Blue Mountain Village Voices: Recent Episodes
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Dive into the world of destination tourism in and around Blue Mountain Village with industry and community leaders throughout South Georgian Bay. You’ll hear from the passionate advocates whose contributions have created change and evolved the destination to where it is today, and more importantly, from those who will play a part in shaping the future. Welcome to Blue Mountain Village Voices with Andrew Siegwart, President of the Blue Mountain Village Association.
Joe Halos is a candidate for Mayor in the upcoming Town of The Blue Mountains municipal election. Joe has served as Councillor in the past for 8 years, is a local business operator and has lived and worked locally for more than 44 years. Joe shares perspectives on the growth of our community and its future.
Learn more about Joe:
https://bluemountainvillage.ca/bluemountain/media/Member_Documents/BMVA%202022%20Election/Joe-Halos-Letter-to-Voters.pdf
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June Porter and her husband Terry have been increasingly involved in The Blue Mountain community since 2010. Together, they enjoy a wide range offour-seasons activities. In addition to her various volunteer commitments, she has worked part- time at the Blue Mountain Resort. This experience has provided her with greater insight into our labour force, and the need for attainable, affordable housing, childcare and transit. You may have also met June her as a Registered Nurse at the December 2021 vaccine clinic at the BVCC, where she provided clinical leadership, as well as the administration of vaccines.
June has a MScNursing and Executive MBA.
Learn more at: https://www.vote4juneporter.com/
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Shawn McKinlay is a 5th generation Town of The Blue Mountains Local with a history steeped in agriculture, our local service economy and volunteerism. Some of Shawn’s volunteer work includes our local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion as well as serving as director on the Clarksburg Village Association. Shawn is also blazing a trail as the Blue Mountains FIRST millennial candidate running for Council – a sign of progress and diversification of engagement within our community. Join us to learn about Shawn’s deep community roots, his passion for volunteerism and his ideas for the future.
As discussed in our interview, please see the following link to Ruck 2 Remember:
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Andrea Matrosovs is one of four candidates running for Mayor in the Town of The Blue Mountains Municipal Election. Andrea is a rural resident and a local business owner of Wild Willow Studio in Clarksburg. For the last four years she has served on The Blue Mountains Council, and on various committees.
Andrea has a long record of service to the community volunteering in South Georgian Bay for 22 years including in leadership on non-profit boards. Prior to election, she taught at college, secondary and elementary levels.
Andrea lives with four generations of her family here in our Blue Mountains.
Join us as we discuss Andrea’s vision for the future as well as key community issues.
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Joining us today is Tony Poole, one of four candidates running for Mayor in the upcoming Town of the Blue Mountains Municipal Election. Tony has more than 40 years of experience in leadership positions, including the roles of President and CEO, in many different sectors including; financial services, insurance, technology, business development, general management and retail marketing.
Tony and his wife Josie have been residents in Town of The Blue Mountains since 2009, and they have owned Sincerely Yours Boutique in downtown Thornbury for more than 8 years where they have contributed to local employment as well as great shopping experiences. Tony has volunteered on many local boards and committees to support the community. Join us as we discuss Tony's vision for the community and much more.
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Paula Hope joins us to discuss her background and connection to the community, her experience as Councillor during this current term of Town of The Blue Mountains Council, priority issues impacting the community as well as her vision for the future.
Paula is a business owner, certified executive coach and trainer, traditionally published author and active member of the Town of Blue Mountains business community for many years. Her great grandparents were one of the original Scottish settlers in Grey County. The family farm still stands near Coffin Ridge Winery. She and her husband, David, chose to put down their roots in the Town of Blue Mountains, drawn by the beauty of the region and their mutual love for Georgian Bay.
https://hopeforcouncil.ca/
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What makes a community special? And how can communities grow and change while maintaining their identity and their values? These are questions that a lot of us have been asking lately. As ontarians recover from a disruptive pandemic and face an uncertain economic landscape. Municipal elections are set to take place this fall across Ontario. We will get to choose the leaders who will help us navigate these rough waters and meet the challenges that lie ahead over the next few weeks leading up to Election Day on October the 24th, I will be interviewing candidates running in the town of the Blue Mountains for election. We will discuss the issues facing our community and we're going to hear from them about their ideas to make things better, their leadership styles, and what we can expect over the next four years. Join us. Over the next few weeks, episodes will drop as they are recorded and we look forward to sharing those discussions with everyone.
