Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board - Year End Report 2022-23

The Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board is committed to acknowledging, appreciating and understanding Indigenous peoples’ historic connection to this land and to raising awareness by building relationships in collaboration with Indigenous partners and communities.

We recognize and acknowledge that we are living and working on the traditional territory of the Wendat, Mississauga, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee, which includes the Kenhtè:ke Kanyen'kehá:ka (Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte), with whom we work in partnership.

We understand that this land acknowledgment is only a small step towards the larger process of reparations and reconciliation.

Our partnership focuses on the common goal of celebrating the region with the Kenhtè:ke Kanyen'kehá:ka, who are equal partners within the organization and at the Board of Directors table contributing to the mandate and operations.

This includes listening to, learning from and collaborating with the Kenhtè:ke Kanyen'kehá:ka and actively incorporating their culture and heritage into the practice of responsible destination marketing and management of the region.

THIS IS OUR YEAR END REPORT 2022-23 was another year of strong activity and new developments for the organization and our regional partnership.

As we continue to come out of COVID-19-restricted operations, we feel a sense of validation to see that visitation to the Bay of Quinte has continued to grow. National accommodations data through CBRE for 2022 showed 9% growth from 2021 but we aren’t just growing as we emerge from the pandemic, we’re also up over 3% from pre-pandemic 2019 levels. As well, we experienced very strong growth of over 50% in the Golf in Ontario program, with more than 1,700 bookings, which is practically 2 to 1 to the other destinations in Ontario. This is all great evidence that the Bay of Quinte is an area that’s landing more and more on people’s radars each year and why it’s important to continue getting our brand and our advertising out into market through a collective and regional voice.

To that end, we’re excited to have acquired four billboards in Prince Edward County and to have entered into an agreement with the Belleville Senators to brand the Gate 1 entry at the CAA Arena (among other sponsorship opportunities). Continuing to build these “Out of Home” advertising elements in high-traffic areas is one of the best ways to proliferate the BoQ brand within the region and beyond and we have plans in place to keep growing these assets in 2023-24.

Our Team was strengthened this year with the addition of Anna Fraiberg in the role of Digital Marketing Manager in the spring of 2022. In less than a year, Anna has already grown web traffic and social media followings and quickly adapted into her role, learning all of the tactics that are at her fingertips to support local small businesses and stakeholders, managing multiple writers, projects and media outlets.

We produced strong products once again through our 8th edition Discovery Guide, the return of our Bay of Quinte print map and specialized industry publications specific for trade shows all expertly crafted in-house by Jen Achilles, our Manager of Media & Design. She has also been working diligently with SNAP360 on our website redesign in the latter half of the fiscal year, which is expected to launch in 2023. It will tie our portal, tourism and living domains into one coherent site, with strong calls to action for content and driven by the brand.

From a new project perspective, Trevor Norris has worked in collaboration with Canadian experiential tourism leader, Celes Davar, and our partner staff to build out a suite of 5 immersive tourism experiences this year, one in each partner community. To date, three have launched, with the other two coming online in 2023. A three-day, in-person workshop with Celes and over 20 experience partners will help to kick off the next round of experiential tourism projects, which aims to drive visitation for products that are unique to the Bay of Quinte region.

You’ll see from this report our work to strengthen and sustain all of the marketing and management tactics that are already within the organization’s arsenal as we supported the partnership and ultimately worked together toward continued economic growth.

Dug & Team

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COPYRIGHT

2023 BAY OF QUINTE REGIONAL MARKETING BOARD

Destination Development

TREVOR NORRIS

Manages travel trade, sport tourism and meeting planning, experiential tourism, as well as product support and sales for BoQ products, including the map and Discovery Guide.

Media & Design

JEN ACHILLES Manages all BoQ design and brand touch points online and offline, including websites, guide, map, experience handbook and other visuals, along with the media portfolio.

Executive Director

DUG STEVENSON Directs and maintains the business plan and strategy, overall operations and budget, Board of Directors and partner relationships

Digital Marketing

ANNA FRAIBERG Manages day-to-day communications, including social media, blogs, digital advertising, newsletters and press releases.

