Economic Development

REGISTER NOW – Why you should attend the 2021 EDCO Conference

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Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) Annual Conference and Showcase will take place virtually this year every Wednesday from January 20-February 24, 2021 (9:00-11:15am). The conference series will feature presentations and workshops that are designed to challenge you to learn new and innovative ways to solve real-life challenges facing many economic development practitioners in Ontario. Sessions will be live and will also be recorded for the attendees’ convenience.

On January 20 at 9:00am, Lidy Romanuk, the EDCO 2021 President, and Janice Stein (pictured left), the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto will commence the conference. The keynote presentation will be presented by Enbridge Gas and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions.

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Economic Development

TIPS FOR APPLYING to the RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (RED) PROGRAM.

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The Rural Economic Development (RED) program supports activities that create strong rural communities in Ontario and opens doors to rural economic development. The program is now open and will accept applications until February 1, 2021.

If you missed our program webinar, you can access a recording of one of the sessions here.

The slides below were presented during the session and on providing some helpful tips to consider in completing your application.

For more assistance on designing your project, assessing eligibility, and working through the final checks before submission, contact your Agriculture and Rural Economic Development Advisor.

Applicants are required to read the program guidelines before completing an application. The program guidelines provide detailed information on eligible applicants, project types, and costs, as well as the process for submitting an application and the process that will be used to assess the application.

For more information on the program including guidelines, applications, and approved projects, please visit Ontario.ca/REDprogram

Agricultural Development, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development

2020 Ontario Regional Economic Development: A Year In Review

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2020 has been an incredibly unique and unforgettable year, it’s also been a great year for the ON Regional Economic Development blog website. We’ve expanded our range of topics and have enjoyed watching our follow numbers grow. Below is a recap of our most popular blogs for 2020.

1. Top Ten Impacts COVID-19 Is Having on Local Economic Development and Ways That Economic Developers Can Help – April 23, 2020

Impacts of COVID-19 on local communities has left economic developers seeking guidance on how to best respond to the outbreak and offer effective support measures. This blog post discusses a ten-point action plan for how economic developer organizations can work through a three-phase recovery.

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Economic Development

The Rural Economic Development (RED) Program Is Now Accepting Applications

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What is the RED Program?

Rural Economic Development (RED) is a cost-share funding program that supports projects that create strong rural communities in Ontario.

What are RED Outcomes?

RED applications are assessed on their ability to result in one or more of the following:

Continue reading The Rural Economic Development (RED) Program Is Now Accepting Applications →
Agricultural Development, Local Food

Learn About How Your food Business Can Be Part of the PLMA Week Virtual Trade Show

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The Private Label Manufacturers Association Trade Show will be in a virtual format where thousands of retail buyers from across the world will be searching for new business partners. The event happening February 1-5, 2021 will feature trade shows, enabling retailers and visitors to search for products and network with exhibitors using virtual communication tools. Participants will be able to exchange virtual business cards and other company information including social media accounts.

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) will be hosting the virtual Ontario Pavilion, which will assist and promote its Ontario exhibitors. The pavilion will provide opportunity for export-ready Ontario food and beverage processors to showcase their offerings to the United States and international private label buyers.

Join OMAFRA on December 15th for the Virtual PLMA Pre-Event Webinar.

The session will prepare exhibiting companies for the event and provide detailed answers to questions you may have. Topics covered include:

Continue reading Learn About How Your food Business Can Be Part of the PLMA Week Virtual Trade Show →
Agricultural Development, Economic Development

Recap – Municipal Agriculture, Economic Development & Planning Forum

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The 12th annual Municipal Agriculture Economic Development & Planning Forum took place on November 18-19, 2020. The forum showcased exciting agricultural and rural projects happening in Huron County and throughout Ontario. Ways to engage and grow agriculture along the value chain, and opportunities for planning and economic development were highlighted to the more than 230 people in attendance.

Energetic discussions explored topics such as export as a growth strategy, direct selling in a COVID world, inspiring innovation within a municipality and more!

The forum focused on working together to grow a better future for the Agri-Food sector. Whether you want to:

  • Promote local food
  • Brand your region
  • Support export initiatives
  • Drive innovation in your region

Listed below are several tools and resources to support your work. Visit these links for more information:

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Economic Development

Analyst – economic analysis Tool Returns for Clients

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We have exciting news for rural Ontario data needs – Analyst will be returning for clients to access beginning on 1 December 2020.

The Analyst tool pulls data from a range of sources to provide information on regional economies and workforces. It helps you better understand your region with information that can be used to help so you can make informed decisions.

It can help you:

  • Find out what industries set your region apart or make it more competitive
  • Track the flow of money within a geographical area
  • See trends like hiring patterns or sales increases in a particular industry
  • Find labour force and wage comparisons
  • Benchmark your community against other regions
  • Predict the effects of changes in a regional economy

For those that have previously accessed Analyst, there will be changes to the way it has been accessed in the past.

  • Clients will have access to the application for up to 30 days;
  • If a client is not able to be provided a licence for the month they requested it, they will be added to a waiting list of users for a following month;

To request access to the Analyst tool, please click here.

If you are not able to be assigned a licence and have an immediate need for data, OMAFRA’s Regional Advisors can help support your data needs a map of the Regional Advisors is available here.

To learn more OMAFRA economic development staff and subject matter experts on Tuesday, November 24th, 2020 (2 pm – 3:15 pm EST) for a free webinar exploring data tools and analysis for economic recovery. Visit this webpage to register for the session.

Economic Development

Data Tools and Analysis for Economic Recovery

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Join OMAFRA economic development staff and subject matter experts on Tuesday, November 24th, 2020 (2 pm – 3:15 pm EST) for a free webinar exploring data tools and analysis for economic recovery.

Local economic development initiatives and policies should be driven by evidence-based decision-making. Access to current data is therefore crucial as communities address current challenges while planning for resilience and prosperity in a post-pandemic world. Some examples of suitable data sets and analysis are:

Continue reading Data Tools and Analysis for Economic Recovery →
Agricultural Development, Economic Development

Funding For Sectors Intake NOW Open

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Ontario’s government is helping to grow the province’s agri-food and agri-products sectors by launching the Place to Grow: Agri-food Innovation Initiative – a program which will help drive innovation, reduce red tape, and address industry priorities. The “Funding for Sectors” stream and will support agriculture and food value-chain partners in address emerging sector challenges and opportunities to create sector wide benefits.

This cost-share intake will remain open until November 26, 2020.

FUNDING FOR SECTORS

Programming Overview

Funding supports agriculture and food value chain partners by offering cost-share funding opportunities to address identified industry priorities and outcomes for Ontario in the following areas:

Continue reading Funding For Sectors Intake NOW Open →
Economic Development, Local Food

Register Now with the Choose Ontario Pavilion at Grocery Innovations Canada Live @home show

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The Choose Ontario pavilion will be at Grocery Innovations Canada in its first-ever virtual format where thousands of grocery retail buyers around the globe will be looking for new business partners like you!

Continue reading Register Now with the Choose Ontario Pavilion at Grocery Innovations Canada Live @home show →

Regional Economic Development Branch blog focusing on agriculture and rural economic development for Ontario