Colder temperatures raise hopes of northeastern businesses dependent on winter activities

After a dismally mild winter last season, businesses that rely on the patronage of snowmobilers, skiers, skaters and ice fishers are perking up as the temperatures drop this week.

The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs has opened more than 1,800 kilometres of trails this week to start the season.

Most of the groomed trails are in areas where heavy snow accumulated early on, such as Cochrane and Hearst, Sault Ste. Marie and the Muskoka region.

Kellen David said he's banking on a better winter this year.

He co-owns and manages the Westway motel in Cochrane, and says last year's mild weather was terrible for business.

He said that this year, he was booked solid for the week after Christmas and was optimistic, but a spell of warm weather put an end to that.

"With the warm spell and the bit of rain that we got, basically the whole week was a bit of a write-off with people from all around cancelling their rooms," said David.

The silver lining, he said, is the family-owned business got a break and was able to gather for the holidays and he was able spend time with his one year-old son.

However, he's hoping for a rebound in business with the trails around Cochrane just recently reopening, including part of the popular Abitibi loop.

The trails aren't yet open around Lavigne, on the western end of Lake Nipissing, where Nikki Kocmut and her husband own West Bay Cottages.

They just purchased the business in the summer of 2023 and said last year's winter season couldn't have been worse.

"It was a little bit disappointing having been born in northern Ontario, to finally move back expecting good snow and to hear from the people in West Nipissing and Lavigne that it's been the worst winter in 40 years," she said. "It was a little disheartening. We didn't get the turnout that we had hoped for, so we're looking forward to this sled season."

Kocmut said they did have to think hard about whether to keep going this winter, but bookings are already up and a cold snap is creating good conditions for ice fishing.

Even though this year looks more promising, she and her husband are considering what to do if unpredictable winters continue.

"We really were hoping to have this as a four-season operation," she said. "But time will tell. "We'll look at it at the end of this winter, come the end of February, early March, look at the numbers of what it cost us to keep the cottages open versus what we got in income, then we might have to shut it down over the winter."

That's not something she would want to do, she said, having been born in Kapuskasing and enjoying the outdoors.

She just hopes for a little more snow and said the local club is working hard to groom the trails.