Leads content strategy, consistency and the voice of BoQ

VISIT BAYOFQUINTE.CA/DISCOVERYGUIDE

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PARTNERSHIP & THE BOARD

CITY OF BELLEVILLE

CITY OF QUINTE WEST

MOHAWKS OF THE BAY OF QUINTE

TYLER ALLSOP - VICE CHAIR

EGERTON BOYCE

JOSH HILL

MUNICIPALITY OF BRIGHTON

TOWN OF GREATER NAPANEE

QUINTE HOME BUILDERS’ ASSOCIATION

RON ANDERSON

ANGELA HICKS

TONY ENGELSDORFER

CHAIR

AT-LARGE

AT-LARGE

BLAIR GAMBLE

LAURA KNEGT

JP LEMIEUX

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24

THE YEAR’S HIGHLIGHTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

08

26

FUNDING BREAKDOWN

PAID & EARNED MEDIA

10

27

REINVESTMENT & RETURN ON INVESTMENT

PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO

12

28

PROJECTS AND TACTICS

ADDITIONAL MARKETING OUTLETS

14

29

DIGITAL MARKETING

OUT OF HOME MARKETING

18

30

MARKETING GRANTS

DISCOVERY GUIDE

19

31

BIA MARKETING PROGRAM

BEST OF THE BAY

20

32

WEBSITES AND NEWSLETTERS

INDUSTRY

22

33

BLOGS

EXPERIENTIAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

06

5

HIGHLIGHTS •

2022 CBRE National Hotel Data shows BoQ region’s 61. 5 % occupancy higher than SE Ontario and our Kingston competitors

•

Growth is now 3.4% higher than pre COVID 2019 year end numbers, showing increases pre and post pandemic

•

2022 Quinte District Association of Realtors shows residential sales higher than provincial average

•

MoneySense names Quinte West the #3 place to buy real estate in Canada in 2022

•

Belleville ranks 13th on U-Haul's top 25 growth cities in Canada

•

Anna Fraiberg hired in Digital Marketing Manager position in spring 2022

•

Over $3.4 million estimated in economic spending from BoQ marketing campaigns (up over 60%)

•

More than 32,000 physical entries into conversion zones after clicks/views of BoQ digital ads

•

Over 5,600 website referrals to partners and stakeholders from BoQ ads

•

Over $150,000 provided in community marketing supports, grants and sponsorships

•

Over $55,000 in marketing grants awarded to 26 projects

•

EDCO Award nomination in their Innovation in Community Resiliency category for our BIA Marketing Support Program

•

Over $40,000 in marketing support provided to Belleville and Quinte West downtowns to build marketing reach and tactics

•

Experiential Tourism project with Celes Davar developing 5 experiences, with 3 bookable experiences in market in 2022

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•

Second Best of the Bay campaign celebrated local business with over 2,000 entries voting on more than 70 categories

•

Over 1,700 rounds of golf sold via Golf in Ontario program, resulting in estimated economic activity over $480,000 (50% growth)

•

Almost 500,000 in combined web traffic

•

3% social media growth on our audience of over 50,000

•

Addition of TikTok account to our social media arsenal, with 100 followers in year one

•

1.9 million impressions and over 42,000 engagements on paid media placements

•

4 influencer trips, creating over 130 content pieces on social, netting over 400,000 impressions and more than 12,000 engagements

•

4 billboards acquired in PEC

•

Branded wrap at Gate 1 of the CAA Arena

•

Return of the Bay of Quinte Discovery Map, printing 50,000 copies and distributing across the region

•

Successful Canada Summer Jobs application

•

45 blogs published

•

27 locations photographed/videoed for use by partners and stakeholders

•

Over 13 million impressions and 10,000 clicks from third party advertising

•

Inaugural Student Photography Contest garnered more than 150 photo entries from students ages 7 to 14

•

$308,106 direct investment in BoQ partner communities

RECOGNITION EDCO Award nomination in their Innovation in Community Resiliency category for our BIA Marketing Support Program 7

