Ontario East – Opportunities in the EV Supply Chain

Trevor Dauphinee, CEO, Invest Ontario
Stephen Paul, Director, Community & Development Services, Lennox & Addington
Abdul Razak Jendi, Investment Manager, Sustainable Manufacturing, Kingston Economic Development

With over $6 billion in investments recently announced in Ontario to expand and grow the electric vehicle manufacturing and supply chain, the eastern Ontario region is actively contributing to this important sector and will be a key partner in the province’s automotive production future. On this panel, experts from Invest in Canada and Invest Ontario will share updates and insights along with the latest news on two Ontario East success stories including home grown EV supply chain start-up Li-Cycle in Kingston and a major foreign direct investment by Belgian battery company Umicore in Lennox & Addington County. Learn how your community can get involved as our panel discusses resources, requirements and future opportunities in this rapidly growing employment sector of the future.

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2022 Municipal Law Update

Tony Fleming, Partner, Cunningham Swan LLP

The courts and tribunals are constantly interpreting the law that applies to municipal governance and land use planning. When case law is considered along with changes in legislation, decision makers and staff have a daunting task to remain up to date. You need the most current information to ensure your municipality is making the right decisions and is able to take advantage of new rules. This session will focus on the latest changes to municipal legislation and the newest cases in areas of interest to municipal council and staff. Learn not just what new decisions have been handed down from the OLT and the courts, but why they are important and how your municipality can benefit.

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Enhancing Municipal Governance: Local Problems are Best Resolved Locally

Robin Bates, Senior Counsel, Ontario Ombudsman
Joanna Bull, Senior Counsel, Ontario Ombudsman

Robust municipal policies are important for good local governance. In this session, Ontario Ombudsman staff will discuss best practices related to complaint processes, electronic/virtual meetings procedures, local accountability, and more. Presenters will highlight recent municipal case resolutions, discuss how the Ontario Ombudsman refers and resolves municipal complaints, and provide practical takeaways for strengthening municipal practices.

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Updates on Funding and Business Support Programs in Eastern Ontario

Denis Lapierre, Senior Business Advisor, Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
Christos Bakalakis, DActing Director General of Community Recovery and Inclusivity, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

The Ministry Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade offers a suite of programs and services to Ontario businesses, to help them grow and scale. The Ministry provides financial support as well as advisory services to support investment and business growth in eastern Ontario.     FedDev Ontario actively works to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation and growth. FedDev Ontario offers a number of services in the region, tailored to support aspiring and established entrepreneurs and businesses perform at their highest potential.     Representatives from the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and FedDev Ontario will share updates on current programming to support economic development organizations and SMEs in eastern Ontario.    Current program priorities will be discussed, and examples of eastern Ontario projects will be highlighted.

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Local Food Branding for Impact

Louis Béland, Executive Director, Eastern Ontario Agri-Food Network

While the demand for local food grows, advertising “Grown in ABC County” does not quite connect with the expectation of consumers and tourists. Consumers, residents, and producers are looking for more than a local message. They seek community relationships, a story behind the local food, a pride of place and identity. The tourist also wants to connect to a local flavour, remember an image, and retain their experience of people and places.     The Eastern Ontario Agri-Food Network, serving PR, SDG, Cornwall, and Akwesasne is recognized by producers, stakeholders, and municipalities. But it does not have recognition with consumers and tourists. Even the domain name agro-on.ca is hard to pronounce. Attaching local food marketing to our website is ineffective.     In 2022, the EOAN embarked on a branding exercise to create a memorable, recognizable, compelling brand for local food in our region. The brand will carry the message and opportunity that consumers seek in local food. There are many complex factors to consider: bilingual versatility, indigenous origins, unique assets and flavours, geographic recognition.     This presentation presents the outcome of the branding exercise, the lessons learned, and the tips for other regions to engage with consumers and producers in local food marketing.