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We are joined by Town of The Blue Mountains Mayor Alar Soever to discuss the past, present and future of our community. We cover a lot of ground including: how the Town has changed over the years, current pressing issues, achievements of the current Council, lessons learned and advice for anyone considering volunteering to serve their community.
Other things discussed:
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Attainable housing
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Community engagement
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Health care
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Tourism industry
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COVID-19 impact and response
For more on Mayor Soever and what is on the horizon for the Blue Mountains community, visit the Town of The Blue Mountains website, or follow him on Twitter.
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Helen Du Toit is a film festival veteran, who's probably been a part of every major film festival you've ever heard of: She was the Artistic Director for the Palm Springs International Film Festival for over a decade, as well as working with TIFF, the Vancouver Film Festival, and many others. She also happens to be the Executive and Creative Director of the upcoming Blue Mountain Film Festival.
In this episode, Andrew speaks to Helen about her goals for the festival, as well as what caused her to fall in love with the Blue Mountain area and why she thinks it's the perfect place for a film festival.
Helen also touches on the positive economic impact of hosting a festival, citing how much good it's done for Palm Springs and expressing her hopes and desires to do the same for Blue Mountain.
The festival will feature 25 films and shorts, with 20% of the programming being Canadian cinema. It aims to showcase the best of International Cinema while also highlighting our homegrown talent.
Helen is part of a star-studded Advisory Committee leading the festival, along with Daniel Bekerman, Sudz Sutherland, Jennifer Frees, Allison Black, Tara Woodbury, and several other industry leaders.
To learn more about Blue Mountain's Après Your Way event, click here!
To submit your film or find out more about sponsorship opportunities, click here!
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In this bonus episode, you'll get to know some of the Village merchants as they discuss their insights on the style, fashion and trends of the season and the year. As one of the only shopping centres in the region, Blue Mountain Village is one of the ideal places to shop this holiday season with 20+ shops and boutiques that offer a long list of exciting items for everyone on your holiday list. On top of it all, you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the holidays including our Holiday Magic Light Trail while shopping in the beautiful pedestrian Village.
Visit our website for a list of all the shops at Blue: https://bluemountainvillage.ca/shop
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We are patiently waiting for the 2021/22 ski season to begin and who better to discuss that with than Stacy Manning, Blue Mountain Resort's VP of Sales and Marketing. In this episode, you'll hear about the upcoming season and what it will look like along with information about passes and tickets. Andrew and Stacy also discuss what they would have done differently for Blue Mountain and the region if they could go back in time. This episode is jam-packed with information about mentors, the industry and learning lessons/advice from two successful and knowledgable business people.
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Melissa Herod and her husband, John, own and operate AXED; the newest business in the Blue Mountain Village. AXED Blue Mountain is an exciting axe throwing experience that encourages empowerment, team building and most importantly, fun. Melissa discusses her journey as a businesswoman in South Georgian Bay and provides all her nuggets of wisdom in regards to running a successful business beginning with recruitment, leadership fundamentals, customer service and ending with the importance of community and relying on one another...you can't be an island. What can you expect from AXED Blue Mountain? Melissa is quoted, saying "they can expect their minds to be blown away.'
For more information or to make a reservation, click here: https://bluemountainvillage.ca/shop/axed-blue-mountain
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John Miller is well known in the region, not only as a family-favourite dentist but also; as an advocate for the Town of Collingwood. His volunteer work for the BIA and co-creation of the Rainbow Club can't and don't go unnoticed. On top of it all, John and his business partner are in the works of creating an events space for the area in the Historic Trott Building, now called the Trott Block; all this to say, John is a great asset to the town since moving here 20 years ago. In this episode, John discusses his journey as a gay man moving to Collingwood along with his hopes, dreams and aspirations for 'the most unique town in the world.'
