‘Friday Harbour’ Resort holds mass hiring in preparation for spring opening

CTV Barrie: New jobs he "Friday Harbour" All Seasons Resort in Innisfil, Ont is getting ready to partially open in the spring of 2017

Hundreds of people lined up in Innisfil Thursday night, hoping to get hired at a job fair for the ‘Friday Harbour’ All-Seasons Resort.

After years of planning and construction, the ‘Friday Harbour’ All Seasons Resort is getting ready to partially open in the spring, and it is looking for staff.

“We're looking to open with about 150 people or so, from marine operations all the way to house-keeping, to maintenance, restaurants and bars,” says James DiRenzo, CEO of the Friday Harbour Resort vision.

More than two hundred people showed up at the fair in the first hour.

“To be honest, this is my first job fair,” says one woman waiting with her resume. “So, I’m just kind of brave faced, confident….hoping for the best.”

When the resort opens Innisfil will be home to the largest inland harbour in the country, with 1000 slips.

The 1.4 billion-dollar project is about one third complete. About 600 people are waiting to be part of the first-wave moving in.

“We hope to start moving people in, in the later part of May, June and July,” says DiRenzo. “All the way through to probably September and October.

Friday Harbour sits on 600 acres of land. It will have 2000 housing units, a hotel, restaurants, shops and a golf course.

The resort has sold about one third of its units. Most of the buyers are from the GTA. About ten per cent are international buyers.

“It is exciting,” says DiRenzon. “You know it's a great place to be right now, to see the vision and the dream come true.”

There is a second job fair on Saturday at the Innisfil Recreational Complex. It runs from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. A third fair is set for February 7^th at Georgian College in Barrie.