July 2020

Your monthly news & updates

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The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus takes action to support rural broadband At their meeting on July 2nd the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus approved a series of recommendations to support rural broadband in Southwestern Ontario.  Increased funding from both the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada is urgently needed to address Southwestern Ontario’s large connectivity gaps, so that we can close the digital divide and restart our economies.  In order to reduce the digital divide within Southwestern Ontario, and to achieve the Government of Canada’s target, in which 95% of homes and businesses will have access to internet speeds of at least 50/10 Mbps by 2026, it will cost an estimated $1 billion.    The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus and the participating SWIFT municipalities of Caledon, Niagara and Waterloo are requesting direct funding to SWIFT from the Government of Canada in the amount of $254 million and from the Government of Ontario in the amount of $221 million . View the full press release and briefing document.

FedDev Ontario supports women-led businesses to rebuild, reopen and revive in southern Ontario RE3 is a government funded program that provides non-repayable performance based contributions up to $5,000 to assist Southern Ontario women-led SMEs rebuild, reopen and revive their businesses   With the support of FedDev Ontario and the Government of Canada’s Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) ,  WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation and  Northumberland CFDC  are working collaboratively within our regional entrepreneurial ecosystems to advance women-led SMEs across Ontario, effectively positioning for rapid and positive post-pandemic economic recovery.   The RE3 program will provide approved women-led SMEs a one-time non-repayable performance-based contribution up to $5,000 on expenses pertaining to the reopening, rebuilding and revival of the business. Click below for more information and to apply. RE3 Program Details

Collaboration Key to Moving Forward Working collaboratively, the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing and  County of Simcoe Economic Development Office  had an opportunity to speak with and learn from some innovative manufacturers, who shared their perspectives on their pivots and the way forward for manufacturing in Ontario.  At the forefront of this pivot and move towards a more collaborative manufacturing sector has been Oro-Medonte’s  Molded Precision Components  (MPC). MPC, which normally supplies precision injection molded components to the automotive industry, pivoted toward the production of personal protective face shields. To date, they have produced more than 2 million face shields for front line workers. View the full story

Ready to Re-Open Huron  The County of Huron Economic Development Department and Community Futures Huron have partnered in this new project as we move forward into opening up Ontario. Delivered through a one-hour webinar, a toolkit and guidance documents, Ready to Re-Open Huron is designed to arm businesses with guidance on what reasonable steps should be taken when reopening their businesses and how to make their workplaces safe for employees and customers. The program will connect them with resources if they have additional questions, and help consumers feel more comfortable when visiting businesses that are recognized by the Ready to Re-Open Huron program.   Find out more

Ontario Investing $1.5M in Sarnia-Lambton Oversized Load Corridor Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey was pleased to announce that the Ontario government is investing $1.5M in Sarnia-Lambton’s Oversized Load Corridor project. The investment was made by the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade as part of the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund – Community Economic Development Grant. The nearly $17M project includes investments by the Federal, Provincial and local municipal governments, as well as contributions from Bluewater Power and Cestar College. Find out more

Feeding Your Future: Connecting Ontario’s Agri-Food Workforce The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has launched an initiative to address the unique workforce challenges and opportunities in the agri-food sector. To keep Ontario’s food supply chain strong, employers along the agri-food value chain need support to recruit and train workers for in-demand jobs across the sector. Feeding Your Future, a Canadian Agricultural Partnership funded project, is working to help agri-food employers connect with job seekers during COVID-19 and beyond. The Feeding Your Future initiative is collaborating with partners to coordinate a job matching concierge service, Virtual Career Fairs and an informative webinar series. Visit ofa.on.ca/feedingyourfuture to learn more or follow us on Twitter @feedyourfuture. To learn more about the project or to register for an upcoming Virtual Career Fair or Webinar, view Feeding Your Future’s employer toolkit: https://www.agcareers.com/feed-your-future/employer-toolkit.

Fresher Study Results Now Available - Deep Dish #1 In the Deep Dish series, the research team behind FRESHER aims to share short summaries from the research in combination with analysis of news and reports from across the industry. COVID-19 has revealed immense opportunities and challenges for food retailers, while also uncovering and amplifying structural inequalities in our food systems. The restaurant industry typically brings in $33 billion CAD revenue annually, but profit margins have been historically slim at around 3-4% [1]. The food service industry is also especially fragmented, so food retailers feel the impacts of COVID-19 very differently. Read the full Deep Dish

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Rural Ontario Employment Rebounding slightly faster than Large Urban Centres   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.  View the report

Province Supports Canadian Manufacturers with Launch of “Ontario Made” Program 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 .  Funding for Ontario Made is made possible through the $50 million Ontario Together Fund launched on April 1, 2020.  View the website

$2.9 Million to help Rural Plastic Components Manufacturer The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), announced a  FedDev Ontario  contribution of up to $2.9 million for Molded Precision Components to support the company’s expanded use of its transformative Cube Injection Molding System technology. This funding will be used to expand MPC’s production facility by 45,000 sq. ft. and to purchase three Cube-Injection Molding Systems over the next four years. This new technology produces complex molded parts for the medical and automotive industries. View the press release

Looking for dynamic and engaging speakers!

The 2021 Community Futures National Event programme will be presented in both official languages and will focus on four key areas: Community Economic Development Practices Lending/Operational Practices Board Practices Emerging Opportunities (Social Enterprise, Business Restructuring, etc.)   The deadline to fill out the Request for Proposal information is July 31, 2020.