Township of Lake of Bays seeks public input on its draft Municipal Accommodation Tax

Following feedback from public consultation and recommendations from an advisory group which included local accommodation providers, a new draft Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) By-law has been released for public review and input.

The MAT Task Force, an advisory group formed earlier this year, met throughout the summer and has provided recommendations to address feedback received from accommodation providers as well as 179 survey responses to the original draft program.

Key Recommendations from the Task Force:

• Establishing an independent, Lake of Bays-specific not-for-profit as the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), mandated to manage half of MAT funds for tourism promotion and report on spending.
• Developing a Tourism Strategy to guide the use of MAT revenues and provide a framework for ensuring transparency and long-term planning.

If approved, the new DMO will be led by a board of local accommodators and tourism representatives, ensuring that local tourism operators have a direct voice in setting spending priorities.

“By creating a Lake of Bays tourism organization led by local operators, we’re keeping decisions close to home. This way, the funds collected for tourism promotion will be in the hands of the people who know this area and its tourism needs best,” said Morgan Lonsdale, Economic Development Officer, Township of Lake of Bays. “We’ve worked closely with our community to shape this updated draft and are grateful to everyone who got involved.”

Council is scheduled to consider the draft program at its meeting on October 14, 2025, and may approve the implementation of the MAT program. If approved, collection would begin in January 2026.

The public is invited to read the draft documents and share their comments by 4:00 p.m. on October 13, 2025, at: lakeofbays.on.ca/mat.

From the Township of Lake of Bays

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