Welcome to Blue Mountain Village Voices

Dive into the world of destination tourism in and around Blue Mountain Village with industry and community leaders throughout South Georgian Bay. 

Episode 27

Joining us for this episode is guest co-host Jim Torrance, President of the Blue Mountains Ratepayer Association and Shawn Everitt, Chief Administrative Officer of the Town of The Blue Mountains. Together, we discuss supporting new Municipal and County Councils, results of a recent resident satisfaction survey, the impact of Ontario’s Bill 23, managing local growth, labour force development and attainable housing, priorities on the horizon and much more! 

Episode 26

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.

Episode 25

June Porter and her husband Terry have been increasingly involved in The Blue Mountain community since 2010. Together, they enjoy a wide range of four-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. 

Episode 24

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. 

Episode 23

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.

Join us as we discuss Andrea’s vision for the future as well as key community issues. 

Episode 22

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.

Episode 21

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.  

Episode 20

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. 

Episode 19

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.

Episode 18

In this 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.

Episode 17

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.

Episode 16

Melissa Herod and her husband, John, own and operate AXED; the newest business in the Blue Mountain Village.

Episode 15

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.' 

Episode 14

Patti Kendall has been the creative mind behind Destination Marketing for the Blue Mountain Village for the last 20 years. In this episode, she shares her nuggets of widsom in the events and marketing world. 

Episode 13

Rosalyn Morrison is on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Southern Georgian Bay and teaches us how our community and businesses can be economically, environmentally and socially responsible,

Episode 12

South Georgian Bay is the idyllic place to cycle with mountains, trails and paths but how can our municipalities make it better? Bill Abbotts tells us.

Episode 11

This episode'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

Episode 10

This week, we spoke to Turner Hospitality Group's VP of Hospitality, Neal Lewis, who tells us about the past, the present, and the future of the restaurant industry in the area.

Episode 9

Andrew joined John Eaton (95.1 The Peak FM) on their talk of the town segment to discuss pride in South Georgian Bay.

Episode 8

John Ardiel is an established apple grower in South Georgian Bay in the industry that is one of the biggest contributors to our economic productivity. Learn more about his family business that's grown from apple growing to grape growing, wine making and cider production!

Episode 7

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). 

Episode 6

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. 

Episode 5

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.

Episode 4

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. 

Episode 3

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.

Episode 2

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.

Episode 1

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.