NIPIGON — Starting next year, travellers along the Trans-Canada Highway could see some new signage promoting specific tourism spots in Nipigon.
The township is undergoing an updating of all of its marketing and advertising materials, based on a recent consultant’s review, said Lars Moffatt, the municipality’s chief administrative officer. That includes wayfinding signage in town and along Highway 11-17.
“We do have some signs in town that direct people to various locations, but we have a number as well on the highway, but some aren't action based,” he told Newswatch.
“We're looking at creating action-based items, so for example, instead of just having a photo of Nipigon, it would be an action-based (sign) to go to the lookout or to go downtown.”
Moffatt said the existing highway-side signage likely dates back about a decade.
He said the first order of business is to change and upgrade the signs that are already in place on the highway, but the township may take a closer look at where they’re placed and could add more.
“Looking at other locations that they could be placed, that's a bit of a lengthier process,” Moffatt said. “Sometimes you have to get approval from the (Ministry of Transportation) but taking a look at where those are located and maybe changing those up a bit so that we're getting best value for (our) dollar.”
Highlighting and marketing the community’s amenities to tourists travelling through the Northwest is important, he said, adding that such work is part of Nipigon’s strategic plan.
“It's just to encourage people to stop in our community and continue to support our businesses, including the accommodations (and) people downtown,” Moffatt said.
“We just want to be able to support everybody across the board to make sure that they're successful.”
Replacement of the existing signs is being targeted for 2026, he said.
Moffatt added there’s no finalized costs yet, as “we're waiting to finalize what they're going to look like to make sure that they align with our strategy of how we want to bring people into town and direct people on the highway.”
“Then, we'll get into the finances and compile quotes.”