Municipal Accommodation Tax Administration Policy, included as Attachment-1 to Report 2024-132, dated April 3, 2024, be approved. That the annual Destination Animation Program…

2:13:56And John, if you can hear me, you can jump on the screen there and...

2:14:02You hear me?

2:14:06Yes, we can hear you John. Did you want to turn your video on? It looks like you are doing that for us.

2:14:12I'm trying and it's not working.

2:14:15Okay, we can... Oh, maybe, maybe.

2:14:19Well, guess what? Well, we won't close our eyes, but we know what you look like.

2:14:24So we can hear you. So why don't you take your five minutes and you'll hear a chime at the four minutes, 30 second mark, but we can hear your audio. So you go ahead.

2:14:34All right. Oh, good. Okay. So, Mr. Mayor, councillor, city staff.

2:14:43My name is John Fisher. I'm the past president of the Guelph Hiking Trail Club.

2:14:49And I am authorized to represent the club in this delegation.

2:14:54The club is over 500 members, several thousand Facebook members.

2:14:59We want to congratulate council and staff for their work in 2022 to pass the municipal accommodation tax.

2:15:09I have been impressed by the quality of the work of destination marketing Guelph and the tourism destination development staff and the work they have done to raise Guelph's tourism profile.

2:15:22The trail club is interested in this report because we feel our 85 kilometer trail network contributes to Guelph's tourism product offerings by providing access to visitors and residents to showcase Guelph's natural beauty.

2:15:38Our club's capability to develop new trails and to add infrastructure aligns with Guelph's tourism vision.

2:15:47In November 2023, council unanimously approved a motion for the parks to consider a community led city supported trail building initiative to bridge the gap in the G to G trans-Canada trailway and seamlessly link downtown Guelph to the Kissing Bridge trailhead.

2:16:08This community effort bolstered by partnerships with outside professional experts exemplifies our community's commitment to positively contribute to the growth of Guelph's tourism economy.

2:16:23The Tourism Advisory Committee passed motions in support of the Guelph Urban Park and the G to G Canada trailway.

2:16:32These two initiatives hold tremendous promise for our city's tourism future and I am pleased that the Guelph Hiking Trail Club is actively engaged in both endeavors.

2:16:43The staff report clarifies three funding streams to support tourism products and the funding rollout timelines.

2:16:52But I am concerned that the examples given to support tourism activities are too limiting.

2:16:59I feel downtown Guelph needs to be the tourism star attraction and insufficient attention is given to its beautification.

2:17:09We would recommend that the map funding streams should also consider downtown beautifying initiatives.

2:17:18Examples might include business facade improvements, private property murals, public art installation, transformer and utility box beautification.

2:17:30These initiatives hold immense potential to transform our downtown into a dynamic, creative and inviting destination all year long.

2:17:42We also need to ensure that the $100,000 set aside in a reserve fund is used to create impactful, long term tourism magnet projects.

2:17:54Whether it be a truly monumental piece of public art or the redevelopment of the downtown riverfront trail, we must invest in initiatives that will stand as enduring tourism attractions for generations to come.

2:18:11Now I am sure the staff response will be that we have departments that already have responsibility for these initiatives.

2:18:20But if we are honest with ourselves, I think you would agree that is not translating into the trend in the downtown beautification.

2:18:29If we review these responsibilities through the economic impact of a tourism lens, I think we could transform downtown.

2:18:40With the reservations noted, GHTC supports the staff recommendations and hopes council will continue to support initiatives that enhance growth appeal as a tourist destination.

2:18:54Together we can shape a future where our trails beckon adventurers on our downtown radiates vibrancy and charm.

2:19:05Thank you.

2:19:06Great. Thank you. Are there any further questions?

2:19:09Seeing none, thank you very much, John.

2:19:12All right, my pleasure.

2:19:14Take care.

2:19:15Is there someone that would be willing to move the recommendations?

2:19:18Okay, Gibson and Klassen.

2:19:20Any questions before I call the vote?

2:19:22I'll go Gibson Klassen or work.