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The Path to Energy Transition and Working with Municipalities

Jim Sanders, VP, Operations, Enbridge Gas
Jim Wert, Mayor, North Stormont
François Landry, Deputy Mayor, Township of North Stormont

Climate change is a complex issue, and its complexities must be recognized in the approach to address it, in order to do so successfully. As organizations, communities and individuals, we all have a common goal to reach net-zero by 2050 or sooner and create a greener future for ourselves and our children.    Enbridge Gas would like to share how we are supporting the 3.8 million Ontarians powered by natural gas, while simultaneously investing in a number of low- or- no-carbon technologies across the province of Ontario including hydrogen, renewable natural gas, geothermal heating and cooling, hybrid heating systems and other renewables such as wind and solar.    Energy transition will take time and will require leveraging all forms of energy and existing energy infrastructure, including natural gas, which is critical to a lower-carbon future.   We look forward to discussing different pathways to decarbonization including the costs (economic and social), benefits, practicality and the technology we believe will help us to get there.

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Filling the Housing Information Gap in Rural Eastern Ontario

Iain Storosko, Program Development Specialist, Rural Ontario Institute

Currently, in rural Eastern Ontario, there is a shortage of proper housing data. The lack of adequate data is a barrier to the planning and construction of affordable housing development in the region.     Through the Housing Supply Challenge, the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) is partnering with the Rural Ontario Institute and tech company, Itergy, to build a streamlined digital tool to fill the housing information gap. This locally driven tool will support municipalities in the planning and development of affordable housing. It also aims to support not for profit builders in overcoming information barriers regarding housing in rural communities.  EOWC and it’s partners are building this tool by consolidating the information that is available through eastern Ontario municipalities’ existing resources. By having a consolidated effort for data acquisition, EOWC can implement a streamlined approach to enhance the data collected by CMHC through the central digital tool.  In the medium to long-term, the EOWC will use this information to bring appropriate affordable housing to the region and keep residents in their communities’ of choice.

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Health & Safety Management and Q&A

Jeff Pajot, Health & Safety Consultant & Ergonomist- Government, Municipal & Education Sectors, Public Services Health & Safety Association

How do you manage employee health & safety risk and prevent occupational injuries, illness and death? Recent evidence puts the responsibility on the management system and developing a strong safety culture. You must give health and safety the same emphasis as customer service, finance & production and integrate it into your way of doing business. Integrating health and safety into your overall culture and management systems is the only way to achieve high productivity, quality, and to prevent injury/illness in your municipality. A Health & Safety Management System (HSMS) can be developed to build a sustainable health & safety program that concentrates on injury/illness prevention. It is foundational to developing a robust safety culture. A Q&A session will give an opportunity to ask any Health & Safety questions.

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Urban and Rural Expansion: Limitations for Some and Opportunities for Others

Ian Murdoch, Director Business Development, Cambium Inc.
Jennifer Wood, MCIP RPP Associate, FOTENN

As we continue to see interest in the expansion of communities in Eastern Ontario, it has never been more important to align ourselves to support growth in a smart fashion. In the Urban and Rural Expansion session we will discuss considerations for land development scenarios of varying types, and how they integrate with existing and proposed planning infrastructures.   Albeit expansion boundaries can sometimes limit a community’s ability to widen footprints, understanding development best practices can create opportunities to find mutual benefit in aligned growth.  By marrying the needs of rural communities with infill pressures of developed communities, we can continue to grow together for a prosperous economic outlook.  Join us for this exciting session to add some new perspective to your regional outlook, and assist you in better representation of your stakeholders.

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Enhance your Decision-Making with On-Demand Labour Market Information

Jennifer Lamantia, Chief Executive Officer, Workforce Development Board
Martha Woods, Executive Director, Eastern Ontario Training Board

Labour Market Information (LMI) Help Desk services are offered by the local workforce planning boards in Eastern Ontario through a project funded by the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development. This on-demand service allows individuals to submit questions about the local labour market to gain insights into local trends, occupations and wages, demographics, and skills requirements. An evidence-based approach using labour market information can lead to better-targeted programs and more efficient decision-making. The sheer volume of data available can make collecting, analyzing and interpreting labour market information an overwhelming and time-consuming task. The LMI Help Desk can streamline the process by providing professional reports with custom data and analysis. In addition to public sources, analysis from the LMI Help Desks are informed by data from EMSI Analyst, Vicinity Jobs and Scott’s Directories. LMI Help Desks have been used to support the development of education and skills training programs, grant applications, recruitment by employers, career planning and knowledge of local industry trends. Join this session to learn how the LMI Help Desk can support your work.

