Please join us for the first Ontario East Quarterly Meeting in over a year!

We've all had a long year with many challenges and successes dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and it's time to get together again to share experiences and learn from our members and partners as we gather virtually on Friday, April 30.

Presenters will include Bruce Takefman, Founder & CEO of ResearchFDI, a Canadian marketing firm specialising in investment attraction services for economic developers, with over 75 full-time multilingual consultants and partners in key market hubs across the globe that have helped secure over $5 billion USD in new capital investment, Ryan Lipcsei, Executive Director, Community Futures Eastern Ontario with an update on services and programs along with several Ontario East communities sharing best practices updates and success stories… and more.

And of course we will have an update on all Ontario East programs including regional investment promotion activities including our new Investment Attraction Marketing and Supply Chain Analysis, and highlights from our Ontario Urban Business Relocation Survey along with the latest on our workforce Talent Identification Support Project and Women’s Entrepreneurship Program.

This event is free for members, with a nominal fee for non-members.

All are welcome. Register today!

Please click HERE for details and information regarding the Call for Speakers for OEMC 2021. The deadline for session submissions is May 31, 2021.

We invite you to forward the Call for Speakers to any other individuals or organizations you feel would make a contribution to this great event.

Support OEMC and take advantage of the many opportunities to access OEEDC Members and OEMC attendees, including the opportunity to be featured in a Virtual Exhibit Showcase to highlight products and services, and the opportunity to present a session at the conference and afterwards. Please click HERE for information and details.

Check out the OEMC website for the most up-to-date details regarding this year's event.

Round out your business development knowledge by distinguishing Investment Readiness (IR) from Investment Attraction (IA), a step-by-step of how to implement and market investment attraction in a digital environment, reviewing how KPIs are involved and the technologies used throughout the process. Case studies and examples throughout illustrate how this can be done effectively. Facilitated by MDB Insight and in partnership with the Government of Ontario.

Join us April 29th as Startup Grind presents An Intimate Look at Female Entrepreneurship in Patriarchal Industries. The event will be hosted by renowned CTV reporter Dana Levenson, interviewing a diverse panel of female powerhouses — Judith Pineault, Peng-Sang Cau and Brooke Woboditsch will discuss their entrepreneurial journeys in patriarchal sectors, challenges faced by female entrepreneurs (then and now) and how we can do better moving forward.

Lucy Medeiros to set up if you haven't already), but can accommodate other methods

Ontario East's Ontario Labour Market Partnership (OLMP) has received positive reactions from project stakeholders, and the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development and the project has been approved to continue through this year and next.

Our two active advisory committees are having a wonderfully productive time each month problem-solving workforce challenges and sharing resources and will continue this practice going forward. We generated a lot of interest from employers and job seekers with this project over the past year, so we're making many plans to ramp up efforts and to organize the blog and search engine optimization (SEO) strategy to better serve these end-users.

We want the world to know Ontario East is proactive in our workforce-ready project, so please pass it on! The Ontario East - Talent Identification Support Project (OE-TISP) supports attraction and development of a qualified workforce to support efforts to retain existing and attract new business to the region.

In an effort to continue to assist the women currently enrolled in the Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (WEP), Ontario East has commissioned

Spark St. Lawrence College Kingston Campus, to conduct an online digital

We continue to encourage women entrepreneurs looking to start a business to apply to the Women’s Entrepreneurship Program, a free virtual business training program.

As you may know, The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has a vast amount of resources available to help Economic Development Offices, municipalities, organizations and businesses to help support rural economic development, investment attraction and business retention and expansion.

Sign up to the OMAFRA Food Bulletin to receive the latest program updates and announcements in the food processing sector. Some of these resources include:

·      Rural Economic Development (RED) Program currently reviewing applications.

·      CAP (Canadian Agricultural Partnership) for producers and processors opening soon

·      Business Retention and Expansion (BR+E) A new version that focuses on COVID economic recovery is available.

·      First Impressions Community Exchange (FICE). If you have a community interested, particularly downtown retail for this summer or fall. There is a new, Local Food focussed FICE program available.

·      Downtown Revitalization (DR)

·      Selling Food to Ontario virtual workshops and resources soon to be announced

·      Analyst : economic analysis software available on request to support economic development planning and to evaluate the impact of investments and closures in your community.

·      Community Immigrant Retention in Rural Ontario (CIRRO) is a program to help evaluate your community’s appeal to newcomers and youth

·      Ec Dev manuals and organizational guidebooks (Strategic Planning, Performance Measures, Agriculture as an Economic Development Opportunity, etc)

Introducing the Eastern Ontario Business Journal Powerbook: Your guide to growth, business expansion and investment opportunities across the region

Building on the successful launch of OBJ Regional last year, Great River Media/OBJ is excited to debut the inaugural edition of the Eastern Ontario Business Journal Powerbook. This 56-page issue explores business trends and market opportunities from across the region and takes a closer look at more than a dozen key communities, identifying major employers, competitive advantages and key contacts. Click this link to access the digital edition.

As OBJ continues to grow its Eastern Ontario coverage, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Please take a moment to fill out this short survey so we can provide the business news and information that's most relevant to you. 

BROCKVILLE — Made-in-Ontario N95 respirators have started rolling off the production line at 3M's Brockville plant. About 700,000 N95 respirators are being shipped from the plant this week, with the first wave of this vital PPE set to arrive at health care, education and other public-sector institutions. These new masks will provide frontline workers with the protection they need in the continued fight against COVID-19, and ensure Ontario and Canada has a reliable supply in the event of any future outbreaks.

Details were provided today by Vic Fedeli, Ontario's Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade; Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes; Lisa Thompson, Ontario's Minister of Government and Consumer Services; François-Philippe Champagne, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry; and Anita Anand, Canada's Minister of Public Services and Procurement.

TORONTO — Future Skills Centre (FSC) today announces the funding of 64 innovation projects as part of a $32 million investment to provide practical solutions for thousands of workers and employers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic across Canada and to prepare the workforce for the opportunities and jobs of the future.

Many of the projects will explore new technologies and processes for whole industry sectors that are evolving or emerging, while others are designed to reskill or upskill workers displaced by the economic damage of the pandemic. The projects strive to navigate change, imagine the future, and help all Canadians – especially those facing multiple barriers to full employment – in acquiring the skills and resilience to thrive in the workforce of today and tomorrow.

The Town of Smiths Falls is a vibrant, progressive single tier municipality with a population of 9,000 and growing. One of Eastern Ontario’s most scenic communities, we are centrally located within an hour of Ottawa, Kingston, Brockville and the US border...

Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer, this key leadership position is responsible for developing and implementing programs and services that will expand the economy of the community, further enhance the Town from a creative economy perspective, develop the community from a lifestyle standpoint to encourage residential growth, provide local employment opportunities, and strengthen the tax base of the Town.

Ontario East's New Mailing Address

Ontario East Economic Development Commission

623 Fortune Crescent

Suite 100

Kingston ON K7P 0L5