2:19:24Okay.

2:19:25Thank you.

2:19:26Just a quick clarification with staff and then I have some commentary if that's okay, Mr. Mayor.

2:19:29So I just want to be careful.

2:19:31I'm not being careful.

2:19:32We talk about tourism and then but alongside with tourism comes infrastructure.

2:19:37The mat tax explicitly speaks about spending the mat dollars on tourism and driving tourism.

2:19:44So a question to staff.

2:19:46What is prescribed under tourism?

2:19:51I'll use an example.

2:19:52If we develop this burgeoning cricket tournament every year and all of a sudden becomes very apparent to us that we can't host the cricket tournament anymore unless we expand our services or expand our fields.

2:20:06Could the mat tax be used?

2:20:08Could it be justified to spend money on sort of sport infrastructure, which the report talks about?

2:20:16Could we justify spending the mat tax on sport infrastructure or is that not tourism?

2:20:22I think I'm just looking for clarification.

2:20:25James, go ahead.

2:20:27Through the mayor.

2:20:29I guess the short answer is absolutely.

2:20:32We could look at using mat tax for those sorts of things.

2:20:35We just have to keep in mind that it's $100,000 a year that we're putting away for that capital piece.

2:20:42So it's a lot of the other items that Mr. Fisher brought up about downtown beautification.

2:20:49Definitely we can look at those things as part of the municipal accommodation tax.

2:20:54Just keeping in mind that financial limit.

2:20:57Right.

2:20:58Okay.

2:20:59And that leads me to my comments.

2:21:00So I've always wanted to link the spending of the mat tax back to the revenue source.

2:21:08So where it's coming from.

2:21:09And I think the staff report did a pretty good job.

2:21:11But I actually see Mr. Donaldson here today.

2:21:13I read his article last week.

2:21:14It was very good.

2:21:15We kind of got a feeling and we know what is driving the revenues under the mat tax.

2:21:20It's people coming to Guelph for, I'm sorry to say, primarily sporting events.

2:21:26And I've always sort of followed this file looking for that return of revenue back to those organizations,

2:21:33back to the people, back to the associations that are driving the revenue of the mat tax.

2:21:37And I think lost in some of the conversation in the last few weeks has been where we're going to spend this money,

2:21:42where we're going to spend this money.

2:21:43And every time I hear another event or another festival or another this,

2:21:49I always come back to how much is that event or how much is that piece of art?

2:21:54How much is that is driving the hotel stays, the actual revenue driver of the mat tax?

2:21:59And I don't want that to be lost.

2:22:02I think the report does a pretty good job acknowledging that.

2:22:05But I, again, I'm just going to press it upon staff and impress it upon the community.

2:22:08Like when we're talking about the mat tax,

2:22:10I'm hoping that the majority of council wants to see that revenue returned in a tourism way to the revenue sources that it's coming from.

2:22:18The hotel rooms that are being driven.

2:22:20We use it as a criteria for giving the grant money out.

2:22:23I think it should be preferentially given to those organizations and those events that are driving the hotel stays,

2:22:29not simply a one day bike tour through downtown or whatever that doesn't result into a lot of hotel stays,

2:22:38not to discriminate or identify a group.

2:22:41But like we do have to acknowledge that there are groups that are driving hotel stays and there are groups that want the revenue.

2:22:46And we need to make sure that there's some alignment there.

2:22:48Thank you.

2:22:49Great.

2:22:50Thank you.

2:22:51Claes and then a work.

2:22:54Yes. Thank you through you, Mr. Mayor.

2:22:56Mr. Goodrum, I have a question with regard to the use of the program funds.

2:23:02Could potentially the DGB apply for some of the funding in those programs through the mayor?

2:23:11Yes.

2:23:12That is one of the intentions.

2:23:14Remember, we've divided the funding streams between for profit and not for profit.

2:23:19Definitely the BIA would be invited to submit applications for under those streams.

2:23:26Great. Thank you.

2:23:27And may I have a comment?

2:23:29Yeah.

2:23:30Awesome.