FUNDING

APRIL 2022 — MARCH 2023

$875,937 TOTAL CITY OF BELLEVILLE MAT $586,926 CITY OF QUINTE WEST MAT $124,625 CITY OF QUINTE WEST PER CAPITA $67,544 IN-HOUSE SALES $35,250 TOWN OF GREATER NAPANEE PER CAPITA $24,632 MUNICIPALITY OF BRIGHTON PER CAPITA $18,358 QUINTE HOME BUILDERS’ ASSOCIATION $5,000 TRAVEL TRADE PARTNERS $5,000 SERVICE CANADA FUNDING $4,690 MOHAWKS OF THE BAY OF QUINTE PER CAPITA $3,912

8

• MAT = Municipal Accommodation Tax - Provincial legislation states that MAT funds must be used for tourism purposes only - BoQ RMB receives 50% of MAT funds from the communities of Belleville and Quinte West • Per Capita = $1.55 per resident in each partner community - Per capita funds allow us to continue to fulfill our resident attraction mandate

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MEASURABLE

RETURN ON INVESTMENT • Over $322 million in total estimated overnight spending = +9% growth • Over 5.2 million campaign impressions • Over 32,805 physical entries to conversion zones (+49%) • Over 5,645 referrals to partner/small business websites (+6.5%) • $480,000 in overnight golf package economic activity (>+50) • $308,106 direct investment in BoQ partner communities • Over $3.44 million in estimated spending from BoQ RMB digital marketing campaigns (+62%) 10

DIRECT

BoQ INVESTMENT Marketing and event funding to City initiatives Small Businesses Marketing Grants & Supports BIA marketing program

$70,277 $76,611 $35,783

TOTAL DIRECT BoQ RMB investments (32% of funding dollars reinvested)

$182,621

12 Marketing Grants Awarded Experience Development Grants and Content Contributions to City Marketing BIA Marketing Support Program 2024 Soccer Canada Nationals support Event Sponsorship in Quinte West Golf Photography & Video (Bay of Quinte GC)

$18,630 $15,000 $12,073 $8,207 $5,000 $2,500 $1,250

TOTAL DIRECT BoQ RMB investments (34% of funding dollars reinvested)

$63,660

Experience Development Grants 4 Marketing Grants Awarded Chamber of Commerce Marketing Supports

$15,000 $6,100 $1,725

TOTAL DIRECT BoQ RMB reinvestments (93% of funding dollars reinvested)

$22,825

Experience Development Grants & Supports BIA Marketing Grant (website development) Golf Photography & Video (Timber Ridge)

$15,000 $2,500 $1,250

TOTAL DIRECT BoQ RMB reinvestments (102% of funding dollars reinvested)

$18,750

Experience Development Grants & Supports Bay of Quinte Marketing Grants Golf Photography & Video (Briar Fox)

$15,000 $4,000 $1,250

TOTAL DIRECT BoQ RMB investments (517% of funding dollars reinvested)

$20,250

TOTAL REINVESTMENT TO PARTNERS $308,106 (35% of total budget) 11

PROJECTS

& TACTICS

12

PROGRAMMATIC ADVERTISING DISCOVERY GUIDE BAYOFQUINTE.CA BAYOFQUINTE.CA/TOURISM BAYOFQUINTE.CA/LIVING BAYOFQUINTE.CA/JOBS

IMMIGRATION.BAYOFQUINTE.CA INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER CONSUMER NEWSLETTER FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER YOUTUBE PINTEREST LINKEDIN TIKTOK TRIPADVISOR BoQ MERCHANDISE

BoQ MARKETING GRANTS TOURISM & LIVING BLOGS PAID MEDIA EARNED MEDIA GOOGLE ADWORDS BoQ TV DIGITAL DISCOVERY MAP RADIO OVERNIGHT PACKAGES 401 SIGNAGE BEST OF THE BAY EXPERIENCE FACILITATION SPORTS GOLF IN ONTARIO TRAVEL TRADE, CORPORATE & EVENTS PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO MARKETING GRANTS DIGITAL KIOSKS BIA MARKETING & SUPPORT PROGRAM BILLBOARDS & OUT OF HOME STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 13

