TIAC National Tourism Awards Nominations

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada is pleased to unveil the finalists for the 2008 National Awards for Tourism Excellence, presented by The Globe and Mail.

Thirty-six comanies and individuals representing the best of Canada’s tourism industry were selected as finalists in 12 award categories by a judging panel of tourism industry leaders. The recipient of a 13th award, the Canadian Travel Press Lifetime Achievement Award, will be selected by TIAC’s Board of Directors.

Congratulations to all of the finalists for the 2008 National Awards for Tourism Excellence, presented by The Globe and Mail!

The Confederation Centre of the Arts celebrates Canadian culture and history by showcasing the best in the Canadian visual and performing arts. Spanning an entire city block, the facility features theatres, galleries, restaurants, and shops. The CCOA has proudly hosted the Charlottetown Festival since 1965, which has produced more than 70 original Canadian world premiere productions. In particular, Anne of Green Gables – The Musical™ has played on the Mainstage for 44 consecutive years. CCOA’s Art Gallery inspires appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of Canada's diverse cultural heritage by collecting, conserving, presenting, interpreting and communicating the work of Canadian visual artists. With 15,000 pieces in its permanent collection, the Gallery’s six exhibition spaces feature contemporary and historical exhibitions year-round, as well as special events, lectures, and educational programming. CCOA presents the Symons Lecture on the State of Canadian Confederation and partners with the University of PEI on the Frank MacKinnon Lecture Series. www.confederationcentre.com

The Rosebud Theatre is located an hour’s drive northeast of Calgary, nestled in the picturesque Rosebud River Valley. Celebrating its 25th season as one of Western Canada’s largest rural theatre companies, the theatre has an international reputation as a premier Canadian destination for high quality live theatre. From humble beginnings on an outdoor stage in 1983, Rosebud has proven itself as a leading cultural institution and tourism icon, developing and delivering the “Rosebud Experience” of professional theatre, complemented by unique dining, art galleries, museums and shopping. The current Opera House, Hotel, Mercantile and Gallery were originally vacant buildings, but over the years the Theatre’s commitment to making use of historic resources has revived the sites and re-invented the culture of the community from solely agrarian to a unique and eclectic mix of agriculture, arts and commerce. www.therosebudtheatre.com

The Winnipeg Folk Festival is a multi-generational folk festival that celebrated its 35th year in 2008. Its outdoor setting makes it a unique tourism experience for folk fans from across North America and one of the best-attended folk festivals in Canada. The WFF’s multi-generational programming makes the festival experience appealing to all age groups. Programming includes live musical stage performances by professional and amateur musicians, youth programming, campsite performances, local films in partnership with the Winnipeg Film Group, contemporary dancers, and International Children’s Festival and First Nation Festival performers. The WFF’s well-trained, experienced staff and its extensive volunteer team of over 2000 people assures a positive visitors experience from every point of contact, from the ambassadors who greet visitors in the parking lot, to ticket booth administrators, to on-stage talent and food service staff. www.winnipegfolkfestival.ca

Founded in 1987, Adventure Canada brings travelers to Canada’s blank spaces, those areas whose remoteness alone make them special. They offer sustainable hiking, cultural & wildlife tours, and cruises to some of Canada’s most remote and untouched destinations, providing their clients with excellent learning opportunities and great experiences. AC promotes their adventure travel to Canadians through advertising and promotion, and through their relationships with organizations such as Inuit art galleries, artist collectives, local, provincial and national museums, leading magazines, conservation authorities and charitable organizations. The company provides its clients with excellent learning opportunities and great experiences by hiring local experts and artisans on their tours. As part of a spectacular tour, clients gain a true appreciation for the local art, culture and environment while supporting community businesses and artisans. www.adventurecanada.com

