Ontario East Municipal Conference (OEMC) 

Going Virtual for 2020

New Dates:

Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22

Ontario East is pleased to announce that the 2020 Ontario East Municipal Conference (OEMC) will proceed in virtual format on Wednesday October 21 and Thursday, October 22, 2020. We have a full program and the latest on the topics of interest to all, at specially reduced registration rates.

We look forward to “seeing” you there!

Sponsorship Opportunities

Support OEMC and take advantage of the many opportunities to access OEEDC Members and OEMC attendees, including the opportunity to be featured in an online Exhibit Hall showcase to highlight products and services, participate in a live prize draw, and the opportunity to host a webinar!

Ontario Starting Down the Path to Growth, Renewal and

Economic Recovery

News Release, July 8, 2020

Invest Ontario

As the province continues to reopen and the economy recovers, it's more critical than ever to position Ontario as a top tier destination for investment, domestic growth, and job creation. A key measure to support this objective is the creation of a new investment attraction agency, Invest Ontario.

Invest Ontario will promote the province as a key investment destination, making Ontario more competitive while sending a strong signal to investors that the province is open for business. It will be a "one stop shop" for businesses and investors. It will move at the speed of business and drive greater economic growth, support strategic domestic firms and attract business from around the world to create good jobs in Ontario. It will initially focus on three important sectors for COVID-19 recovery where Ontario has a globally competitive advantage: advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and technology.

Proudly Supporting Ontario's Manufacturing Sector

News Release, July 10, 2020

Province Supports Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Launch of “Ontario Made” Program

Vaughan — As the province safely and gradually reopens, Ontario is starting down the road to growth, renewal and economic recovery. That's why the Ontario government is proud to support the launch of the Ontario Made program from Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). This new program will promote the many world-class goods that are made across the province by helping consumers easily identify, access and purchase local products.

Details were provided today by Premier Doug Ford, Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and Dennis Darby, President and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, at Artistic Skylight in Vaughan, Ontario.

"Ontario has always been Canada's workshop, and our products are recognized as the gold standard across the country and around the world," said Premier Ford. "Our government is proud to support Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters' Ontario Made program. Promoting locally made products will be essential to building a strong, self-sufficient province and key to our economic recovery."

Rural Ontario Employment Rebounding slightly faster than Large Urban Centres from COVID 19 Impacts up to June, 2020

Another special issue of Focus on Rural Ontario entitled COVID-19 Impact on Rural Employment: Ontario in the Canadian context up to June 2020 shows rural employment levels are continuing to improve overall while particular sectors are still hard hit and there is still a significant gap remaining.

Data in the fact sheet highlights employment change in rural Ontario with a comparison to last year in the same month, contrasted with large urban centres and with the impact on rural employment in other provinces. This special issue is a follow-up to earlier special issues with data on employment in April, 2020 and May, 2020. The recent enumeration of Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey took place in the 3rd week of June.

Governments are easing the restrictions placed on society that forced the closure of many businesses and which had large negative impacts on employment in both rural and urban areas. Ontario like many other places is in the process of staged reopening which began in mid-May. Apart from the Maritime provinces and Manitoba, rural Ontario now has a smaller year over year COVID 19 employment gap (-5.1 %) than rural areas in other provinces such as Quebec, BC and Alberta. This is in part because the precipitous COVID employment drop was less in rural Ontario than in some other provinces and in other cases because the rebound has been greater than in other provinces.

Within Ontario from May to June, 2020, rural employment increased by 7.6% compared to a 6.3% increase in urban areas. By this measure, rural labour markets were closing the COVID-19 employment gap at a somewhat quicker pace, compared to the pace of employment growth in Ontario’s urban labour markets.