will reimburse applicants for eligible expenses based on the terms and conditions of its legal agreement with an applicant. Clients are encouraged to work closely with NOHFC when undertaking their project to fully understand these terms and conditions agreed to in their contract.
NOHFC does not discuss the administration of specific projects with third parties. All funding recipients enter into a legal agreement with NOHFC and these agreements detail how project funding will be administered.
We encourage all clients to work directly with the NOHFC if they have questions or concerns. The NOHFC is here to help."
-----
Original story:
Nicole Grigorov is frustrated and continues to look for answers.
The owner and operator of the Mattawa River Resort and Cardinal Lodge, says the province promised her $147,000 in grant money through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. Instead she says she has only received $18,000.
She says that funding shortfall has forced her to lay off 19 members of her staff.
"I am so frustrated with this whole process, I was denied twice, I appealed and I finally won, but they said I was not tourism," Grigorov told BayToday.
She has reached out to Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli for help.
"Following the press conference in which you announced that I would be receiving $147k from the grant, I prioritized collecting receipts and proof of spending as is the process outlined for me and vigorously worked and paid local staff to help," said Grigorov in a letter to Vic.
"I was gutted to learn that only a fraction of the total grant I was advised I would be receiving was actually ‘approved’. My upgrades and maintenance materials not approved? More B.S., like I’m not tourism? Denial twice," she continued in her letter.
The resort, purchased by the Grigorov's in the summer of 2017 after moving from the Niagara area includes 12 private cottages and cabins dot the shoreline of Champlain Lake, which has access for boating, swimming, and fishing. At the Cardinal Restaurant – named in tribute to Grigorov’s late mother – food is prepared fresh and by hand, with many dishes featuring local ingredients. Even the beer on tap is sourced from within Ontario.
They’ve refurbished the cabins and the dining room, created a new menu, and cleared land to make way for planned campsites.
Now, Grigorov, who also had business challenges last spring due to the flooding in the region, is worried about the future.
"I am not writing to you as the co-owner of the MRR, but as the bartender, waitress, chef, housekeeper, dishwasher and admin support as many of the staff we were hoping to keep have found other work because they no longer had the guarantee of consistent hours, can’t really blame them," she continued.
"Reservations have continued to pour in, and I am in a situation that terrifies me with no staff, How do I continue this successful business with no support? All the new bookings are for corporate retreats from the GTA I marketed as well as the many weddings and vacation getaways already booked and booking."
See related: Mattawa resort devastated by cancellations
Fedeli responded to the issue during a Friday press conference at his new constituency office on Main Street.
"After the province announces the funding through the NOHFC, all further discussions and distributed funds are handled between the NOHFC and the proponent, so there is nothing that I can add on that particular piece but I can tell you that since June of 2018, a $147 million for 1,003 projects have been approved," said Fedeli.
A flyer delivered to Nipissing riding residents by mail today called "Winter 2020 Nipissing Point of View” says the Mattawa River Resort received $147,641 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and $17,680 from the NOHFC Internship Program.
For now, Grigorov will try and continue to run the business with her skeleton staff.
"I have only two employees left and myself, my 15-year-old daughter and my husband," she said.