Pacrim Hospitality Services Inc. is an international hospitality management company headquartered in Bedford, Nova Scotia. It has gained an international reputation for effective management, strong industry partnerships, valued brand relationships and strategic and measured growth. The company recognizes innovations and efficiencies in technology and human resources, as well as a solid work ethic as the engines of its recent and continuing growth. PHSI has put its core principles of focused and strategic effort, creativity and basic hard work to the test, emerging as a Canadian leader in hotel management. PHSI has nurtured a unique business model built upon excellence in five key business areas and rock-solid partnerships. The PHSI model is creating growth opportunities for guests, employees, partners, investors and communities across Canada and in the US. Pacrim Hospitality’s portfolio has grown to 59 properties, more than 6,000 rooms and suites in nine Canadian provinces, the NWT and two US States and with a combined value of $700 million. www.pacrimhospitality.com

Linda and Gary Lowther have successfully operated Sundance Cottages and The Oasis Resort in the Cavendish area for a number of years, creating an innovative and welcoming environment for a wide variety of guests. Their dedication to customer satisfaction, product development and customer service excellence ensures guest satisfaction. The Lowthers have worked tirelessly to build their business on the principles of professionalism and customer satisfaction. Rather than placing an emphasis on marketing, they have focused on product development, believing that a quality guest experience will sell itself. They are continually working to improve their business operations and are deeply involved in all aspects of the tourism industry on PEI. As strong proponents of education in the industry, they understand that PEI’s Tourism Industry is composed of very small businesses and have promoted learning opportunities for employers and employees at every turn. www.sundancecottages.com

The Central Museum of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery (The RCA Museum) is an artillery museum that has transformed from a capable local museum to a dynamic tourist experience and one of the best military museums in the country. The Museum displays Canada's largest collection of artillery artefacts and the most complete collection of Canadian pattern military vehicles in existence. It offers a dynamic tourist experience that has evolved in both its physical plant and inventory of artefacts. Temporary exhibits at the Shilo, Manitoba museum assure that tourists experience and learn something different with each visit, while the RCA’s traveling exhibits have been seen by approximately 280,000 people in cities across Canada. The RCA Museum plays a significant role in the local, regional and national community due to its top-notch research facilities, artefacts, and staff. www.rcamuseum.com

Stephen Joyce has spearheaded Sentias Software Corporation’s development of ground breaking software for the tour and activity industry at www.rezgo.com. This free website and software centralizes tour and activity provider’s sales channels into one system. Mr. Joyce's driving goal is to help small and medium tour and activity providers connect with customers hungry to buy unique experiences, and to sell these same products through retail partners and wholesalers around the World. Rezgo.com connects the long tail of leisure products with its web-based software, giving tour and activity providers a powerful booking and management system that sells product though all traditional sales channels, while giving live availability to a growing number of DMO and travel agent distribution partners. Rezgo.com is quickly positioning itself as the leader in tour and activity sales and distribution. www.rezgo.com

Taste the County is a marketing and quality enhancement organization based in Prince Edward County, Ontario, whose primary goal is to sustain long-term marketing and project management initiatives that encourage sustainable growth in the local agricultural and tourism market. Taste the County uses creative and innovative marketing strategies to promote local events and attractions, in order to ensure growth and prosperity in the tourism industry in Prince Edward County. In addition to successful public relations ventures, Taste the County has created unique sustainable tourism initiatives that set Prince Edward County apart. Successful initiatives have included the award-winning Taste Trail, which links tourists to partner wineries and eateries, and the Arts Trail, a unique cultural initiative of its kind which links tourists to 22 artists, galleries, and other venues. www.tastethecounty.ca

Great Wolf Lodge is a family destination resort designed to capture the atmosphere and adventure of the north woods. This year-round resort has an indoor waterpark, restaurants, and health and conference facilities, among other amenities, and holds games and activities for the whole family. The Great Wolf Lodge creates traditions one family at a time, offering great activities like face painting, story time, themed weekends, fashion shows, a morning educational walk for children, and arts and crafts. The Lodge team is focused on delivering unique, memorable family vacations, promoting other activities and attractions in the Niagara region. The Lodge is committed to customer satisfaction, promoting among its team a service standard of “Safety, Quality, Consistency and Fun.” It also promotes better sustainability practices, through its waste management, energy and water conservation, pollution prevention, resource conservation and environmental management. www.greatwolflodge.com/Locations/Niagara

