Invest Durham Enews

Welcome to Durham Region, Lastman's Bad Boy head office and distribution centre!

Announced in late September, a new 233,000-square-foot, multi-unit industrial complex is being developed in partnership with SmartCentres REIT and Lastman's Bad Boy in the City of Pickering's Innovation Corridor. The lead tenant, Lastman's Bad Boy, will occupy 130,000 square feet for its new, state-of-the-art corporate head office and distribution centre.

With an estimated value of $70 million, the target completion date of the project is March 2023.

In addition to the construction related jobs and economic spinoff, the relocation of Lastman's Bad Boy head office and distribution centre will bring more than 200 new jobs to Pickering and Durham Region.

Founders’ Series

Meet the founders of three of Durham Region’s leading accessibility and inclusion businesses in our new Founders’ Series, which looks at Durham Region businesses that are starting, growing, gaining support and thriving.

From adaptive musical instruments to facial gesture recognition technology, these three Durham Region businesses are breaking new ground in the growing accessibility and inclusion space.

Strategies for immigrant inclusion in Durham workplaces



Durham Region, in partnership with World Education Services, has released The Employer Playbook: Strategies for immigrant inclusion in Canadian workplaces (Durham Region edition).

This website is a collection of accessible, easy-to-implement strategies to guide employers on recruiting and hiring newcomer talent that will help create diverse communities and drive economic growth.

Attention developers: Call for applications to the At Home Incentive Program



The Regional Municipality of Durham is accepting applications to the At Home Incentive Program, which provides funding support and expedited planning approvals to develop affordable housing in Durham Region.

The deadline to apply is December 21 at 4 p.m. 

Events and Partnerships

Join us at Access IO with Centre for Canadian Nuclear Sustainability

Access IO is a high-impact event focused on sourcing new technologies to solve real-world problems. The event invites startups to collide with the angel investment community, industry experts and potential customers. Startup companies selected for the showcase have one minute to pitch their solution.

Theme: Decontamination, Containment and Dismantling for Nuclear Energy

Date: November 9, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Location: Centre for Canadian Nuclear Sustainability, Pickering Parkway, Pickering.

Registration code: InvestDurham2022.

Lights, camera, action!

Film and Television Industry Career Fair for students and adults looking for an exciting career.

Date: November 10

Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Location: Durham College/Ontario Tech University - Campus Rec & Wellness Centre, Oshawa Campus, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa

New studios are opening across Canada and the Greater Toronto Area. Film and television (TV) production volumes are rising at unprecedented rates! This booming industry provides work opportunities from script to screen to special effects.

Creating a movie or TV series requires a broad range of skills and interests and provides many well-paying, high-quality film jobs. Attend the Film and Television Industry Career Fair and meet industry professionals, visit interactive displays and experience what it’s like behind-the-scenes.

Learn about these career opportunities:

• Cinematography and Camera Department
• Production Sound
• Locations
• Costume Design
• Hair and Makeup
• Grip Department
• Actor or Performer
• Gaffer and Electrical
• Props Creation
• Art Department
• Animation
• Visual Effects (FX)
• Accounting
• Assistant Director
• Post Production Sound/Picture Editor
• …and many more!

Learn more about the film and television industry in Durham Region at InvestDurham.ca/Film

Do It In Durham Week – November 14 – 20, 2022

Presented by the Business Advisory Centre of Durham (BACD), Do It In Durham Entrepreneurship Week is a collaboration of Durham’s business support, educational and networking organizations who have come together to encourage and support entrepreneurs, job creators and innovators who create economic growth in Durham Region.

With more than 45 events to choose from, both virtual and in-person, choose from business networking, skills building, and connecting with mentors.

Learn more about this week in the news release

Meet Sky Canoe—an Indigenous-owned Canadian company—Noozhoo Nokiiyan LP (NNLP).

Sky Canoe is the investment arm of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, who produce one of the world's most advanced autonomous, zero-emissions, long range cargo aircraft.

Learn more about this company.

Korechi Innovations Inc., an autonomous robot company based in Oshawa announces the Pik’r—a high-capacity golf ball picking robot.

Pik’r is the world’s first robot that automates all existing three and five gang golf ball pickers in the market without any modifications to them.

Learn more about this innovative robot. 

Durham Region plays an important role in Ontario’s film and television, and digital media industry.

It has a unique mix of industrial, urban and rural locations that can be used as sets taking place in a variety of time periods.

Learn about locations and film industry supports in Durham Region’s feature in Destination Film Guide.  

The Brilliant Catalyst at Ontario Tech University

has teamed up with the Dream Legacy Foundation to launch the Black Entrepreneurship in Skilled Trades (B.E.S.T) program, a unique virtual program designed to strengthen key business skills for young Black entrepreneurs between the ages of 16 and 19.

Read more about how this program guides entrepreneurs to a success business.  

Yorkville Sound, located in City of Pickering,

manufactures public address speakers, Traynor guitar and bass amplifiers, and is the contract speaker manufacturer for Canadian theatre icon, IMAX.

Listen to their appearance on the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing podcast, “Making it in Ontario”.

Durham College is receiving $788,509 to create

a resource for Ontario small-to-medium-sized enterprises to evaluate, develop and deploy cybersecurity systems.

Read more about how the province is investing in Ontario-made research and innovation.

Durham region has one of the largest and fastest growing Black communities in Canada.

In response, the Durham Region Association of Black Professionals and Entrepreneurs (DRABPE) has launched a one-stop resource for the Durham community to discover and support Black-owned businesses.

Read more about how this directory is giving much-needed exposure to Black-owned businesses.

Downtown Oshawa hosts a celebration of music from across Durham Region.

The Oshawa Music Awards (OMAs), which now celebrate music from across Durham Region, were handed out at the historic Biltmore Theatre in downtown Oshawa on September 29 at an in-person gala.

Read the full story on the Downtowns of Durham blog.

For a full listing of events and webinars, visit InvestDurham/calendar.