HUNTSVILLE, Ont. - Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canada will host its fifth G8 summit in 2010, this time in Ontario cottage country.

The international political event will be held at the Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, a sprawling golf getaway in the heart of Muskoka. Calling it a "jewel in the Canadian Shield," Harper says the event will be a boon for the local economy.

He anticipates new investments in local infrastructure, noting the 2002 G8 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., generated an estimated $300 million for the regional economy.

Huntsville Mayor Claude Doughty says news of the event came as a welcome surprise.

Besides the sheer beauty of the region, Doughty says the resort is an ideal spot from a security standpoint given its isolation and limited access.