The Hub provides opportunities to sharpen your business and personal skills through education, networking, brainstorming and peer support. The Hub is a non-profit initiative provided by the Town of Erin.

Are you managing your business by the balance in your bank account? You’re not alone.

Finance Fundamentals will help you understand why dealing with the numbers is important, and how it can keep you on top of your business game and help your business grow. You’ll be introduced to the tools that business owners can use to monitor and plan for their business as well as how they can build the right team to support their business.

Speaker Bio: Michael Plauntz enjoys making finance make sense and is known for bridging the gap between Finance and Business Objectives. Michael helps business owners understand the finance side of their business throughout their business year. He provides guidance on financial metrics for businesses, develops Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and creates management reporting for business leaders. He analyzes and builds dynamic financial models including Cash Flows, Forecasted Financial Statements and Contribution Margin Analyses.

Whether you're a newcomer, a longtime resident, operate a business or support organization, we want to know what it’s really like to live and work here.

The County feels strongly about helping to establish a community where all residents embrace and celebrate the diversity of the whole community and as a result feel welcome, valued and respected to participate in the social, cultural and economic life.

This is why we are conducting the Welcoming and Inclusion Assessment to understand the extent to which Wellington County is welcoming and inclusive. We have developed two surveys that will help us understand the specific opinions of Wellington County’s newcomers and residents, and its businesses and organizations. Each survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Through your participation we will gain valuable insights into the areas where the County can better support our community and local businesses and organizations in their talent attraction and retention efforts.

Respondents will have the chance to win a $100.00 gift card from local Wellington County Businesses.

Innovation Guelph has compiled a list of current funding available and are committed to maintaining this so you can trust it’s accuracy. 

Whether you’re just starting out and need general business information, or want a fresh set of eyes to review your plans for your existing business, our roster of experienced business advisors can help you achieve your entrepreneurial goals.

With key public health and health care indicators continuing to improve and the provincewide vaccination rate surpassing the targets outlined in the province’s Roadmap to Reopen, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health the Ontario government is moving the province into Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 16, 2021.

Businesses that were required to close or significantly restrict services due to provincial public health measures can apply for rebates, provided in the form of grants, to help with their fixed costs.

The Ontario government is increasing financial supports available and simplifying the application process for individuals applying to the Second Career program. As the province’s economy begins to reopen, these changes will make it easier for laid-off and unemployed workers to pursue training and start new and better careers.

The Ontario government is providing over $70.4 million to help advance ‘Ontario made’ research and innovation at Ontario’s colleges, universities, research institutes and research hospitals. The funding is being delivered through the Ontario Research Fund and Early Researcher Awards programs and will support the development of homegrown ideas, products and technologies.

Funding to businesses and organizations to help create jobs and position local economies for long-term growth

With many travel and public health restrictions in place due to the pandemic, the tourism sector in Canada is facing a long and challenging road to recovery.

On July 12, 2021, the Government of Canada launched the national $500-million Tourism Relief Fund (TRF). The Tourism Relief Fund supports tourism businesses and organizations to adapt their operations to meet public health requirements while investing in products and services to facilitate their future growth. This Fund will position Canada to be a destination of choice when domestic and international travel is once again safe by:

• empowering tourism operators to create new or enhance existing tourism experiences and products to attract more local and domestic visitors; and

• helping the sector reposition itself to welcome international visitors by offering the best Canadian tourism experiences we have to offer the world.

This new Fund is being delivered across the country by Canada’s regional development agencies. FedDev Ontario is now accepting applications for funding through the TRF for organizations in southern Ontario. 

For full eligibility criteria and other information, please visit FedDev Ontario’s TRF web page. 

You will find some additional resources on this program here.

Please email FedDev Ontario or call them at 1-866-593-5505 if you have any questions.

Congratulations to Deborah Keeble for being recognized in the Meridien Business Sense Newsletter. Deborah, is a proud member of the Chamber of Commerce and her new connections made through networking opportunities has helped her to grow her business using new found partnerships and services from other local entrepreneurs.

If you have a "Business Success Story" please let us know and we could feature you in the next "Business Connections" newsletter.

Stay up to date with the Town of Erin's efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19, while ensuring businesses and residents are continuing to receive service excellence.