“A Sad Situation”: The Island Princess left to leave Orillia

The Island Princess is due to depart Orillia on Friday.

Georgian Shores Boat Tours co-owner Wade Plewes says construction on Centennial Drive, vandalism and the COVID-19 pandemic have combined to torpedo the future of the Orillia landmark.

The boat has been offering tours and cruises in Orillia since 1984. Sold to Georgian Shores Boat Tours in 2020; the company turned it into a waterfront restaurant and bar called Island Princess Tiki Barge.

“We were told last year that construction would be completed by June 21,” he said. “If we knew it wasn’t going to happen, we wouldn’t be open.”

The Island Princess Tiki Barge “did nothing” last year. Instead, Plewes says it cost Georgian Shores Boat Tours $100,000.

“It was just brutal,” he said, noting that the boat’s electricity and WiFi were down for much of the season.

Last summer, the boat was also vandalized, costing $30,000 to repair, Plewes said. He says the boat was vandalized again earlier this week.

Due to the Island Princess Tiki Barge’s poor performance, Georgian Shores Boat Tours missed a larger rental payment this year, which is why Plewes says they were given a bailiff’s warrant and are being fined $150 per day until they leave.

Plewes says the boat will head to the Barrie waterfront on Friday, weather permitting.

“There’s really no other place to put it,” he said. “They forced our hand with desperate measures.”

Plewes believes the Orillia District Chamber of Commerce (ODCC) should have scaled back the company somewhat given the circumstances of the pandemic, vandalism and construction.

“It’s the No. 1 landmark in Orillia,” he said of the waterfront pier. “I had so many great ideas, but they’re forcing them out. It’s a sad situation.”

Plewes believes the ODCC always wanted the Island Princess to leave the waterfront, unless it was going to serve as a tour boat. He says it would have cost $300,000 to make that happen.

“We wanted to do this,” he said. “The boat had more problems than we thought and it took a lot of work to get it back out.”

If the Island Princess Tiki Barge had avoided pandemic restrictions and the construction of Centennial Drive, Plewes believes he would have had the barge sailing by now.

“There’s a lot of hardship,” he said. “It was unlucky, but at the same time it’s horrible how no one worked with us.”

ODCC Executive Director Allan Lafontaine declined to comment for this article.