A new innkeeper in town

PICTOU - The Lionstone Inn in Pictou has a new owner.
Norval and Linda McDonald ran the business for 14 years, but earlier this month sold it to Dennis Douglas for approximately $480,000.
Douglas, a former resident of Toronto who recently relocated to Pictou County, says he will continue to run it as a year-round motel and as a series of rental cabins.
He doesn't plan to make any significant changes to the property, however, he says he may add a meeting room at some point in the future.
"I made the decision to buy it because when I moved here a year-and-a-half ago, I was looking for a viable business solution in Pictou County," Douglas says.
The cost of buying a business in Nova Scotia is more reasonable than in Ontario, he adds. "I saw business opportunities here that I couldn't see in Toronto."
Douglas has 23 years of experience in the legal industry, running Toronto-based law firms, but he has never owned a business.
So what, exactly, encouraged him to venture into such unfamiliar territory? Douglas says this has been his dream for quite some time.
"When I was growing up, my grandmother owned cottages in Ontario and I helped run the business ever year," he says. "I really enjoyed my summers working for them, and I realized it was something I wanted to do as an adult."