DIGITAL MARKETING (OVER 15 MILLION TOTAL IMPRESSIONS ACROSS CAMPAIGNS)

TAKE A DRIVE, MEET US HERE was our “always on” campaign RESULTS: • Over 3.2 million impressions • More than 32,000 physical entries to conversion zones • Resulting in estimated spending of more than $3.4 million dollars from Bay of Quinte advertising 14

GET OUT OF THE HOUSE Campaign Visitors who booked a minimum of 2 nights AND stay during promotion period (Jan. 1 - Mar. 31, 2023) at a qualified accommodations partner in Belleville or Quinte West will receive ONE $50 Shell gas card upon check in.

Results: • 196 room nights booked • Total estimated economic impact = $64,217 • CBRE data up 12.9% over the booking period vs 2022

RESULTS: • 196 room nights booked • Total estimated economic impact = $64,217 • CBRE data up 12.9% over the booking period vs 2022

3rd PARTY ADS that run regularly on other organizations’ websites and typically drive to a blog post or piece of content on the Bay of Quinte site.

RESULTS: • Over 13.8 million impressions and 10,800 clicks across platforms •

33% of bayofquinte.ca referrals came from these ads

15

Over 1,700 rounds booked through the Golf in Ontario program, worth an estimated $480,000 in total spending.

PHOTOGRAPH OF BLACK BEAR RIDGE GOLF COURSE BY JUSTEN SOULE

The Bay of Quinte marketing grants provide 100% funding to organizations within the partner communities for the purposes of marketing. Organizations must apply and are evaluated by a team consisting of partnership staff. Successful organizations work in collaboration with staff from BoQ RMB and their partner community to develop and implement their project so there is full support and collaboration to foster success.

RESULTS: • Over $55,000 awarded to 30 grant recipients for product development, website development, photography, video, branding, social media, and other digital marketing initiatives • Grants from $500 - $2,500 in the categories of digital marketing, photography/video, events, experience development and signage • Over $150,000 awarded to more than 80 projects since the programs’ inception

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BIA funding and support provides dollars and staff time for the purposes of marketing development and capacity building.

We provide up to 10% of a community partner’s MAT to their BIA (currently Belleville and Quinte West).

• Over $35,000 provided to the Belleville Downtown District for artwork and omni channel marketing, content, and event + installation activations • Over $8,000 provided to the Downtown Trenton BIA for marketing management and strategy, photography, video, social media marketing campaigns, print, signage, and web development • Marketing operations support was also provided over several months to downtown Napanee at the request of municipal staff after their BIA was disbanded by Council

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THE WEBSITES (OVER 446,000 TOTAL TRAFFIC)

bayofquinte.ca/tourism

bayofquinte.ca

bayofquinte.ca/living

WELCOME PORTAL

immigration.bayofquinte.ca

quintejobs.ca

NEW DESIGN COMING SOON! Work on a new website design began in early 2023 which will launch later in the year and be more representative of the BoQ brand. It will put our colour palette and icons front and centre, and take a less is more approach with respect to content — meaning more visuals and less text for increased breathing space.

We will also emphasize linking out to our funding partners and regional stakeholders.

The Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board is committed to acknowledging, appreciating and understanding Indigenous peoples’ historic connection to this land and to raising awareness by building relationships in collaboration with Indigenous partners and communities.

We recognize and acknowledge that we are living and working on the traditional territory of the Wendat, Mississauga, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee, which includes the Kenhtè:ke Kanyen'kehá:ka (Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte), with whom we work in partnership.

This partnership focuses on the common goal of celebrating the region with the Kenhtè:ke Kanyen'kehá:ka, who are equal partners within the organization and at the Board of Directors table contributing to the mandate and operations.

This mandate includes listening to, learning from and collaborating with the Kenhtè:ke Kanyen'kehá:ka and actively incorporating their culture and heritage into the practice of responsible destination marketing and management of the region.

We understand that this land acknowledgment is only a small step towards the larger process of reparations and reconciliation.

