Saugeen Shores and Grand Bend are going to be snooping on each other.
The two towns have agreed to a request from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to take part in the First Impressions Exchange Program.
That is where two communities are matched up and volunteers visit them to gather anonymous opinions on how well it presents itself to residents and tourists.
This is the first time Saugeen Shores has taken part in the program and Councillor Thead Seaman says “it’s positive all the way around.”
Councillor Luke Charbonneau says it ties in with the Community Improvement Plan that he and others have been developing for Port Elgin.
He says there are nine volunteers from Saugeen Shores who will go to Grand Bend and have a look at their community and come up with ideas to help them out.
Charbonneau says the Grand Bend group will do the same in Saugeen Shores, and their findings will be a great learning experience for the town.
He says some will go to Grand Bend on a weekend, others on a weekday, to get the entire experience.
The visit will take place before the summer tourist season ends because many businesses and services in Grand Bend start to shut down after Labour Day.
Charbonneau says they’ll look at virtually every aspect of the town, including an extensive look at restaurants, residential areas, and tourism signage.