Lakeway Houseboat Vacations allows travelers to cruise New Brunswick’s magnificent St. John River. Their unique luxurious boats allow for great fun and relaxation among family and friends – onboard and off. Their modern, spacious houseboats travel the waterway along some of the historic routes that have been used for centuries. The river valley offers a natural setting for clients to embrace and enjoy – guests can bird-watch along the shore of a mature old-growth forest or watch a mother fox shepherd her kits along the edge of a newly mowed hay field. While the majestic waterway offers Lakeway’s clients a glimpse into the splendour of a natural environment, the experience is enhanced by its proximity to modern-day amenities, allowing guests to make convenient stops at restaurants, hotels, golf courses, and historical landmarks along the water’s edge. www.lakewayhouseboats.com

Metepenagiag Heritage Park is a world-class cultural tourism attraction located on Little Southwest Miramichi River. Owned, operated and fully staffed by the Metepenagiag Mi’kmaq Nation, it showcases New Brunswick’s oldest continuously inhabited village and presents the outstanding cultural history of Metepenagiag. Nationally certified heritage interpreters share the historical significance of Oxbow National Historic Site and Augustine Mound National Historic Site, and allows visitors to reflect on the traditional Mi’kmaq way of life. The park also enables local Mi’kmaq to celebrate their inseparable connection to the land and the river that have sustained this enduring community for more than 3000 years, thus preserving and protecting the rich Mi’kmaq culture and language for future generations. The park‘s modern interpretive centre features an impressive exhibit hall, multimedia theatre and boutique, beside walking trails, spectacular views of an enduring cultural landscape and campground. Exciting day adventures and other activities are also available. www.metepenagiagpark.com

Strait Crossing Bridge Ltd., the developer of the Confederation Bridge has supported community events and attractions on Prince Edward Island since the opening of the bridge in May 1997. It shares the goal of the PEI Department of Tourism to extend the shoulder season and attract more visitors to the Island year-round. With its own Marketing and Community Affairs department, the Confederation Bridge is a corporation that has shown a commitment to developing tourism for the benefit of the entire Island community. This mandate fuelled the company to create, organize and sponsor original events and festivals across the Island. In addition, the Confederation Bridge offers financial and in-kind support assistance to local event organizers to ensure the success of their endeavours, no matter how big or small. The company also distributes a monthly e-newsletter and a website which highlight events and attractions across the Maritimes. www.confederationbridge.com.

TransAlta, an Alberta power generation and wholesale marketing company with roots in Alberta dating back nearly 100 years is a major sponsor of Edmonton's festival scene. In a joint program with the Edmonton Arts Council, TransAlta has committed $1.2 million in grants over three years for festival programs including the 'Festival City in a Box’ program, an event-attraction program encouraging event planners to choose Edmonton as the host city for their next meeting or convention. The venture is successfully building national recognition of the city’s more than thirty annual festivals, while building mutually beneficial connections between Edmonton-based festivals and other festivals in Northern Alberta. The contribution has allowed Edmonton Tourism to showcase local arts and culture to leisure and business travellers, while substantially impacting incomes and revenue. www.transalta.com

True North Sports & Entertainment's MTS Centre is a state-of-the-art venue in downtown Winnipeg which can accommodate a wide variety of cultural and sporting events such as hockey games, concerts trade shows and parades. Since its opening, the it has been a major catalyst in Winnipeg’s ongoing architectural, commercial and cultural renaissance that includes new and planned initiatives for sports, tourism, education, business, entertaining and dining in the downtown core. The convergence of sports and entertainment, retail and restaurants in one area was meant to create a total visitor experience extending to times before and after feature events. The facility has successfully undertaken a Community Use & Access Program that offers community groups the opportunity to hold their events at the MTS Centre. These groups have included include non-profit organizations, groups, associations or clubs, organized for recreational, cultural, sport, fund-raising and other community-driven activities. www.mtscentre.ca

METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE EVENT OF THE YEAR AWARD

Canada Day at Canada Place is the largest Canada Day celebration outside the nation’s capital. On July 1, 2008, the event welcomed upwards of 120,000 guests to the heart of Vancouver’s waterfront for a full day of free family fun. Now in its 21st year, Canada Day at Canada Place promotes and supports the tourism industry by showcasing the incredible talent, culture and diversity Canada has to offer. In 2008, the event recorded increased attendance, received positive feedback from guests, sponsors and partners, and solid corporate and media participation, which speaks to the success and acclaim of the annual celebration and will ensure its longevity. The 2008 event included a celebration of BC’s 150th anniversary and Quebec’s 400th anniversary, and featured interactive activities showcasing Canadian sports teams, musical groups and theatre performers, as well as an anthem-singing competition and a citizenship ceremony. www.canadaplace.ca/canadaday

Winnipeg Folk Festival is a multi-generational music festival that celebrated its 35th year in 2008. Its outdoor setting makes it a unique tourism experience for folk fans from across North America and one of the best-attended folk festivals in Canada. The WFF’s sound business practices ensure financial self-reliance and long-term stability, and have enabled the festival to invest significantly in improving the festival site at Birds Hill Park. The festival maintains high production values for live performances, while offering ticket giveaways to community groups, including transportation to the festival site, guided tours and meals. It also enjoys strong relationships with various media that ensure continued promotional awareness of the festival. Over 65,000 visitors visit over the 4-day festival, many of them loyal, returning guests who, whether residents of Winnipeg or not, take ownership of the tourist experience. www.winnipegfolkfestival.ca

Through first-class organization and small-town hospitality, The World Pond Hockey Championship defines community spirit, sportsmanship, and what it means to be Canadian. Those who visit are awed by the sheer magnitude of this non-profit event that celebrates the passion for grass roots hockey as part of Canada’s cultural and heritage legacy, while generating revenues for facilities and community sports in the region. The event has quickly grown to attract teams from all over the World. It is the single largest winter tourism event in New Brunswick and highlights the province as a sport tourism destination in a number of markets. It helps to promote the Plaster Rock area as a four-season tourism destination, providing the area with a mid-winter economic boost. The economic impact of the event is felt in neighbouring communities and provinces, with hotels, car rental agencies, bus lines, airlines and restaurants all benefitting from the event. www.worldpondhockey.com

FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR AWARD

Edmonton Tourism’s Festival City Initiative positions Greater Edmonton as a destination for festivals and cultural events in the national and international marketplace. The region’s arts and culture offerings are integrated into all tourism-related marketing and communications activity, and live performance is integrated into promotional messages via trade shows, sales missions and familiarization tours. In spring of 2006, Edmonton Tourism’s Festival City in a Box program launched with a $1.2 million, 3-year investment from corporate partner TransAlta. The Festival City in a Box program has since become one of Edmonton Tourism’s key marketing programs, showcasing Edmonton as an arts destination for both leisure and business travelers. This support of the arts sector is raising the bar for Edmonton’s diverse range of festivals and setting a new benchmark for others in the national and international arts community. www.edmonton.com/tourism

Ontario Place Corporation's Rogers Chinese Lantern Festival brings some of the pomp and pageantry of China’s largest lantern festivals to Toronto every summer. Their 2007 marketing campaign focused on two target audiences: the general public, and Toronto’s Chinese community. The festival’s targeted ad campaigns also encourage prospective guests to visit other attractions and events, thereby supporting Toronto’s tourism industry as a whole. Tourism Toronto featured the festival in their advertising outside the GTA, with an emphasis on developing the promotional value within regional markets. The mainstream and Chinese media partners and sponsors provided extensive advertising space and airtime to promote the event from July through to September, while on-site signage complimented this advertising support. A six-week e-campaign was launched to promote the 2007 festival, which successfully increased database membership, out-of-town participation and overall attendance. www.chineselanternfestival.ca

The Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation works with tourism partners to market Ontario as a premier, year-round destination. Demonstrating leadership in innovation, the team launched the There’s No Place Like This campaign which celebrates Ontario as one of the best places to live and travel in the world. The campaign reached consumers through a variety of media, and successfully reignited Ontarians’ pride and interest in exploring their province at a time when the tourism sector was unprecedented convergence of external challenges. While high gas prices, a strong Canadian dollar, pending passport requirements and increasing competition from international destinations have threatened Ontario’s tourism sector, the campaign has been successful in positioning Ontario as a great place to live, visit and invest, thereby supporting the social and economic growth of communities province-wide. www.tourismpartners.com

The Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership brings together the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the provincial departments responsible for tourism in New Brunswick , Newfoundland and Labrador , Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and the four provincial tourism industry associations. It focuses its efforts entirely towards marketing activities and initiatives, and is dedicated to promoting Atlantic Canada as a tourism destination of choice in targeted American and international consumer markets. It promotes a pan-Atlantic view of tourism marketing, while still respecting the Provinces brand equity and specific marketing strategies. ACTP’s efforts have generated increased revenues, visitation, awareness, inquiries and publicity for the Atlantic provinces. Regardless of the season, the Maritimes’ beautiful scenery, rich history, friendly people and interesting attractions continue to draw people to Atlantic Canada, and ACTP’s work will continue to bring them back. www.actp-ptca.ca

In covering Canada from coast to coast, north to south and all points in between, Amy Rosen shamelessly shows off her patriotism through personal journeys of discovery. She chronicles her unique food experiences across the country, writing stories on unique Canadian experiences for publications like Fodor’s, Food & Wine magazine, the Robb Report, Maclean’s, enRoute, Chatelaine, Toronto Life, and Western Living, as well as in her new self-illustrated weekly food column Dish, which appears in the National Post. In addition to her writing, Amy shares her experiences on television and through her cooking classes. She is a member of numerous associations including the Association of Food Journalists and the North American Travel Journalists Association. www.amyrosen.com

Susan Reifer is among the most widely-published snowsports and mountain travel experts in North America. She also enjoys writing about luxury travel, smart travel, food and cuisine, adventure, the business of resort development, nature, green living, personal development and the outdoors. She is currently a contributing writer at SKI, where more than 50 of her articles have appeared since 1996. She has also had other features published in titles as wide-ranging as Outside Magazine, Los Angeles, United Airlines' Hemispheres and more. She is a former contributing editor at Sports Illustrated WOMEN and former senior contributing editor at SKIING, where her column, "Parallel Universe," ran bimonthly. She also leads corporate workshops in writing and communications strategies, and periodically teaches university-level workshops in literary journalism. www.susanreifer.com

What began as an effort to save a rare, natural dune system in the town of Bouctouche, NB, has become an internationally recognized model for sustainable tourism. Bouctouche was the lead player in implementing the province's very first innovative Ecotourism Master Plan (1996 – 2002), a community-based initiative that resulted in strong economic renewal and new ecotourism development in the encompassing Bouctouche Bay watershed area. The town quickly evolved from a diminishing rural-coastal economy to a dynamic mixed economy with tourism as a central pillar. Through an innovative community-based planning model, the local leadership, key stakeholders and local citizens were mobilized to build the basic infrastructure to stimulate tourism development and employment opportunities, while protecting and enhancing the natural and cultural resources of the eco-system. In addition to the dune, residents and visitors now enjoy nature trails, green spaces, a Farmer’s Market, and other cultural attractions.