20

NEWSLETTERS (OVER 7,000 NEW SUBSCRIBERS = +200% GROWTH FROM LAST YEAR)

Consumer

Industry

Communicates new content, promotions, events and other noteworthy updates for visitors.

Communicates funding, education opportunities and other business related content.

RESULTS: • Audience dropped from 10,600 to 8,488; we are noticing many who signed up for contests and giveaways are now unsubscribing • Even though more people unsubscribed, the audience is more engaged with over 31% open rate and over 6% click rate, compared to 24% open rate and 5% click rate the year before, all above industry standard • 22 newsletters were sent with over 52,000 opens — over 20,000 more opens than the year before

RESULTS: • The avg. open rate has grown from 24.8% to 29% and avg click through rate up to 5% from 3.6% the year before, showing our audience is more engaged

21

THE BLOGS (A TOTAL OF 45 BLOGS PUBLISHED THIS YEAR)

TOURISM 22

LIVING 23

SOCIAL MEDIA

(WEEKLY COMMUNICATION TO OUR NETWORK UP 3% WITH OVER 64,000 FOLLOWERS)

24

31,000+ FOLLOWERS 13,000+ FOLLOWERS 9,578+ FOLLOWERS 300+ FOLLOWERS 300+ FOLLOWERS 300+ FOLLOWERS 19 FOLLOWERS 8,488+ TOURISM 1,587+ INDUSTRY

25

PAID

& EARNED MEDIA

•

• •

•

•

26

5 media hits, including a Toronto Star piece about City of Belleville and a Canadian Geographic piece about Presqu’ile Provincial Park. Total media hit reach was 6.6 million impressions 4 influencers covered the region, creating 127 content pieces on Facebook and Instagram, and netting over 400,000 impressions and more than 12,000 engagements Published 4 stories through Post Media that primarily target a digital audience with the added bonus of one print property per piece (this year print pieces were featured in The National Post, Belleville Intelligencer and Kingston Whig Standard). Digital targeting had over 686,000 impressions and over 18,400 clicks Started publishing sponsored content with Kingstonist to build awareness and attract the Kingston demographic. 4 articles were published, collectively reaching over 57,000 on their social platforms and ready by over 8,200 on their website.

Published 4 spreads with regional content in the Brighton Beacon, a local magazine that prints 5,700 per issue with a digital version available 2023

(OVER 50 LOCATIONS CAPTURED ACROSS THE REGION FOR PARTNER USE)

VIDEO

PHOTOGRAPHY &

STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

• •

•

• • •

42 participants from across the region with over 150 photos submitted Partnered with Quinte Arts Council to feature the winning photos in a gallery show throughout the month of February, with an opening reception to present awards Quinte West Public Library gave space to display the Quinte West winners throughout the month of February 10 winners received a digital camera 9 x 2nd place winners received $50 cash All winners got to take their framed photo home to keep

27

ADDITIONAL OUTLETS DIGITAL DISCOVERY MAP • • • • • •

BoQTV

•

Available on desktop and mobile at: bayofquinte.ca/explore 12 tourism-related categories TripAdvisor ratings built in to help drive exploration Filter by category and/or location Listing information automatically pulls from Google My Business Discover business information, location, hours of operation and read user reviews Create and email yourself custom travel itineraries and maps in three easy steps

RADIO •Weekly local radio call-ins from May to September

CALENDAR OF EVENTS LISTINGS

(9 STRATEGICALLY LOCATED TV’S PLAYING SEASONAL LOOPED MESSAGING)

•Campaign specific out of market radio during the shoulderseasons

SUMMER HOTEL UPDATES

• •

28

Sent weekly throughout July and August to accommodations partners to support visitor services Customized for each community

25

OUT OF HOME (ADDITIONAL VISUAL BRAND MARKS AND ADVERTISING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY)

• • • • •

4x 401 Highway signs. 2 eastbound, 2 westbound in French and English 4x billboards in Prince Edward County were acquired, rented monthly from Stellar Outdoor. 2 southbound and 2 northbound on Hwy 62 2x bus shelter ads at the high traffic corner of College/Sydney in the City of Belleville rotate ads each quarter A large Bay of Quinte storefront banner in the Quinte Mall, 9ft x 18ft A branded wrap of Gate 1 at the CAA Arena, home of the Belleville Senators 29

