All posts by ON Regional Economic Development

Agricultural Development, Local Food

RESTAURANTS CANADA SHOW 2020

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The Restaurants Canada (RC) Show is Canada’s largest annual foodservice and hospitality trade-show held in Toronto, Ontario. The RC Show is dedicated to creating networking and sales opportunities between vendors and buyers within the food service industry. The RC Show is being held on March 1-3 at the Enercare Centre, Toronto starting at 10am.

The show will offer three days of non-stop business-building action including a dynamic trade show floor with seven stages hosting over 150 speakers, six competitions, three leadership conferences and four networking events. With 20,000 industry professionals in attendance, this annual event provides thought leadership and education, boasting 250,000 square feet of the latest product innovation and culinary events designed to inspire and motivate by showcasing cutting-edge products, pioneering influencers and transformative ideas.

Continue reading RESTAURANTS CANADA SHOW 2020 →

Agricultural Development, Economic Development

Online Agriculture Economic Development Training

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If your community is looking for ways to support your local agriculture sector; plan on attending the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) online Agriculture Economic Development Training.

The course is split into two sessions (April 8, 10am- 12pm and April 22, 10am-12pm). Click here to register.

This interactive training will:

  • Share key agriculture economic development concepts
  • Introduce the range of agriculture economic development activities your community can explore
  • Give you tools to develop a plan for agricultural economic development in your community
  • Provide an overview of the Agriculture Economic Development guide and its three stages: plant, grow and harvest.

Continue reading Online Agriculture Economic Development Training →

Agricultural Development, Economic Development

Planning Principles for Creating Healthy Rural Communities

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According to this article published in 2016, 1 in 5 Ontario residents live in rural communities. As with larger urban areas, the health of residents in these rural areas is becoming more important as the population ages. Increasingly, municipalities, planners, and public health professionals are understanding that there are clear linkages between the built environment and the health of a community. So, how does the rural built environment and land use planning affect quality of life and health outcomes? This question is answered through first recognizing what rural planning is and the importance of rural health.

The Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) defines rural planning as planning to improve quality of life and promote economic vitality in areas of low population density, with an expansive rural landscape and dispersed population. Planning for rural communities presents unique challenges not necessarily experienced in urban communities. Continue reading Planning Principles for Creating Healthy Rural Communities →

Economic Development

Everything You Need to Know About Leasing Greenhouses

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greenhouse with peopleFarm business and greenhouse owners are presented with all sorts of opportunities. You might be looking at expanding your operation and need another greenhouse, or you may be thinking of slowing down and reducing production. Either way, it is always a good idea to weigh the options available to you. This article focuses on leasing greenhouses, and what greenhouse owners (landlord) and farmers (tenant) need to consider before signing on the dotted line.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Leases

Leases can be beneficial to both the landlords and tenants. Below you will see what the pros and cons are for a lease from a landlord’s standpoint and a tenant’s standpoint.

Landlord Standpoint

Continue reading Everything You Need to Know About Leasing Greenhouses →

Agricultural Development, Workforce

The Future AgriWorkforce – Data, Strategies and Opportunities

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On December 12, 2019 the Agriculture Economic Development and Planning Community of Practice hosted a webinar on the future of the agri-food workforce. This webinar focused on workforce challenges in the agri-food sector and methods in which economic development organizations and practitioners can use data and strategies to address these challenges.

Cassi Brunsveld from AgScape spoke on the challenging issue of how to engage youth in the agricultural sector. Here are some of the key highlights:

  • Students often believe the misconception that the only job in the agriculture industry is farming.
  • Integrating youth into the agri-sector is crucial for Ontario as 37% of the agriculture workforce is expected to retire by 2029.

Continue reading The Future AgriWorkforce – Data, Strategies and Opportunities →

Local Food

Metro puts the spotlight on local food at The Royal

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The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair logoSince its inception in 1922, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair has been a gathering place for Canadian farmers, growers and producers to display their very best agricultural products. Fast forward to 2019, and The Royal has grown to become the largest indoor agricultural event in the world. Each year, this impressive event attracts, educates and entertains over 300,000 attendees.
Continue reading Metro puts the spotlight on local food at The Royal →

Economic Development

The benefits of accessible recreation extend beyond the playground

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Our previous blog post, Why Your Community Should Invest In Accessibility, discussed why accessibility is an important economic and social consideration. Investing in accessible spaces may seem like a large undertaking. However, rural communities in Ontario are proving that building accessible community centres and parks is not only achievable, but also has significant benefits for residents and the surrounding region. The towns of Southampton and Elmira offer excellent examples of communities that have seen the social and economic benefits of investing in accessibility. Continue reading The benefits of accessible recreation extend beyond the playground →

Economic Development

CED 201 Webinar – Expand Your Knowledge of Community Economic Development

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Earlier this year the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) hosted several Community Economic Development workshops (CED 101) across Ontario. These sessions helped those involved in local economic development learn the basics of economic development in local communities, and how these concepts can be applied in municipal environments.

During CED 101, participants learned that Community Economic Development is a process of fostering an environment that results in the creation of wealth and well-being for the benefit of the community. CED is practiced through mobilizing economic wealth generators (e.g., investment attraction), support activities (e.g., family doctor recruitment) and community supports (e.g., infrastructure improvement).

Continue reading CED 201 Webinar – Expand Your Knowledge of Community Economic Development →

Economic Development

Canadian Agricultural Partnership Cost-share Funding is Open to Help Food Processors Grow their Business

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CAP-EN

The Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) is a five-year, $3-billion commitment by Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments that supports Canada’s agri-food and agri-product sectors.

On November 4th , the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) opened to receive applications from Ontario food processors and other agri-businesses. This intake is tailored to agri-food businesses looking to increase food safety, develop new markets and expand their operations with the goal of increasing competitiveness, prosperity and sustainability. Cost-share funding under the Partnership is merit-based, and project funding amounts are individually established based on project categories.

Applications can be submitted until November 26, 2019 at 5:00pm EDT.

Continue reading Canadian Agricultural Partnership Cost-share Funding is Open to Help Food Processors Grow their Business →

Economic Development

Why your community should invest in accessibility

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First impressions can be tough! When getting ready for an interview, you could spend hours preparing for questions, choosing the perfect outfit and researching the organization! But what about communities? How can communities prepare to ensure that tourists, investors and potential residents have a positive impression upon their initial visit?

This two-part blog series will discuss why community accessibility is an important component that economic development professionals should consider when evaluating how their community fares for first-time-visitors. Continue reading Why your community should invest in accessibility →