Over the last two years, I have had the pleasure of serving as the Chair of the Board of Directors. As my term is complete, we are thrilled to announce the new Chair-Elect is Doug Harkness of Orangeville Precast. This position will be affirmed at the AGM in the spring.

At its core the Dufferin Board of Trade is an organization that is striving to provide resources and initiatives to help members succeed in business and further business in Dufferin.

As I reflect on the last two years; I've have had the pleasure of working with the office team on many initiatives including; Open for Business Campaign, BEA's, Biz Hub, Think Local Market, Dufferin Caledon Federal Election, Advertising Bundles, Free Business Directory Listings, Rebranding, Rapid Test Kits, Dufferin Days...

I encourage you to get involved in all that DBOT has to offer. Membership is a small price for the value received.

Liz Skorski

Past-Chair, Dufferin Board of Trade

Join the Dufferin Women in Business, and guest speaker, Julie Cass, to discuss strategies to re-focus your energy, elevate your mental and physical health, and ultimately create a viable business.

Join us for a business networking breakfast only ($25 +HST), or a ski day and networking ($75 +HST)!

Promote your business on radio, print, and online, throughout Dufferin County! Save money using the power of group buying and DBOT's community reach. Remind consumers to think local, think Dufferin, and support local businesses.

Over a three-month period you will receive:

(Toronto – January 20, 2022) – Today, Rocco Rossi, President & CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, released the following statement:

“Today, the government has finally provided clarity on the next steps of their reopening plan. While the pandemic has been unpredictable, the response should not be. We welcome added clarity but urge the government to stop thinking in short-term increments and come up with a strategic and evidence-based plan to manage future waves.

“We are calling for investments in testing capacity and business supports to foster a sustained reopening guided by evidence and science.

“Government also needs to be transparent about the data behind restrictions. Businesses need to see modeling that justifies the nature and timing of response measures and how they are successfully mitigating the virus or alleviating pressure on our overwhelmed health care system.

“If we want a robust and inclusive economic recovery we need our government to focus on creating the right conditions to support business stability, predictability, and confidence.”

Dufferin County is embarking on its first-ever Meat Processing Project, designed to bring the county's farm-to-table system closer to home, with a facility made for producers, by producers.⁠

To make the Dufferin Meat Processing Project happen, we need at least 50 local farmers to commit to utilizing and investing in the new facility before March 2022. Beef, Lamb and Pork producers of all scopes and sizes welcome.⁠

Dufferin County is expecting to grow 95,000 in population and 39,000 in jobs by 2051!

To prepare for this, the County is updating its Official Plan – a vision for the future. This review process will help answer:

• Where will future residents live?

• What types of houses will be built?

• Where will people work?

• How will we move around the County?

• How will we protect our agricultural areas and natural features?

One key element of this review process is to engage with people in the Dufferin community!

Do you have ideas or feedback for Dufferin’s future? Click "more" to share your thoughts, and to learn more.

The winter months include a lot of gift-giving, whether it's for Hanukah, Christmas, Family Day or Valentine's Day. With that in mind, Dufferin County's Development & Tourism department is running a Local Gift Guide until February 2022, as a way to boost awareness of local businesses, services and products to County shoppers.

This virtual aspirational gift guide will live on @TourisminDufferin's Instagram page, spotlighting gift options catering to various interest groups. If a shopper sees something they like, contact and product info will be available in the Instagram caption so they may make a purchase with the business.

Don't have Instagram or a website? inDufferin's team is here to help! They want to make it easy for all business in Dufferin County to be featured in the Local Gift Guide, so reach out for info on how you can be included.

Are you involved with a charity or non-profit in Dufferin County? Don't miss out on your chance to apply for a Community Grant!

Visit the Headwaters Communities in Action website to read the stories of last years' recipients.

In so many ways, they are the heart of our community: the “invisible champions” who work in more than 150 charities and non-profits across Dufferin County. Through the pandemic, they have gone above and beyond to serve vulnerable people and keep our community strong. 

There are many ways that we can say thanks as a business community:

• Post a video or message on social media showing your appreciation for our non-profits.

• Tag us on your posts #nonprofitappreciation and we will share them.

• Offer a free product or service for non-profit workers on one day during the week.

• Share a story on social media about a non-profit that you support, and why.

For more information, please contact Michele Fisher, Executive Director, Dufferin Community Foundation at 519-938-0780 or michele@dufferinfoundation.ca.