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Patti Kendall has been at the forefront of marketing the Blue Mountain Village since its inception through Intrawest. As the Director of Events and Marketing for the Blue Mountain Village Association, her experience in destination marketing is unmatched. Andrew digs into the fundamentals of tourism, marketing and event production as they discuss the events and experiences that the Village has produced over the last 20 years. From Salsa at Blue to Guitar Trail, AGORA: Path of Light to the Apple Pie Trail, Patti is the creative mind behind them all. This episode teaches us the importance of starting any marketing efforts with authentic product development; learn more about how she's helped make Blue Mountain Village a destination of choice around the world.
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Rosalyn Morrison is on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Southern Georgian Bay. The not-for-profit organization is comprised of local people working together to promote social and economic prosperity in SGB. Rosalyn discusses how our community and businesses can be economically, environmentally and socially responsible and improve the future of our region for upcoming generations.
Visit their website to sign up for their newsletter and learn more: https://tisgb.com/
Arts and Culture Strategy: https://tisgb.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/FINAL.The-Power-of-Arts-and-Culture-A-Strategy-2021.pdf
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Bill Abbotts is a fifth-generation local, a cycling aficionado and recently the recipient of the 2021 Province of Ontario Senior of the Year Award for the Town of The Blue Mountains. South Georgian Bay is well known for its cycling trails and tours but the municipalities can be doing better for the cycling community by creating a more inviting environment. Bill teaches us about the importance of being a community leader and volunteering - he also voices his opinion on how our local politicians should be looking at the bigger picture. If you're a cyclist, a business owner or an advocate for the Collingwood, Blue Mountain, Meaford and Grey County area, you should take a listen to this episode.
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Andrew and Sydney interview a good friend of the Village, Marcia Alderson. Marcia is the lead singer of Motown and Marley, an extremely popular band who frequents the Village stages. She is an advocate for change in the black community in Collingwood and a member of the Unity Collective and a real estate agent with years of experience in the South Georgian Bay market. This week's conversation encompasses music, positivity, inclusivity, attainable housing and community. Marcia leaves us with a quote that we should all keep in mind, “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” - Benjamin Franklin
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Turner Hospitality Group owns and operates four very well-known and successful restaurants in South Georgian Bay - Twist Cocktail + Kitchen, Magnone's Italian Kitchen, Winifred's English Pub and Mother Tongue. This week, we spoke to their VP of Hospitality, Neal Lewis, who tells us about the past, the present, and the future of the industry in the area. As we all know, food and beverage have been hit hard since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Turner Hospitality Group has been resilient and even opened up one of the Village's newest restaurants, Mother Tongue. In Ontario, the hospitality and tourism sector generates over $22 billion in sales and is a major employer for the province. Here, we learn what it takes to run a successful food and beverage establishment in the good and in the bad times. Do you have the hospitality gene? Take a listen and find out.
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Andrew joined John Eaton (95.1 The Peak FM) on their talk of the town segment to discuss pride in South Georgian Bay. This year marks the first-ever Collingwood Pride Festival hosted by Collingwood Pride and Blue Mountain has hopped on board to celebrate in partnership with them for this monumental event. Andrew and John also discuss the history of the LGBTQS+ community and how we can improve in the future. Thank you to John and The Peak for sharing this interview with us.
To learn more about Pride Blue Mountain visit our website at https://bluemountainvillage.ca/events
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Did you know that Ontario produces almost 300 million pounds of Apples a year? Apple agriculture is one of the biggest contributions to our economic productivity in South Georgian Bay - covered in thousands of acres of orchards; it makes sense why we're called Apple Country. This episode features John Ardiel, an established apple grower in the region whose family businesses span from apple and grape growing, to cider production (Ardiel Cider) and more. Andrew and John discuss family business and the crucial steps that need to be taken while working with relatives. They chat about the history of apples and our microclimate, agriculture, labour force planning, food security and so much more. Enjoy!
