MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — The Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association (ORHMA) hosted its 21st-Annual General Meeting virtually on September 22 to discuss industry issues. Members of ORHMA, Board of Directors and staff were joined by the Honourable Lisa MacLeod, Ontario’s Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism & Culture Industries.

ORHMA presented the 2020/2021 Provincial Board of Directors, announcing the appointment of a new Chairman of the Board, Jesse Hamilton, general manager of Huntsville, Ont.-based Deerhurst Resort.

“Being elected as Chairman of the ORHMA makes me proud to serve such a resilient industry,” says Hamilton. “The strength of our industry lies in the support and active participation of our members and the advocacy work ORHMA has shown in just the past year proves that. There’s strength in numbers and collectively, we’ll continue to persevere and get through this together, even when we’re apart.”

The 2020/2021 Provincial Board of Directors welcomed the following new members:
• Barry Taylor, The Ballroom, Toronto
• Krista LaClair, Kingston Accommodation Partners, Kingston, Ont.
• Shan Wickremasinghe, Sunray Group, Orillia, Ont.
• Mike Ziola, Biagio’s Kitchen & Catering, Ottawa
• Peter Higley, Recipe Unlimited, Vaughan, Ont.
• Greg Holden, Towneplace Suites by Marriott Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay, Ont.

A full list of the 2020/2021 Board of Directors can be found here.

ORHMA also announced the formation of three regional chapters:
• Hamilton Region, represented by Colin Watson of Sheraton Hotel Hamilton
• Lambton County Region, represented by Doug Loucks of Holiday Inn Express Sarnia
• Prince Edward County Region, represented by Edward Shubert of the Prince Edward County Accommodation Association

“Expanding our regions is an approach that will bring the industry closer, benefiting not only the local climate, but building a stronger voice in Ontario. This is profoundly so important during this pandemic crisis,” says Tony Elenis, ORHMA president & CEO. “The development of regional associations provides the local hospitality community with a unified voice and an opportunity to tackle industry issues at the provincial and municipal level.”

Existing ORHMA regional chapters include:
• London Region
• Ottawa Region
• Simcoe County Region
• Toronto Region
• Waterloo Region
• Windsor Region

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