Port Clements is thinking about marketing itself to tourists with a new catchphrase: "Gateway to the Wilderness".
A group of village residents interested in tourism came up with the idea at a recent meeting, councillor Brock Storry told council members Jan. 30.
The line suggests to visitors that Port Clements is the place to be if you want to see the Golden Spruce, go deer hunting, get to Rennell Sound, or do other wilderness activities, Mr. Storry said.
The tourism group hopes to get across the idea that Port is the "last stop" for fuel, groceries and other supplies, he said.
The group is also thinking about ways that Port could spend approximately $16,000 in community tourism funding it is receiving from the provincial government.
Masset is receiving a similar amount, and that village has decided to spend it on two laptop computers which can be taken to trade shows or travel fairs to show footage of Masset (one will probably be installed in a case in Prince Rupert), software to make promotional CDs that can be sent to potential visitors, and a presence at the Abbottsford outdoor recreation show next month.
Mr. Storry said the Port group is just starting to work together on a tourism vision for the village. So far, the group includes members of the Haida Gwaii Tourism Association, the Chamber of Commerce and a few interested members of the public, he said, and more are welcome to join.
In other Port news:
o Mr. Storry, mayor Cory Delves, and councillors Derek Hoenen and Wally Cheer all attended an intense training session in the Lower Mainland put on by the Union of BC Municipalities. This month, councillor Casey Lapka is going to attend a one-day workshop for elected officials in Terrace. She will also represent Port at a meeting of the Northern Development Initiative regional board.
o Trustee Lisa Gyorgy gave council a report on school board activities. The Ministry of Education is "totally on board" with the idea of adding classrooms to the proposed multi-purpose building so the elementary school could be moved there, she said, and has promised $1.3-million towards the project, as long as a feasibility study is done.
That study should be underway soon, after trustees approved it last week, Ms Gyorgy reported.
"We're all on side, we want to see it go," she said.
Trustees also voted to spend money to fix up the Queen Charlotte school soccer field, which she described as a "disaster". Several Port and Tlell students attend Queen Charlotte school, so the decision should have a positive effect on local families.