The Niagara Parks Commission has demonstrated foresight and excellent management of the Niagara Parks system through its environmental maintenance and historic preservation initiatives. It seeks to reduce environmental impacts and to improve tourism’s contribution to sustainable development and conservation, while generating significant economic benefits for the community. It has undertaken its stewardship responsibilities while promoting this world-famous destination to travellers seeking authentic and informative experiences in a natural and historic setting. The NPC is engaged in responsible tourism which is both ecologically and culturally sensitive, having funded environmental projects within the Niagara River Corridor Ecosystem that are focused on the protection, preservation and rehabilitation of habitats containing Species at Risk (SAR). It is also involved in a number of projects along the Niagara River Corridor which promote ecological restoration, riparian (shoreline) habitat preservation, natural area conservation, public education and resource management. www.niagaraparks.com

Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre was established in 1993 to increase public understanding of the values of wetlands and encourage public support for their conservation through innovative education and outreach programs. A model of sustainable development, it has been recognized for its environmentally-sensitive design, wetlands education programs, commitment to excellence, and work with the tourism community to showcase Canada’s natural and cultural heritage. The Centre delivers on-site and outreach programs to raise awareness, understanding, and appreciation of wetlands as a key component of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage. This includes special events, public programs, canoe tours, school programs, eco-adventures, demonstrations, interactive exhibits, and a website. Industry professionals come from around the world to learn about the Centre’s environmentally-sensitive design and operation (green roof, anti-bird-strike windows, constructed wetland for sewage treatment, café, giftshop, etc.), and to integrate these ideas into new tourist attractions. www.oakhammockmarsh.ca

CTHRC AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

L’Auberge Le Baluchon is nestled on the shores of the spectacular Rivière-du-Loup in Saint Paulin, Québec. While recognized by its guests for its fine cuisine, its health spa and its beautiful setting, Le Baluchon is also well-known within the industry for its successful human resources programs, having recently spent 3 years revising its employee training manual. It offers a number of educational and vocational opportunities as well as a competitive benefits package. Le Baluchon offers flexible schedules for its many part-time students, and encourages internal job postings as a means to retain these employees upon the completion of their studies. It has also created a successful work-study program for individuals experiencing significant difficulties in the integration into the workforce following a school dropout, and now employs one of the program’s graduates as a team leader. Le Baluchon hosts an annual employee-recognition gala evening, which has proven to be very popular among the staff. www.baluchon.com.

Canada’s National (CN) Tower is a major tourism and hospitality industry employer in the heart of downtown Toronto. High operating standards and commitment to excellence ensure a proactive approach to excellence in Human Resource Management. Employees are encouraged to participate in professional development and certification courses subsidized through an educational assistance program. The Tower also partners with all local educational institutions to support professional development through scholarships, tourism student presentations, internships and co-op placements. The Tower has an active succession planning program in place, and regular performance management meetings with employees allow managers to discuss and plan employee development on an ongoing basis. Job rotation is encouraged, and internal promotions are also common. In addition to education credits, it offers employees an extensive medical and dental benefits package, free admission at other tourist attractions and discounts on laundry, parking, movies, fitness memberships, and wireless. www.cntower.ca

Mr. Pickwick’s Seafood Bistro has for years demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to excellence in human resource development. Owners Roy and Rayana Blackwell overcome the challenges of employee recruitment and retention by offering successful training programs, outstanding benefits packages, education benefits, profit sharing, and schedules designed for work-life balance. Staff will attest to the overall benefits they receive through HR programs that encourage professional and personal development, certification and innovative incentives and royalties. Mr. Pickwick’s holds interactive monthly staff meetings, and trains employees in-house on menu content, costing, design and scheduling, health and seasonal elements. They also offer cross-training, ensuring employees understand all team positions and a try-out program for high school students, which gives them an opportunity to try a paid shift serving, hosting or preparing a meal. www.mrpickwicks.bc.ca

VIA RAIL CANADA VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Margret Begner and her business partner and husband Axel are raising the standard on fine dining. Their restaurant, the Opera Bistro brings European charm, and flair for fine food, to the heart of Saint John, NB. Margret works diligently to support and develop Saint John’s tourism industry, while actively supporting many local charities. As a generous supporter of her community, many local organizations have benefited from her generosity, including the Romero House Food Bank & Soup Kitchen and Harbour Lights, a fundraising drive for food banks all across Southern New Brunswick. She inaugurated the People’s Choice Charity Feast, a unique street party that features boxed street food meals from 10 local restaurants, with money raised from each sale going to the charity of the purchaser’s choice. It joins an impressive list of accomplishments that includes her work on volunteer boards and her advocacy work on behalf of the Saint John tourism sector.

