Marr Consulting Services

Sample Projects

To provide you with some insight into the types of consulting services at which Marr Consulting Services excels, here is a sampling of current and completed projects in the areas of tourism, active transportation and environmental consulting.

Current Projects

Sustainable Tourism Toolkit for the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC). In this project, Marr Consulting is developing practical and concrete tools for the tourism industry, especially small and medium enterprises, to help integrate sustainability into their products, services and operations. The Toolkit will build on TIAC’s Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Sustainable Tourism established in 2005.

Best Practices Missions for Travel Manitoba. Marr Consulting is developing, designing and implementing a series of best practices missions focused on the areas of Aboriginal tourism, winter festivals and birding. These missions combine inspiration with practical learning, which can be applied by the participants to their individual situations.

Development of website content for Rivers West. Marr Consulting is developing a web-based portrayal of select values that contributed to the Red River’s designation as a Canadian Heritage River and identifying sites for visitors to experience those values first-hand today.

Park Districts Service Fees Project for Manitoba Conservation, Parks and Natural Areas Branch. Marr Consulting currently acts as lead consultant on all public consultation aspects for the Park Districts Service Fees Project, Phases 1 and 2. Tasks include working closely with the overall Project Manager from Deloitte, developing a comprehensive participation plan, and responsibility for implementation.

Pointe du Bois Dam Modernization Project and Slave Falls Tramway Conversion for Manitoba Hydro. Marr Consulting holds the position of recreation and tourism specialist as part of a team focusing on recreation and tourism for the Pointe du Bois EIS project on the Winnipeg River. Previous projects for Manitoba Hydro have included preparation of the Split Lake Transmission Complex Environmental Protection Plan, and Project Manager of the Site Selection and Environmental Assessment Study for the Split Lake Transmission Line Project. Ruth Marr was also the Biophysical Team Manager for the Winnipeg-Brandon Transmission Complex for Manitoba Hydro.

Cycling Master Plan for the Haliburton Highlands Cycling Coalition in Haliburton County, Ontario. In this collaborative project, Marr Consulting is working with the Coalition to develop a comprehensive Cycling Master Plan that will provide a framework for the integration of cycling into transportation planning for Haliburton County. Project components include assessing existing conditions, establishing cycling participation levels and interest; consulting with key stakeholders, decision makers and the community at large, developing a proposed cycling network, preparing an implementation strategy and project report, and assisting in the preparation of the Cycling Master Plan.

Active Transportation Plan for the Town of Fort Frances, Ontario. Marr Consulting is working as an Active Transportation specialist with the Fort Frances team to develop an active transportation plan, including public consultation activities.

Completed Projects

Tourism

Fly-fishing workshop and international market evaluation for Travel Manitoba. Marr Consulting designed and delivered a fly-fishing workshop, and evaluated the opportunity to market Manitoba as a fly-fishing destination to international tour operators.

“Celebrate Winter” Task Force facilitation for The Forks Renewal Corporation and Festival du Voyageur. Marr Consulting took the lead, working with Meyers, Norris Penny, to facilitate a “Celebrate Winter” Task Force. Other responsibilities included guiding the process, preparing information for discussion, conducting research, and writing a final report. The Task Force looked at building on The Forks winter programming and the Festival du Voyageur by expanding the activities and programs offered in an effort to have Winnipeg recognized as a city that celebrates winter.

Tourism Packaging Capacity Project for Festival du Voyageur. On behalf of CDEM, Marr Consulting was Project Manager for Festival du Voyageur’s Tourism Packaging Capacity Project. Duties included assessing existing challenges and opportunities, preparing a plan on how to create future packages and identifying packaging ideas.

Recreation and tourism specialist on Pointe du Bois dam modernization project and Slave Falls Tramway Conversion project for Manitoba Hydro. Marr Consulting holds the position of recreation and tourism specialist as part of a team focusing on recreation and tourism for the Pointe du Bois EIS project. The dam modernization project is a major rebuild of an existing dam in southern Manitoba and requires an extensive environmental impact statement, as well as both federal and provincial regulatory review.

Churchill Research Range and Environs Tourism Feasibility Study for Manitoba Conservation Parks and Natural Areas Branch. Marr Consulting worked with landscape architects Scatliff+Miller+Murray Inc. as lead consultant for this study, which resulted in a comprehensive conceptual development plan for the Rocket Range site and surrounding tourism nodes in the north end of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area.

Tourism marketing consultant for Destination Churchill. Marr Consulting acts as a tourism marketing consultant for this new marketing group of tour operators, accommodations, and other suppliers.

Project management and strategic direction for Rivers West. Marr Consulting provides project leadership and has undertaken strategic thinking to best understand and evaluate tourism opportunities and constraints in the Red River Valley from Emerson to Lake Winnipeg. Additionally, Marr developed tour and travel itineraries www.routesonthered.ca/itineraries.asp for exploration of the Red River Valley, using themes such as the fur trade, patterns of settlement, the natural environment, First Nations peoples, arts and literature. Commercial packages www.routesonthered.ca/travelpackages.asp have also been developed for Rivers West, working with a variety of tourism attractions, suppliers and small businesses. Additionally, a packaging workshop was created, with ongoing dates of delivery, for tourism suppliers and entrepreneurs in the Red River Valley with scheduled follow-up and post-workshop mentoring.

