4 Friday, January 14, 2022 brooklintowncrier.com For years, the Wilkinson family had skied at Sir Sam's ski hill at Eagle Lake, Ontario, just over two hours from Brooklin. With a nearby cottage, it was the ideal location to participate in winter activities. So when Doug Wilkinson learned that the Bishop family which owned the facility was selling it, he decided to jump in. He bought it. "Like any other business," he says, "there's a learning curve. It's about the team and the product so those elements were mostly already in place." After decades of the Bishops owning the facility, it needed some sprucing up, most of it modernizing the kitchen and dining facilities and the chalet, to the tune of $300,000. One goal was to make it a viable place for events like weddings. Its liquor licence now allows for 700 guests and the indoor dining and patio can seat as many as 250. Local support What surprised Doug, an accountant and partner at Deloitte, was the community support. "Yes, that surprised me. Everyone's been so welcoming and super enthusiastic." Still, though obviously good with numbers, his new business is facing many of the same challenges others in times of Covid face: staffing. "It's been tough finding young people who want to work here. We're offering perks like season ski passes and we're paying more than the minimum wage." Nevertheless, the surroundings and the grounds themselves offer lots of potential. Though it was not something he'd been engaged with before, Wilkinson is excited about his plans for making it an event centre and possibly hosting bike camps and the like. He's partnered with local inns, like the Sir Sam's Inn, as well as AirBNBs, offering special packages. This new business venture has highlighted a few things. "The area is not as coordinated as it could be," he says, "and there is lots of potential to do more. The hill is a draw for people and we need to take advantage of it." This is true even in the summer months when 23 km of trails are available for biking and hiking and the hill's surface lift is open. Meanwhile, work on the improvements continue under the new Wilkinson ownership banner. Sir Sam's Ski Hill Has Brooklin Owners Kim and Doug Wilkinson