In only six years in the Yukon, Harreson Tanner has volunteered more hours and accomplished more than many people do in a lifetime. Harreson has had a profound affect on the growth of the visual arts community and related tourism initiatives in the territory. He is most widely known as the founding Chair of the Yukon Artists @ Work Cooperative Art Gallery, a venture that has become a model and showcase for artist-run cooperatives in Canada. He also serves on a number of Boards and Councils which support Yukon’s arts community. A skilled artist and successful businessperson, Harreson has received awards and public recognition for his volunteer activities in Whitehorse and the Yukon that celebrate his vision, dedication and professionalism in the area of cultural tourism, and his promotion of Arts in the Territory. He has displayed his own works in galleries and art shows throughout North and Western Canada.

Ann and Dennison Tate took a landmark lighthouse scheduled for demolition at Cape Enrage, New Brunswick, and turned it into one of the province’s top attractions. They have spent more than 5000 volunteer hours doing everything from lobbying governments for funding, to hammering nails and whitewashing walls at the site, and have even made personal financial contributions to the project to see it through. Although the preservation and protection of the Cape Enrage lighthouse was the impetus for the Cape Enrage Project, over the years the focus of the project has become the training of students on the importance of professionalism, ethical values, and hospitality when operating a restaurant, an adventure company and a business office. The careful preservation of historic structures at Cape Enrage ensures that visitors see and feel the mystique that the lighthouse evokes, something that will endure for generations to come. www.capenrage.org

Paulina Alexander, Spa Manager at Tigh-Na-Mara Spa Resort & Conference Centre in Parksville, BC, leads and inspires her team by example, working diligently to create a truly enjoyable stay for her guests, while serving as an ambassador for the industry locally and beyond. In encouraging guests to visit other local attractions and beaches, it is clear that there is no bigger champion of tourism than Paulina, who embodies hospitality with her warm, enthusiastic personality and passion for her work. She promotes employment in the industry to employees of the Parksville Career Centre; works as a mentor on development plans and career goals; assists in the organization of team member events; and speaks to students passionately about tourism while at career fairs. She successfully balances her career with her other role as a dedicated and loving mother to four young children.

Karl Doetsch, a Senior Banquet Houseman with the Delta Hotel in Fredericton, New Brunswick, is a friendly and conscientious employee who regularly goes above and beyond guests’ expectations. He is sought after by conference organizers due to his understanding and knowledge of the hotel’s product and his attention to detail. His integrity and commitment is unrivalled, and his dedication to excellence is second only to his modesty. Even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Karl doesn’t flinch, leading many to believe he is able to accomplish anything. Not only does he thrive on accomplishing the ostensibly impossible, he takes pride in watching his coworkers succeed. When recognized for his achievements, Karl will frequently defer the recognition to his teammates, citing that no one person is more valuable than another.

Jonathan Milne, a server at Mr. Pickwick’s Seafood Bistro in Vancouver, is an exemplary front-line employee. In addition to his great service, he is quick to welcome visitors and enrich them with his knowledge of the area, often going out of his way to provide guests with information about local wines and attractions. He is committed to improving the workplace and the guest experience. In pursuing his own professional development, Jonathan researched and initiated in-house employee training programs designed to benefit the entire team, and now trains other staff on proper serving techniques to ensure overall guest satisfaction. He designs and delivers training units on menu contents, health, nutrition, and allergy information to make the guest’s dining experience safe and enjoyable. His work has elevated team pride, and together the team is better suited and motivated to deliver a superior and memorable culinary and cultural experience.