A big step for Smoky Lake tourism development

By Irene van der Kloet
Smoky Lake County, the Town of Smoky Lake and Métis Crossing took an immense step
forward with the development of tourism in the region on May 19. On that day, the Smoky Lake
Tourism Company was officially formed by signing an agreement between the three entities. In
her welcome speech, Juanita Marois, CEO of Métis Crossing Ventures Ltd., phrased this as
follows: “We are gathered here because we can do better together than each of us could have
done on their own. It is essential that private and public entities are coming together”. Several
parties involved in forming the Smoky Lake Tourism Company addressed the guests from their
perspective. Tony Sefton is CEO of Vision XS, a UK-based company specializing in attracting
visitors to regions of interest. Vision XS uses a “5 Model” encompassing Vision’s Predictive
Business Model, surrounded by a Space Model, Cost Model, Market Model and Experience
Model. They aim to help visitor attraction operators and management teams prepare
development strategies for growth or economic sustainability. “This is where the province and
regional people are doing the right thing,” Tony says, who came from the UK, especially for this
agreement signing. “This idea of creating a new entity has never been done like this. You are
signing up to see a population that has been in decline for 15 years go on the rise again. It is the
perfect storm. Thank you to the technical team behind this because these agreements are a lot
of work. Thank you all. I’m looking forward to how all this develops”. Amy Cherniwchan, mayor
of the Town of Smoky Lake, said it was an honour to be partners with Métis Crossing and the
County of Smoky Lake. Lorne Halisky, Smoky Lake County Reeve added that “we are proud of
our culture and our heritage. The Smoky Lake Tourism Company is the next chapter, and
exciting times await us. The future is in our hands.” Audrey Poitras, Chair of Métis Crossing and
President of Métis Nation of Alberta, went into the history preceding today’s important event:
“Today we celebrate an achievement. The Métis Nation of Alberta first approached Smoky Lake
Town and County in 2001; their support has been unwavering. We are proud to invest in the
Smoky Lake Tourism Company, which is meant to support the development of regional
businesses through investment, tourism and marketing. The Smoky Lake Tourism Company will
offer opportunities to entrepreneurs, youth, artisans and others for generations to come.” The
signing of the agreement marks a historic moment in the region. The Alberta Government offers
the possibility to municipalities to set up a corporation. Smoky Lake chose tourism. This
corporation is a for-profit entity in which local entities such as the town, county and Métis
Crossing work together to promote regional tourism. “It’s very exciting, this grassroots initiative,
and to see growth happening in the region,” Chris Down from Travel Alberta commented during
the reception that followed the official signing.