June 2018

202 203 BRACEBRIDGE, ONTARIO THE HEART OF MUSKOKA many of the smaller, surrounding communities. Recently, Business View Magazine spoke with three representatives of the town’s government: Mayor Graydon Smith; Manager of Economic Development, Randy Mattice; and Chief Ad- ministrative Officer, John Sisson, to find out what is happen- ing in modern day Bracebridge. The following is an edited transcript of that conversation. BVM: Mayor Smith, can you speak about the highlights of life in Bracebridge and its role as a tourism and economic B racebridge is a town of approximately 16,000 in the Muskoka region of Ontar- io, Canada. Due to its proximity to Lake Muskoka, to which it is connected by six miles of the Muskoka River, and by the promise of abundant water power afforded by an impres- sive waterfall in the center of town, the area was first settled in the 1860s by entrepreneurs who wished to take advantage of the Falls to power their factories. By 1870, the village of Bracebridge had a population of about 400. It became a town in 1889, and the first in Ontario to have its own hydro generating station. Today, Bracebridge is the seat of the regional government, a center of tourism for the Muskoka area, and a transportation and economic hub for AT A GLANCE BRACEBRIDGE, ONTARIO WHAT: A town of 16,000 WHERE: The Muskoka region of Ontario, Canada WEBSITE: www.bracebridge.ca/ en/index.aspx Ontario Bracebridge,