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What you do When you Think No-one is Watching…

Nigel Bellchamber, Principal , Amberley Gavel Ltd.
Fred Dean, Principal , Amberley Gavel Ltd.

It has been said that investors have done 75% of their homework before you even know they are looking at your community. And, another famous quotation says that ‘Character is what you do when you think no one is watching”. If you want potential investors to be impressed with your community, they need to be impressed with the behaviour of its elected representatives as community leaders. Join Fred Dean and Nigel Bellchamber, acknowledged leaders in Council training, for an interactive session on how to make sure that Council and its members behave collectively, and individually, in their elected roles in ways that display the community’s character that you wish to present to the world.

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Collaboration, Community & Shared Opportunity: Discovering SLC’s NEW Global Engagement Community Development Program

Richard Webster, International Education Manager, Community Development  St. Lawrence College

Did you know that St. Lawrence College (SLC) attracts international students from over 60 countries to our region every year that become trained in a wide variety of our 100+ career-focused programs? Or that many of these students wish to remain and work after graduation?     As a result, SLC has been developing a new Global Engagement Community Development (GECD) Program which further supports the region’s efforts to attract students and retain them beyond graduation. This Program seeks to ensure that our international students continue to be welcomed and supported both on and off-campus throughout their student journey and more intentionally connected to community organizations and employers – ultimately leading to careers in SLC communities as alumni.     Cornwall is the first community of focus for the GECD Program in step with the City’s in-migration efforts, employer needs and the economic and social growth of the community.     Join to learn more about this innovative program, share your needs and discover how we might work together to mutually benefit our globally engaged students, alumni, employers and communities alike. If you are unable to attend but want to learn more, email Richard Webster at rwebster@sl.on.ca or find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rswebster.

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Understanding the difference between diversity and inclusion in a community

Nour Mazloum, Marketing & Communications Manager, Kingston Economic Development
Karen Fischer, Agriculture and Rural Economic Development Advisor, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

If diversity is a mix of people with different characteristics, backgrounds, abilities, experiences, and perspectives, an inclusive workplace takes diversity to the next level by involving marginalized or underrepresented people in the organization’s operations and leadership. Inclusive organizations invite and listen to underrepresented voices and encourage interactions between different groups, departments, job titles, and management levels.

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Attracting Immigrant Entrepreneurs to Small and Rural Communities to Create Jobs and Increase Exports

Vikram Khurana, Chairman, Toronto Business Development Centre

Business immigration to Canada continues to evolve as an essential tool to attract skilled and experienced entrepreneurs to buy or establish new businesses within Ontario’s communities. Recognizing that small and rural communities may not have the resources to create awareness and attract high-quality immigrant entrepreneurs, TBDC has been engaged by Ontario to match qualified immigrant entrepreneurs to small and rural communities. The programs utilize OINP Entrepreneur Pilot and the Start-Up Visa Program to help immigrant entrepreneurs explore business opportunities and establish their businesses effectively in Ontario.

Through the two programs, TBDC helps start-ups and scale-ups invest and use their intellectual property to help create jobs and exports in Ontario. TBDC will also highlight success stories of Immigrant Entrepreneurs who have recently relocated into small and rural communities in Ontario. An interactive Q&A session will follow.

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Open Access – Why the Wholesale Broadband Model is Gaining Traction with Greenfield Operators

Jeff Brown, Director of Field Marketing, Calix

A combination of regulatory framework and private capital investments are spurring deep fiber deployments via Open Access network operators. While prevalent in other parts of the world, OA networks are only now becoming more common in the US. Learn about the various types of OA business models and the pros & cons of OA vs the typical direct B2C/B2B broadband business model & network.

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Using Data to Guide Recovery

Karen Fischer, Agriculture and Rural Economic Development Advisor, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)
Serena Viola , Agriculture and Rural Economic Development Advisor, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

Using data to inform economic development and workforce decisions will make them more effective, ultimately speeding up the recovery process.  By participating in this interactive session, you will leave being able answer the following questions:

  • Are your region’s most critical industries growing or declining, and how quickly?
  • What are the workforce needs of your key industries?

In addition to typical data sources such as Statistics Canada there is an opportunity to leverage supplementary sources with current data.  The Analyst system provides all the economic and workforce data you need in your community—in one place.  For example, the recently added to the tool, Job Posting analytics (JPA) is a collection from millions of job postings created by employers. JPA can help measure the demand for talent in a region. One of the strengths is that it has virtually no time lag, since job postings are live; hence it is also sometimes known as “real-time labor market data.”    Since 2013, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has provided Ontario communities, and not for profit economic development groups with access to a full range of data to support regional and workforce analysis in a free, user-friendly tool called Analyst.

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The Impact of Schools on the Vibrancy of Rural Communities

Stephanie Jaworski, County Councilor, The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
Kirsten Gardner, County Councilor, The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry

Vibrant schools are an essential element in many rural communities. Schools serve not only as places to educate children, but also as vital hubs for community and economic development. As incubators for our local workforce, and in the face of increasing labour scarcity issues, we need to work together to ensure the long-term viability and vibrancy of rural schools.

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Updates from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLISTD)

Tariq Ismati, Regional Director, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
Mike Temple, Regional Senior Manager, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

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Resurrecting Defects – Strategies for Municipalities

Jennifer Savini, Partner, Templeman LLP
Mary Alfredsson, Associate Lawyer, Templeman LLP
Municipalities are often faced with complaints from individuals who discover an issue that occurred decades earlier – a site plan agreement that was not fully complied with, building defects that come to light years later. Should a municipality be issuing orders to address these? What are the implications from a liability standpoint? How do such orders tie into title insurance claims? We will discuss these issues and some of the practical considerations in dealing with closing out older files.

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Overview of Ontario’s Changing Electricity Grid

Carla Nell, Vice-President, Corporate Relations, Stakeholder Engagement and Innovation, Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)

Economic development, technological innovation, and electrification of transportation and industrial processes is leading to an unprecedented transformation of the electricity system where Ontario’s reliance on electricity will grow. Carla Y. Nell, Vice-President, Corporate Relations, Stakeholder Engagement and Innovation of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) provides an overview of the transformation taking place; the ways that growing supply needs are being met, and the important role Ontario communities play in this transition. This includes how the IESO is preparing for the electricity system of tomorrow; exploring pathways to decarbonization; and connecting with municipalities to manage local needs and contribute to a reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy future.

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Stronach international’s Zero Emission Micro-Mobility Transportation and Organic Regenerative Agri-Business and Small and Medium Enterprise, the Keystone of the Canadian Economy

Dean French, Director – Stronach International Inc.

Frank Stronach is one of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs. Dean French is a member of Stronach International Inc. board of directors and works closely with Mr. Stronach on his many ongoing initiatives. He will provide insights on Stronach International’s latest ventures – including opportunities in eastern Ontario – in micro electric vehicles and locally grown organic foods, along with an update on an exciting new initiative known as Keystone and how to engage local business owners and entrepreneurs to effectively enhance your community’s path to economic growth and wealth generation.

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Connected Communities – Sustainability, Innovation, and the Future of Smart Buildings

Jean-Pierre Poulin, President/Partner, DEVCORE | 1VALET
Rick Hardy-Cheam, VP, Sales & Marketing, 1VALET
Brendan Jacome
Daniel Landry

To combat climate change and address urbanization challenges, municipalities and building owners have begun to leverage IoT technologies to help improve efficiency and guide their development practices. Join DEVCORE and 1VALET Founder Jean-Pierre Poulin as he explores the tools and technologies that are improving the lives of residents. and leading to a smarter, more sustainable future.

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Tourism Industry Association of Ontario – Updates

Dr. Jessica Ng, Director Policy & Government Affairs, TIAO

Session Description TBA