Slo-pitch tournament returns to Orillia bringing a boost to the economy

The return of an annual slo-pitch softball event marks the unofficial start of summer in Orillia.

The Northern Shootout is back for its 13 edition after a pandemic-driven hiatus.

The tournament consists of 78 men's, women's and co-ed teams from Ontario and Quebec and promises a big boost to the economy in the city.

"Especially after two years of pandemic restrictions," said Mike Ladouceur, City of Orillia. "This helps our tourism recover, puts heads in beds, hotels are filled, restaurants filled, this is really the big event that begins our summer of events."

Organizer Mike Borrelli said the tournament has grown to become one of the biggest in Canada.

"We're pretty much at capacity for participants. We can't accommodate anymore," he added. "We're using the other diamonds, we got all the diamonds in Orillia, and we're using the Rama diamond, so if we had more diamonds, we could accommodate more teams."

The owners of Adovo Pizza in Orillia say the increase in tourism has done wonders for their business this year.

This being the first big event of the season, they're excited to welcome so many people into the city.

"Everyone has just been waiting to get out," said Adam Zimmerman, co-owner. "Especially for sporting events and vendors, have a cold beer. There's nothing wrong with it."

The tournament culminates with an annual home run derby, which organizers said typically draws 1,200 fans to watch.

Sixteen participants will compete to walk away with a championship belt.