TORONTO — After 15 years at the helm, Pierre LePage is stepping down as Executive Director of The Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO).

Brett Walker, Chair of CATO and General Manager Canada of Collette, said that CATO is “extremely grateful” to LePage for his leadership over the years. “His knowledge and experience in the industry has been invaluable to the organization and the various executive teams, stewarding CATO through good times and bad.”

Over 15 years, LePage has seen the tour operator organization through regulatory and legislative issues, hurricanes, SARS, MERS, H1N1 and, most recently, COVID-19.

“It has been an honour to work with so many of Canada’s leading tour operators during my time at CATO,” said LePage. “Of course, our industry has never been through anything like this pandemic, which is causing so much disruption and financial hardship for our industry. But I know that the industry will prevail, get through this and prosper.”

CATO will be conducting a search for a new Executive Director at a later date.