Tourism-related businesses across the municipality of Meaford now have the option of opening on the holidays.
Earlier this year the Meaford BIA requested that council designate the downtown as a tourist area.
Council did so and under the Holiday Retail Business Act, any tourism business within 2 kilometres of the downtown could stay open on holidays.
However, it was quickly realized that many other businesses in the municipality did not fall within that area.
Mayor Francis Richardson says the clerks department then came up with the idea of designating the trail system through Meaford as a tourist area.
He says since the municipality is crisscrossed by trails – including the Rail Trail, the Bruce Trail, the Georgian Trail, and the Tom Thomson Trail – practically every business is located within 2 kilometres of one.
Richardson says Meaford is trying to market itself as a tourist destination and so it’s important that businesses can be open when people visit the municipality on holidays.