NOTO & Government

Since NOTO’s creation in 1929 it has had a strong focus on policy advocacy as well as on providing various programs that directly support tourism businesses.

NOTO is commonly seen as an organization whose primary mandate is to communicate the needs of the industry to government. NOTO has an equally important role in communicating government’s initiatives and programs to the industry.

Increasingly the policy and regulatory environment is becoming more complex and a great deal of the organizations time is being spent in addressing concerns the tourism industry has about government initiatives. These concerns cover a broad range of programs and ministries, from drinking water regulations to property tax assessments.

NOTO is familiar with both the policy issues and their impact on the tourism industry. Business operators over the years have learned that they can approach NOTO for clear explanations and reliable information.

Ontario’s Resource-Based tourism industry is supported by a cabinet approved Resource-Based Tourism Policy and NOTO, operating as Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario, is the provincial association that has represented the interest of the diverse tourism industry since 1929.

In late 2005, senior Ministry of Natural Resources officials proposed that MNR, NOTO and other key ministries, namely Tourism and Northern Development and Mines, come together in the form of a working group to discuss the policy environment that will help ensure the health and viability of the resource based tourism industry over the long term.

The working group has convened and have achieved considerable amount of work in a considerable short period of time. In addition to establishing an excellent mutually respectful working relationship and being provided with updates on various ministerial programs and policies on an on-going basis, the working group has been tasked oriented on several fronts.