A week of news from cottage country
There's growing interest in turning Muskoka into a Hamptons-style destination.
I spent the last week or so working from Muskoka and feel like there’s enough going on up there to justify a standalone section today: the through line I’m noticing is an interest in commercializing the area to make it more of a Hamptons-style destination.
A Summer House-inspired reality TV show is moving ahead with production later this month. I’ve made contact with the show’s producer and will have more intel on this in coming weeks. I’m also told Netflix is filming up there right now.
Linking downtown with cottage country is a top priority. There are signs lining highway 400 promising the return of the Northlander train, meanwhile the airport says its trying to convince two unnamed commercial airlines to service the region.
Porter cancelled flights from Billy Bishop to Muskoka in 2023 after just four years, leaving private companies like Cottage Air and FLYGTA to fill the gap.
Ritz-Carleton Residences is building 32 homes on a private island in Lake of Bays. They are marketing to buyers in Toronto, New York, Chicago and London.
Locals are upset about a proposed resort in Gravenhurst. Cliff Bay is looking to build hotels, shops, restaurants, and a Scandinave Spa. New developments are trying to create year-round destinations to win against the short summer season.
Katherine Homuth is selling memberships to hang out at her cottage. Three months after a dramatic departure from Sheertex, the company she founded in 2017, Homuth has found a new target for her LinkedIn attacks: the township of Muskoka, which rejected her business proposal for a family-oriented day camp called Sunday House (she says she is running it anyway). It costs $750 a person to access activities, food and drinks on eight summer Sundays. It’s a nice idea, but if your genuine goal is to become “friends” with your neighbours, charging them to come to your home is a pretty funny way to do it.
Most of you probably know this but Othership started as a free backyard hang that only started taking donations as the community grew. Now they have three locations across Toronto and New York and charge $60 a class, which people happily pay. That’s how you build a community! There’s nothing wrong with launching quietly as you figure out demand (and legality) if you’re already committed to losing money. Meanwhile just let the buzz build!
The website looks great though!
Doug Ford will host Canadian premiers at Deerhurst Resort in late July.
This isn’t news but the summer selection at Muse in Port Carling is incredible. If you’re in the area stop by Health Hut and York & Mason too.
What am I missing? Let be know by writing in here.
What will the Bezos-Sánchez haters do on Amazon Prime Day, I wonder.
Good luck to everybody going to Coldplay this week. Live Nation is “making adjustments” to improve crowd control at the new Rogers Stadium after some fans were stuck at the venue for two hours after last week’s Stray Kids concert.
Ottawa is getting Canada’s first (maybe last) Hard Rock hotel this month.
Wine menus are about to get more interesting. As Canadian importers turn away from American wines, orders from Argentina, France, and China piling up.
Companies are telling applicants to get ready to grind. As the unemployment rate rises, workers are losing some of their power in the labour market: Shopify is hiring a product manager who can “keep up with an unrelenting pace” and Rilla is telling applicants “please don’t join” unless they’re eager work 70 hours a week in person. It’s worth nothing you’d probably learn a lot and make a very high salary.
I am pretty excited about Black + Blue’s Summerlicious lunch menu.
Canada has one the highest percentages of millionaires. According to UBS, 6.3% of the adult population are now millionaires, compared to 8.5% in the U.S.
Lululemon is suing Costo for selling dupes of its leggings and now everyone wants them. At a time when shoppers are so openly embracing dupes, telling the world where to buy comparable leggings at 25% of the price is not a good idea. In other news, I loved seeing the new Wimbledon kits on Leylah Fernandez, Frances Tiafoe and Ethan Quinn but am not supportive of their pleather bag experiment.
The world is still trying to figure out whether Drake has fake abs.
The Stampede feels like a cross between Dealbook and Coachella. I love how all the Calgary influencers, the Prime Minister, and the CEOs of every major oil company are all just hanging out in the same place this week. It’s beautiful. 💙
Homuth charging people to visit her cottage is so tacky!