2:23:31I'll be brief.

2:23:32I think that the programs presented in this presentation are great and we talked about them already,

2:23:39but I think that Guelph has ample potential to be a tourism destination in southwestern Ontario.

2:23:46And through programs like this, through enabling small and medium sized organizations and individuals

2:23:53to contribute to local tourism, I think that we can definitely put ourselves on the map a little more than we already are.

2:24:00So thank you.

2:24:02Thank you.

2:24:03And or work.

2:24:05Thank you, Marigot.

2:24:06Three, three, you too, Mr. Goodrum.

2:24:08Just to answer a question that Mr. Fisher raised, I was under the impression that something like public

2:24:16art was within the realm potentially of Mattax.

2:24:19Is that correct?

2:24:20Yes, through the mayor.

2:24:24That is correct.

2:24:25And obviously we have our public arts advisory committee as well that it would have to be vetted through.

2:24:29Great.

2:24:30Thanks.

2:24:31And through you, Marigot, through you in a similar vein, like we have significant investments forecast for downtown Guelph

2:24:36in the next five to 10 years.

2:24:38That correct?

2:24:39Which includes probably driving quite a bit of tourism and beautification.

2:24:42Is that correct?

2:24:43Through the mayor.

2:24:45Yes.

2:24:46Okay.

2:24:47Now specifically to the Mattax mayor, Guthrie during committee of the whole I was asking about the allocations for gather here versus other programs.

2:24:55You and I have had an email exchange.

2:24:58Can you confirm for me?

2:24:59Because it's not in the report how that, how those funds are sliced and diced that there will be $50,000 to the gather here fund so that we can likely have at least two fully funded gather here grants from the city.

2:25:15through the mayor and follow-up to that we have made that funding allocation I

2:25:20believe in the the original report can't find it right now on the page but it

2:25:24was ten thousand dollars allocated to the gather here we've increased that to

2:25:29two fifty thousand dollars great three Marguerite do you need a motion or

2:25:34because because the original report didn't have that allocation it wasn't

2:25:37an email exchange are you comfortable that telling council telling the

2:25:41community we're we're okay on the fifty thousand for the gather here yes to the

2:25:45mayor that will be part of our marketing package going out great and my last

2:25:50question Marguerite pretty much immediately after the committee the whole

2:25:56meeting ended people were starting to ask when the application streams will open

2:26:00so I said it hasn't even passed yet that's at the end of the month so do you

2:26:04have a sense of timing for organizations to be applying for grants either through

2:26:10the chamber or through the city through the mayor that's something that we're

2:26:16going to launch launch in a like so in a couple weeks I'm just getting our ducks

2:26:20in a row now and our manager tourism happens to be on a well-deserved

2:26:24vacation so we'll let her have a week and then when she gets back we'll be

2:26:29gearing up towards a launch early May and then review of the applications and

2:26:34awarding subsequent to that and in the chambers along the same timelines as

2:26:38well we're going to launch together it's kind of that no-rowing door policy that

2:26:42I talked about we're going to receive all the applications in from all groups and

2:26:47then divvy them up from there based on that not-for-profit for-profit alignment

2:26:52wonderful I suspect you're going to be busy and just a final comment Marguerite

2:26:57three if I can so I I think the mat tax and the programs that you have lined up

2:27:02are excellent and similar to Councillor Gibson I do think the funds should be

2:27:08allocated as much as possible towards events or things that generate more

2:27:13overnight hotel stays because that is what is that's what's filling the bucket

2:27:18right and so the more we can do for that whether it's conferences or wedding or

2:27:22corporate stays or sports I do really think we need to be stimulating that as

2:27:29much as possible so thank you looking forward to all those great events great

2:27:35and I'm so sorry I forget to the clerks did I did we get this moved and

2:27:40seconded already I think I went right from to that right yeah okay perfect so

2:27:44it's already been moved and seconded is there anything further before I call the

2:27:47vote all right I'll call the vote is anyone against the recommendations

2:27:52there's I think five of them there nope okay that's unanimous thank you I'm so