One of the real joys of the holiday season, is the opportunity to say thank you for your continued support and partnership. On behalf of the Ontario East Economic Development Commission Board of Directors, we extend our very best wishes to you and your loved ones, for good health, happiness and prosperity in the New Year.

Ontario East's 3-D Mapping App Featured in the News

Carleton developing first-of-kind app for eastern Ontario business development

Eastern Ontario is getting put on the map — all 45,000 square kilometres of it.

A team at Carleton University has been working to digitally map and recreate businesses in small towns — from Ottawa to the Toronto border, along the St. Lawrence River and northwest to the border of Quebec near Algonquin Park — hoping to attract investors.

"The overall idea is that an economic development officer could go to Japan and there could be an investor who says, 'We want to make cheese in eastern Ontario. We hear you have good milk there,'" said Stephen Fai, the professor overseeing the project. 

Using the web-based application, the officer could then show what options the investor has — including who produces milk solids nearby, what the local market looks like and where the major transportation routes are. 

The interactive model would also show investors what properties have the resources and landmass needed for their projects.

"The investor could say, 'I'm interested in that one.' You could zoom in, see the building on the site, look at the services available, look at the cost," Fai said. 

All that information could then easily be sent to the investor over the app.

Centre for Workforce Development Seeks Letters of Interest for Digital Skills for Youth Program

The Centre for Workforce Development (CFWD) is one of the 26 Boards in the Province of Ontario funded to conduct local level labour market research and workforce development. The skills that employers seek in potential employees is rapidly shifting, with job opportunities across varying industries requiring more experience in a variety of digital skills.

The Government of Canada has recognized the need to assist youth with developing the digital skills needed for both today and the future. The Digital Skills for Youth program is an initiative that is part of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS). CFWD is leading an application to provide the service delivery of this program in Ontario. Through the program, employers with up to 500 employees can access funding to support internships for post-secondary graduate students that are underemployed or working part-time. The internships would provide opportunities grounded in experiences that will prepare youth to adapt to the major changes projected in tomorrow’s workplace, including emerging areas where the jobs may not yet exist such as those related to cybersecurity, the automation of knowledge tasks, big data, and artificial intelligence, among others. This program is two years in length with funding under it available in one-year increments.

Ontario Launches Canada's First Job Site Challenge

Ontario is launching a provincewide Job Site Challenge to identify shovel-ready mega sites where automakers or other advanced manufacturers could invest in Ontario by building a large plant, creating thousands of good-paying direct and supply-chain jobs.

On November 22, Prabmeet Sarkaria, Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction, made the announcement at the Leeds Grenville Economic Development Summit in Kemptville.

The Challenge, a Canadian first, invites municipalities, economic development agencies and industrial property owners to propose mega sites — large tracts of land between 500 to 1,500 acres that are already zoned, or could be, for heavy industrial use. These sites should be serviced or serviceable by utilities, transportation networks and other support infrastructure.

The Job Site Challenge builds on the success of the province's existing Investment Ready: Certified Site Program, which pre-qualifies smaller industrial properties across the province.

Ontario East Annual General Meeting

Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Toronto

3:15pm to 5:00pm, Wednesday, February 5, 2020

SAVE THE DATE!

Ontario East will be holding its Annual General Meeting during the EDCO Annual Conference and Showcase.

At the AGM we will recognize outgoing directors, welcome new directors and elect new officers, approve audited 2019 financials and provide an update on our activities.

This event is free and open to all members of the Ontario East Economic Development Commission.

We hope to see you there!

Ontario East Municipal Conference (OEMC) 2020

Call for Speakers and Session Topics Now Open

We are pleased to confirm that the Ontario East Municipal Conference (OEMC) will be held at the NAV Centre in Cornwall, from September 16-18, 2020.

Please click HERE for details and information regarding the Call for Speakers for OEMC 2020. Or, if there are topics or speakers that would be of interest to you, please click HERE. The deadline for session submissions or topics is February 28, 2020.

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

EDCO 63rd Annual Conference and Showcase

Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Toronto

February 4 to 6, 2020

The early bird registration deadline is January 10, 2020.

This year’s Conference theme, Get Your Game on at #EDCO2020, challenges economic developers to be game-changers and champion new and inventive ways to break through the status quo in an ever-changing landscape.

HFI Pyrotechnics Inc.

HFI Pyrotechnics Inc. search and rescue markers valued around the globe

Domville - A world leader in the manufacturing of search and rescue markers is found right here in Leeds Grenville.

HFI Pyrotechnics Inc.'s Pyrotechnic Centre of Excellence, the only one in Canada, is located on a 500-acre controlled goods parcel of land on Hands Road in Edwardsburgh Cardinal Township.

"We ship our products around the world," says HFI President and CEO John Witherspoon. HFI offers pyrotechnic engineering, testing and production and is known for product consistency and safety.

"We have lots of room to grow the business," says John, who credits his team of 60 employees with the company's successes and its evolution from a single-product business to a major world supplier of multiple safety and training items.