Conference design and facilitation for the Assiniboine Development Corridor Inc. This one-day event examined the experience of Rivers West as a model, solidified organizational goals and objectives, and prioritized key project areas for an action plan. Previous meetings and workshops had also assisted in the creation of the organization and in strategic planning.

Eco-tourism Feasibility Study for the Fox Lake Cree Nation. Marr Consulting conducted this study to identify the eco-tourism potential in the Fox Lake Cree Nation Traditional Use Area. The study investigated potential tourism opportunities and identified constraints and obstacles, which must be overcome if an eco-tourism venture is to succeed.

Best Practices in Provincial/Territorial and Destination Marketing, Organizations and their relationships with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises for the Economic Planning Group. Marr Consulting worked on this Canadian Tourism Commission project to investigate best practices as described above.

Market profile of Canadian Badlands visitors for Travel Alberta and Alberta Economic Development. Marr Consulting conducted a market profile, including an analysis of the region’s tourism products.

Marr Consulting was sub-contracted by Bhudak Consultants Ltd to develop the risk management procedures for bicycle touring for the COTA group insurance program.

For Northwest Community Futures Development Corporation, Marr Consulting provided project management and strategic guidance for the development of printed marketing materials, trade shows, as well as product packaging assistance.

Outdoor Adventure Guide for Travel Manitoba. Marr Consulting developed and edited the 2006-2007 Outdoor Adventure Guide, which involved re-focusing and re-organizing, as well as rewriting this marketing piece.

Tourism workshop delivery for Travel Manitoba. Marr Consulting developed and facilitated a tourism product development workshop in the Rossburn Sub-division section of the Trans-Canada Trail. This workshop was subsequently expanded and offered to other trail associations.

Research and writing for H.N. Westdal & Associates. Marr Consulting researched and wrote the appendix for the 2003 Discussion Paper on the Manitoba Aboriginal Tourism Strategy. The nature and position of Aboriginal tourism in all other jurisdictions across Canada were identified in this appendix.

Active Transportation

Active Transportation Study for the City of Winnipeg. This study updated and expanded on the Winnipeg Bicycle Facilities Study, also completed by Marr Consulting. This project involved extensive public consultation, evaluated existing infrastructure, identified best practices, made recommendations regarding priorities for future facilities, including identifying their costs and benefits, as well as programming/policy initiatives, and developed a prioritized implementation plan.

Bicycling Study for the State of North Dakota, Departments of Transportation and Parks and Tourism. Marr Consulting acted as project manager, bicycle resource specialist, and provided public consultation services for this study, which resulted in a state-wide bicycle plan. The study reviewed existing facilities and developed a plan for recreational, commuter and tourism cycling across the state, as well as policies and programs.

Winnipeg Bicycle Facilities Study (1993) for the City of Winnipeg. Marr Consulting acted as project manager of this planning study to compile an inventory of bicycle facilities in Winnipeg and identify opportunities and priorities for new facilities development.

Environmental Consulting

Monitoring report for the Canadian Heritage River System. Marr Consulting prepared the monitoring report on the Seal River for 1992-2006 (administered by Manitoba Conservation, Parks and Natural Areas Branch).

EIS public consultation for the City of Winnipeg, Department of Streets and Transportation. Marr Consulting undertook the position of Project Manager for a public consultation program for the River Heights/Crescentwood Traffic Study, and served as Study Director for an Environmental Impact Assessment of the Main and Norwood Bridges Project and Charleswood Bridge Project.

For Manitoba Model Forest Inc, Marr Consulting served as Project Manager for a Biophysical/Ecological Baseline Resource Information Study.

Study for the Canadian Forest Service. Marr Consulting conducted a study of the effects of forestry activities on recreational experiences of users of Duck Mountain Provincial Park under the joint Federal-Manitoba Forestry Agreement.

Hydro impacts review for Sagkeeng First Nation and Manitoba Hydro. Marr Consulting composed a retrospective review of impacts of Manitoba Hydro projects on the Winnipeg River. Responsible for coordinating the review of impacts on biological components.

EIA team for Abitibi Price Inc. (Pine Falls). Ruth Marr was a member of the management team directing the environmental impact assessment of woodlands operations, where principal subject responsibilities included forest ecology, wildlife, parks and heritage resources.

Ruth Marr undertook a public consultation program for the implementation of a user-pay solid waste system for the Department of Waterworks, Waste and Disposal of the City of Winnipeg, and acted as Project Manager for a public consultation program of an Organizational Review for the City of Winnipeg, Departments of Operations, Streets and Transportation, and Waterworks, Waste and Disposal.

Ruth Marr conducted an evaluation of water quality and assessment of river use of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers for the City of Winnipeg