Ontario East is pleased to confirm that there has been no increase in our registration fees for this year.

Though Ontario East memberships are accorded to the individual, we are happy to extend the membership registration rate to any employee of a municipality or organization with at least one employee with an individual Ontario East membership.

OEMC is offering a wide array of sessions of interest to all of our attendees.

With three streams (Economic Development, Municipal & Community Development and Workforce Development), we have a great line-up of topics and speakers for all our delegates.

OEMC is excited to announce there will be five locations in Eastern Ontario that will host opening receptions on Wednesday, October 20 at 4 p.m. after the first day of sessions. This is an opportunity for you to network with your friends and colleagues in unique locations with all required pandemic protocols in place! You can sign up for the Regional Reception closest to you when you register for the conference.

Thank you to our sponsors below who will each be hosting a reception in their region!

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.

Ontario East Quarterly Meeting -Workforce Program Showcase

The Ontario East Economic Development Commission hosted a well attended and informative Quarterly Meeting in Perth last week focused on Workforce Programs in eastern Ontario.

It was great to have our members, guests and speakers gather safely in person for the first time in more than 18 months.

This was the second "Workforce Program Showcase" convened by Ontario East with the initial event hosted in Peterborough in early March 2020, just prior to the rise of the pandemic.

Once again the speakers provided invaluable information on various programs available to support the ongoing development and maintenance of our region's diverse and dedicated workforce.

Skilled and available talent is a critical component in economic development investment attraction and retention and our speakers shared insights and opportunities from various perspectives.

Mike Temple from the Ministry of Labour Training & Skills Development provided an update on the Ministry’s commitment and support for ensuring we have a viable workforce in the region.

Javier Bravo, New Canadians Centre shared information on a number of programs and resources available to support immigrants in efforts to enter the workforce.

MaryAnne Stam, from GlobalMed Inc. in Trenton spoke about her company's success with the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), the province’s economic immigration program, working in partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Brad Labadie, Executive Director, Centre for Workforce Development discussed his experience with a pilot program called Career Pathways promoting career opportunities to high school students.

Dan Cardinal updated attendees on the services and support Skills Ontario offers throughout the province to support the efforts to bring more people into skilled trades.

Alysha Dominico, Ontario East Workforce Project Coordinator provided an overview of OE-TISP, Ontario East - Talent Identification Support Project, a multifaceted initiative supported by the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development that brings economic developers, workforce programs service providers and businesses together to raise awareness of opportunities in eastern Ontario.

We encourage you to attend our next Quarterly Meeting as we continue to highlight issues and solutions for our members.

Do you know employers who need help with Recruitment? Share this webpage with struggling employers. We've compiled all the ways employers can get help in eastern Ontario with recruitment.

Have another recruitment resource that should be added to the webpage? Email it to workforcedevelopment@ontarioeast.ca and we'll make sure you're there!

The Women’s Entrepreneurship Pilot Program continues to gain momentum through our strategic marketing efforts. Our 5 regional partners work closely with the women participants providing them with the resources needed to build successful businesses.

Of particular interest is the work that Spark St. Lawrence College, Kingston Campus is providing to our participants. Spark SLC is a multidisciplinary team, comprised of both students and young professionals, who deliver industry standard, quality marketing solutions.

Their Digital Assessment Team is currently assisting the program participants with strategy sessions focused around their online presence. Currently, 23 women have taken advantage of this assessment with 16 sessions completed.

Participant feedback continues to be positive emphasizing that the team provides relevant feedback and suggestions. Most are in the process of implementing the recommendations and are seeing positive results in their businesses.

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

Ford Canada will be the anchor tenant in a new 1.1-million-square-foot industrial hub in Casselman, the companies behind the plan said Friday.

A pair of Quebec-based firms, Rosefellow and Bertone Development, are partnering on the multi-phased development. The project is slated to eventually include three buildings, with work already under way on a $95-million, 531,000-square-foot auto parts distribution centre for Ford that’s expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2023.