Minister Greg Rickford Celebrates with Red Lake
RED LAKE, ON – The Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre and Science North are collaborating once again to bring new visitor experiences to the Red Lake community. As a major tourist attraction and tourism driver for the North, Science North is interested in expanding its reach in Northern Ontario. Thanks to an investment by Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor), Northern Nature Trading experiences will be installed in six Northern Ontario attractions. Minister Rickford was on hand, to officially open the first one, located at the Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre.
“Our Government is proud to have invested in this new visitor experience to enhance tourism and educational activities in Red Lake and across the region,” said the Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor). “We’re pleased to support the efforts of tourism operators working together to further position Northern Ontario as a destination of choice for travelers.”
“The Northern Nature Trading experience is based on a model that currently exists at Dynamic Earth through the Rockhound Lab and at Science North through the Nature Exchange,” said Guy Labine, Science North CEO. “I would like to thank the federal government for their investment in this exciting initiative. This project allows our science centre to strengthen existing relationships, and build new ones, with important partner attractions across the North. Our end goal is to create a new visitor experience at these attractions that encourages first-time and repeat visitation to each attraction.”
Science North and the Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre have a successful history of working together. In 2011, the Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre commissioned Science North to produce several custom media shows – Flying Up, Welcome to Red Lake, Fairwind’s Drum, Hardrock Living – which explore the unique, fascinating and earthy culture of northwestern Ontario.
Visitors to the Northern Nature Trading experience in Red Lake are encouraged to bring in their own items from nature and trade for other natural items that can be found in the constantly changing collection at the centre, which may feature items such as:
- shells – augers, cowry, olive, periwinkle
- rocks and polished stones – agate, amethyst, garnet, jasper, sodalite, tiger eye
- plant parts – cones, acorns, driftwood, twigs, pressed leaves and flower petals
- fossils – amber, ammonite, nautiloids, shark teeth
The goal of each Northern Nature Trading experience is to motivate people of all ages to be inspired with the science in the world around them. Learning as much information as they can about a particular item, and sharing that information with the staff will give visitors the opportunity to rack up points. The points can then be used to add new items to their own collection, or banked for use at a later date.
“The Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre appreciates and welcomes Science North’s support for increasing visitor experiences in the North. The installation of the Northern Nature Trading experience in Red Lake is an important step in growing the appeal to visitors and remaining an important tourism engine for the Red Lake Region. It also provides our centre with a valuable opportunity when it comes to educating students and the general public about the natural heritage of our area. We applaud Minister Rickford’s support for this partnership and thank FedNor for their generosity,” said Lise Treau de Coeli, Director/Curator, Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre.
Mayor of Red Lake Phil Vinet added, “The Municipality of Red Lake appreciates the efforts of Science North, supported by the Federal government to boost tourism in the North. The partnership between the Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre and Science North is a solid example of great collaborations and partnerships”.
Science North currently has more than 50,000 registered Traders. Future locations of additional Northern Nature Trading experiences will be announced at a later date.
