Tourism Accommodations Frustrated With Government Inaction – Raymond

Wednesday December 5, 2007

Halifax – NDP Tourism and Culture Critic, Michele Raymond, today asked the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, Bill Dooks, why he ignored the preference of two-thirds of the tourist accommodation industry when repealing the Tourism Accommodation Act.

“The Minister may not realize that 850 of 1,200 licenced accommodation properties in Nova Scotia are small operations,” says Raymond. “The Minister may not have spoken with B&B, Inn and Cottage owners, but I have, and these businesses do not support repealing the Act.”

In a CBC interview on December 4th, the president of the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia said they support this move because government had not been upholding the Act and that TIANS had, in fact, lobbied for stricter enforcement.

“In other words, this government’s inaction has shaken the industry’s faith in the government’s ability to regulate tourism accommodations,” says Raymond. “Was this government trying to ensure dissatisfaction with the Act by failing to properly handle complaints against illegal operations?”

Raymond says small operators are worried about the direction the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage is taking it.

“They asked to see the consultant’s report on the Tourism Accommodations Act and were told no,” says Raymond. “Since the Minister won’t speak on behalf of all tourism operators in Nova Scotia, will he publicly release the results of the industry survey and the consultant’s report?”

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