DISCOVERY GUIDE (88 PAGES OF LOCAL STORIES, PARTNER FEATURES AND VISITOR INFORMATION)

• 20,000 soft cover print run (lower than initially planned as a result of ever increasing print prices) • Distribution to target markets: East GTA, Ottawa, Kingston plus strong local/PEC distribution • Driver of digital content and earned media • $35,250 in ad sales 30

BEST OF THE BAY

(RESIDENTS VOTING FOR FAVOURITE LOCAL BUSINESSES ACROSS OVER 70 CATEGORIES)

•

Over 2,000 entries

•

Over 70 winners, all receiving a decal for their window/location

•

Strong earned media from organizations posting about their win/their decals on their social channels

•

Grand prize winner won $1,000 to spend at winning locations

•

6-week local radio and digital campaigns

•

Excellent engagement across all social platforms during this campaign, with Strong clicks through to the corresponding website page 31

INDUSTRY

(WORKING TO IDENTIFY AND ATTRACT THE IDEAL GUESTS TO OUR REGION)

Stay & Play Golf Packages with the Golf in Ontario •

Program resulted in over 1,700 rounds booked and over 480,000 in estimated economic activity — almost 2 to 1 sales compared to other destinations in Ontario

Canadian Meetings and Events Expo: August 2022, Toronto • •

Staff attended the Canadian Meetings and Events Expo in Toronto, Canada’s preeminent event for the corporate travel market Met with over 100 corporate travel operators over 2 days, with multiple FAMs booked as follow-ups for potential corporate retreats

Destination Ontario Virtual Travel Trade Mission: Quebec Agencies •

•

•

Staff participated in this 3-day mission with Receptive Tour Operators (RTO’s) and Travel Trade Agencies in Quebec to pitch new and existing assets, experiences and to propose new itineraries Companies included Jonview Canada, Toundrigo (Toundra, Windigo, Parcours Canada, Receptour Canada, Think Incentive), Gendron, Misa Tours International, Sentiers Prives, Global Tourism, Groupe Voyages Quebec, Velo Quebec Itineraries in development: ▪ Toundrigo 2-3 nights/week itineraries with accommodators H2O Getaways and wine tours to PEC with accommodations on the north shore ▪ Groupe Voyages Quebec 4 day itineraries staying in Belleville hotels then hub and spoke to Sandbanks beach and Kingston ▪ Global Tourisme 3-4 day and week itineraries in East Ontario for FITs ▪ Glendron golf and wine package for U.S. clients ▪ Velo Quebec BOQ.BIKE custom cycling tours

Additional Industry events attended •

Impact 2023: Sustainability Travel & Tourism: January 2023, Victoria

▪

•

Destination Bike: Cycle Tourism Conference Canada: March 2023, Toronto

▪

32

2023 specifically centred around exploring how the travel industry can rebuild with the intention to create a legacy for regenerative tourism in Canada Focusing on the latest trends and opportunities relating to one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors in Canada, and worldwide: cycle tourism

EXPERIENTIAL (HELPING BUSINESSES CRAFT MEMORABLE AND IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE PRODUCTS)

• Reengaged leading Canadian experiential tourism consultant Celes Davar, of Earth Rhythms to continue with co-developing our BoQ Crafting Experiences Program, developing one experience in each of our partner communities • Funding these experiences with $5,000 product development cash + photography & videography support • 3 BoQ-developed experiences expected to be in market for 2023 (Glanmore NHS's "Toymaker Time Machine”, Kenhteke Seed Sanctuary's "Reconnecting One Seed at a Time" and Wynn Farms' "Field To Vase”) with another 2 in development • Work has begun on year 2 of the program with 5 new experience partners chosen and another 7 applicants (22 applications total) invited and started on the training • Development of a 3 day in person Workshop in collaboration with Celes Davar 33

11 Bay Bridge Road, Suite 114 Belleville, Ontario K8P 3P6 613-968-4427 info@bayofquinte.ca