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This week, we welcomed Michele Harris, Director of Economic and Community Development for the municipality of Grey Highlands (Eugenia Falls, Kimberley, Markdale and the Beaver Valley). Michele served as CEO of Headwaters Tourism, an award-winning marketing organization that redefined some of Ontario's most loved destinations, including Orangeville, Caledon, Erin, Dufferin County, Shelburne and Mono. While under her wing, Headwaters was named Tourism Innovator of the Year by the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario and Tourism Industry Association of Canada. Michele and Andrew discuss economic growth and community engagement in Grey Highlands alongside the importance of honouring the traditions of land, farming and heritage. Most interestingly, they discuss what's to come from the former Talisman Mountain Resort.
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Gerry Wayland is the owner and broker of record at Remax at Blue Realty. Gerry's operated in the Village for more than a decade and before that was a central part of the real estate team for Intrawest. From Mont Tremblant to Blue Mountain, Gerry has worn many hats and has true real estate market knowledge and expertise. COVID-19 would make you think that the South Georgian Bay market went on a decline, but in truth, it grew exponentially. What's driving the demand in the real estate market? Join us on this week's very interesting and informative episode about the market in Collingwood, Blue Mountain, Thornbury, Meaford and beyond.
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It's tourism week so Andrew asked the President & CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario to join him on the podcast. Due to COVID-19, it hasn't been an easy year and a half for tourism in the province, but we're coming around. Andrew & Chris Bloore discuss the impact that tourism has on Ontario's economy, how the industry affects aspects of policy development, what our biggest challenges will be in the future and how we're going to recovery as a province. This episode will guide you through who TIAO is, how they can help and what they recommend operators do and/or continue to do during our three-step reopening. Click play to listen to this insightful, exciting and uplifting episode. Thank you, Chris Bloore, for joining us!
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We talk a lot about attainable housing in the South Georgian Bay area. Here, the executive director of the Blue Mountain Attainable Housing Corporation, Sharon McCormick, will tell us how we’re going to make it happen.
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As the CEO of Iwa Spa, Michelle has everything to say about Inspiring Wellness Always (IWA) and the importance of integrating wellness into your life. Her story begins in marketing where she managed a team of over 200 people in Toronto. Eventually, she and her family made the move up to South Georgian Bay because they wanted their weekend lifestyle to become their everyday way of living. Michelle discusses her experience with stage four breast cancer and how she combined eastern and western medicine throughout. They also discuss the wellness industry and the importance of baking empathy into your core values. You're going to enjoy this one! Thank you Michelle Ubell, for joining us.
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Andrew interviews a spectacular woman who calls herself the nanny turned executive director. Gemma Mendez-Smith is the director of the Four County Labour Board, an organization that works collaboratively with business, workforce and community organizations to initiate programs that address workforce needs in the Bruce, Grey, Huron and Perth counties. Their discussion begins with her journey, where she grew up in Trinidad and has now ended up in Canada. They talk about the “defying path” that’s culturally embedded into us vs. the truth about career progression through a lifetime. They touch on the role that employers have in being open to hiring foreign and young workers…how it can benefit a business and what you should be looking for in a foreign-worker application. This episode will guide you on how to be a better employer and employee and what we can do as a community to ensure that we are in a strong labour market.
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Our first guest is a well-known restauranteur in the area, Bill Vomvolakis. You may know him as the owner of Tholos Restaurant in the Village but what you may not know is that he also started the popular restaurants Shoeless Joes and Brass Taps. Bill is a successful businessman with insight from many different sectors. In this episode, Andrew and Bill discuss the very beginning of the Blue Mountain Village and Intrawest, what it was like moving to the region, how businesses can recover from COVID-19 and what we can expect from consumers in the future. Click that play button and join them in this informative episode.
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Welcome to Blue Mountain Village Voices.
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