EDCO Exchange

February 2015

It is truly an honour to be able to assume the role as your President for 2015.

I hope everyone who attended this year's annual conference in Hamilton enjoyed what I believe was a very successful conference. On behalf of the Board and the membership I would like thank our conference co-chairs Eleethea Savage and Michael Marini and their talented team of volunteers for putting together a great agenda. I would also like to thank our Awards Committee co-chairs Kasia Chojecki and Cheryl Peters and their committee for all of their hard work in judging the 129 submissions received.

I would like to congratulate all of the winners and a special shout out to the winner of the 2014 Lieutenant governor's Award "Vote - City of Waterloo", The City of Waterloo. We also had the honour to recognize two long time contributors to EDCO; Robert Brindley and Ann Matyas with the President's Award and Neil Carbone with the Young Professional of the Year Award.

The year ahead promises to be a busy one for your Board and EDCO staff. In 2015 under the leadership of the Professional Development Committee EDCO will be launching a number of professional development initiatives for our membership. I would invite you to check our website often as more information on these sessions becomes available.

As a member of EDCO I would encourage you to look at ways that you may be able to assist your organization. Whether volunteering for a committee, running for the Board or assisting as we put on training sessions, together we can grow and strengthen your association and our profession.

Robert Lamb

EDCO President

Ltg Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Patrick Suriano (City of Waterloo), Robert Lamb (EDCO President)

See more photos from the awards banquet

on the EDCO Facebook Page

#EDCO2015 Event Follow Up

Have Your Say

Thank you to everyone who attended the EDCO Conference in Hamilton. We have made the presentations form the conference available in the 'Members Area' of the EDCO website. You can view them using the link below.

Conference Presentations

We would like to hear from you, whether you attended the EDCO Conference or not, your input is valuable to us. Please take a moment to complete the follow up survey so you can help improve future Conferences.

Take the Survey Now

DCI 40 Under 40

Recognition in Ontario

Congratulations to EDCO Member Stephen Thompson, Consul and Senior Economic Officer, Ontario International Marketing Centre for being added to the DCI 40 Under 40 list... 2015's Economic Development's Rising Stars!

As head of Ontario's International Marketing Centre in San Francisco, Stephen serves as a main contact for business development, investment attraction, international trade, and research and commercialization.

Stephen's career in economic development began in Eastern Ontario in 1997 and has included progressive roles in cities, regions and at the provincial level. More recently Stephen has successfully managed major business expansion and attraction projects, including 40-50 job investments and a $50 million company expansion. As a recipient of more than 25 awards in economic development and tourism, Stephen has been recognized for his vision and success. Stephen was a recipient of a Niagara 40 under 40 Business Achievement Award in 2010, and his leadership was recognized by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in 2011.

More on all the Winners

More News

RED Program Update

The ministry recently paused application intakes for the Rural Economic Development (RED) program to conduct an internal review. The reason for the review is to ensure that the program continues to effectively support industry, community organizations and municipalities in rural Ontario.

The 2014 Budget confirmed $14.5M annually for the RED program going forward. Program intakes will resume early summer, following the completion of our review.

Applications submitted before February 1, 2015 are being evaluated and decisions will be made as per our current program guidelines.

The RED program is an important program because it supports businesses, community organizations and municipalities. It helps to build a strong, prosperous Ontario that includes vibrant, economically diverse rural communities.

We look forward to resuming the government's RED program in support of our commitment to rural Ontario.

Please contact OMAFRA's Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 for more information.

Sincerely,

Doug Reddick, MBA

Director, Regional Economic Development Branch