Vol. 15 Issue 12

December 2024

Seasons greetings from the Town of Halton Hills Economic Development division! Our team looks forward to continuing to deliver supports and programming to the business community in 2025. 🎄

Please be advised the Town will be closed for the winter holidays starting December 24, 2024 at noon and will return on January 2, 2025.

Community Improvement Plan Agricultural Building Renovation Grant Awarded to Chudleigh’s Entertainment Farm

Photo from L-R: Sarah Schicht - Economic Development and Tourism Officer, Councillor Brass, Councillor Racinsky, Mayor Lawlor, Scott Chudleigh - Owner Chudleigh's Entertainment Farm, Councillor Somerville, and Erin Kaiser - Manager Economic Development and Innovation.

On December 5, the Town of Halton Hills proudly awarded the Agricultural Building Renovation Community Improvement Plan (CIP) grant to Chudleigh’s Entertainment Farm. The $25,000 grant supported on-farm diversification through the construction of a multi-purpose wood barn with retail operations which was crafted from Killarney, Ontario sourced materials. Mayor Ann Lawlor, accompanied by Ward 2 Councillors Jason Brass and Joseph Racinsky, Regional Councillor Clark Somerville, and members of the Town’s Economic Development division, presented Chudleigh’s with a ceremonial cheque in recognition of this achievement.

Chudleigh’s Entertainment Farm has been a cherished Halton Hills destination for families since 1967, offering a slice of country life and the warmth of freshly baked apple pies. What began as a small, on-site baking operation has grown into a modern 110,000-square-foot bakery producing desserts enjoyed across North America. Even with their international success, Chudleigh’s remains deeply rooted in their local heritage and dedicated to creating memorable experiences on their family farm.

The Economic Development division's tourism brand, Visit Halton Hills is pleased to share their final partnership of the year with local influencers, JustinPlusLauren. Check out their video feature outlining the best places to visit in Halton Hills throughout the seasons. Stay tuned to the Visit Halton Hills social channels and website for 2025 programming.

Visit Halton Hills

Trinity United Church Receives Town of Halton Hills' Grant Towards

Community Space Renovations

Photo from L-R: Councillor Albano, Erin Kaiser - Manager of Economic Development and Innovation, Mayor Lawlor, Members of the Trinity United Church, Councillor Hilson, Mattew Galliford - Acton BIA Manager, and Sarah Schicht - Economic Development and Tourism Officer.

December 10, 2024 – The Town of Halton Hills proudly awarded a $30,000 grant from its Building and Property Renovation Program in the Community Improvement Plan (CIP) to Trinity United Church in Acton. This funding has been instrumental in upgrading the church's community kitchen and rental space, ensuring it continues to serve as a vibrant hub for the Acton community.

Trinity United Church has long been a cornerstone of support and connection in Acton, hosting vital programs such as Narcotics Anonymous, Al-Anon, Brownies, Guides, and quilting groups. These enhancements aim to expand rental opportunities, fostering more events and collaborations to benefit the local community.

Georgetown Firm Awarded $30-million Contract for Warship Parts

Article originally posted in Halton Hills Today

Halton Hills-based company Patlon Aircraft and Industries will be a supplier of parts to the Government of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).

The firm has been granted a $30-million contract to provide components for its partner, Irving Shipbuilding Inc. Ottawa chose the East Coast company to build the future River Class Destroyers (RCD) for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).

A rendering of the future River Class Destroyer. Source: Department of National Defence rendering.

On Friday, the 2025 budget for the Town of Halton Hills was finalized following a 9-hour Budget Committee Meeting earlier in the week. The budget reflects a collaborative Council process with a focus on investing in community safety through a Fire Levy, maintaining existing infrastructure and services while keeping property taxes as low as possible.

The 2025 budget supports key initiatives such as:

Implementing the Fire Master Plan (Fire Special Levy of .9%)
Investing in existing infrastructure (State of Good Repair Special Levy of 1.28%)
Ensuring corporate and community safety
Managing growth and new construction

The result is a 4.44 per cent increase on the Town’s portion of the tax bill. This represents, for Town of Halton Hills services, an increase of about $239 on a home assessed at $600,000.

Residents, businesses and non-profits in the Norval community who were impacted by flooding on July 15 and 16 may be eligible for funding. Last Friday the Ontario government announced the activation of the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians (DRAO) program to support communities in designated areas.

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Funding Opportunities

Last Call: Canada Summer Jobs Program Strategy

Canada Summer Jobs is a program under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS), which aims to provide quality summer employment opportunities for youth to develop skills and gain paid work experience to successfully transition into the labour market.

The program provides wage subsidies to support employers from not-for-profit organizations and the public sector, as well as private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employees, to create quality summer work experiences for youth aged 15 to 30 years.

Applications deadline: December 19, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. PST

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Last Call: FedDev Ontario Funding Available for Local Businesses

Local businesses are invited to apply for FedDev Ontario funding to help grow your business. FedDev is looking for projects in priority areas such as clean economic growth, growth companies, technology, industrial transition, and automotive suppliers.

Applications can be submitted for no-interest, repayable contributions from $125,000 up to $10 million per project for incorporated businesses that:

Develop, commercialize or produce innovative products, processes and services
Improve productivity, capacity and competitiveness
Scale-up and expand to develop new business opportunities, enter new markets, or reach new customers

Applications deadline: December 20, 2024.

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Halton Hills Economic Development Services

The Town of Halton Hills Economic Development division, Invest Halton Hills, provides a full suite of high-quality services and supports to the business community that in turn foster a prosperous economy and enhance quality of life.

Invest Halton Hills supports and services include: