Invest Durham Enews

Founders’ Series – Micro-Manufacturing

From beer to clothing to hair products, Durham Region is home to a diverse range of micro-manufacturing businesses. We sat down with the founders of three of them for our latest Founders’ Series blog. This series looks at local businesses that are starting, growing, gaining support and thriving in Durham Region.

Events and Partnerships

City of Oshawa 17th Annual Realtor & Developer Breakfast November 30

Gain insight on the latest industrial, commercial and residential trends in the City of Oshawa at this in-person event taking place at the Oshawa Convention Centre (Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 67 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa). Live streaming will be available for those attending remotely.

Best Practices for Hiring Employees and Contractors

November 23, from 8:50 to 10:30 a.m.

Your business' workforce is critical to your success and represents one of your most substantial expenses. To avoid future issues, it’s important that you start off on the right foot with your employees and contractors. We invite you to join labour and employment lawyer, Christine Ashton of Wilson Vukelich LLP, for a webinar which will address best practices for hiring employees and contractors.

eCommerce 101:

What, why, and how? December 6

More consumers than ever before are turning to online shopping for greater convenience, safety and variety. In this webinar, the Digital Main Street team will teach you the basic steps to setting up an online store.

Topics will cover everything from what you need to prepare before launching a store and choosing an e-commerce platform, to providing excellent customer service online. You’ll finish this session feeling excited about how e-commerce can help you reach new customers and expand into different markets.

Durham Region International Film Festival (DRIFF) and Cinechats join forces to bring The Best of DRIFF Shorts December 11

The best films are best watched with friends and a beverage, followed by an engaging discussion about the shared experience. With that thought in mind, DRIFF has partnered with Cinechats founder, John Arkelian, for an incredible showcase of the best short films submitted to DRIFF.

Escape the holiday madness for an afternoon with nine films that have been specially curated for their creativity and discussion value at the atmospheric Biltmore Theatre in Oshawa during a Sunday matinee.

Invest Durham event calendar

Each month we gather events suitable for a business audience from across Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area and place them on the Invest Durham events calendar. Explore networking, training, virtual and in-person opportunities in one convenient calendar. Please note that listed events are subject to change or cancellation by event organizers.

Ontario Tech University adding two new engineering programs for 2023.

Beginning in September 2023, Ontario Tech University’s outstanding portfolio of internationally ranked engineering programs will feature a pair of new choices for students. The Ontario Tech Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science’s new Energy Engineering and Industrial Engineering programs will give students even more high-tech avenues to design their future and help make the world a better place.

Learn more about these new programs.

Fun family friendly trips east of Toronto.

If you’re looking for some family fun, plan an easy, family friendly day trip or overnight getaway in Durham Region! With restaurants featuring tasty kids’ menus, hands-on museums, retro gaming, candy shops and, of course, ice cream, there are so many family friendly activities to discover in Durham.  

Read the story on the Downtowns of Durham blog.



A coffee shop that's also an epic seafood joint just opened near Toronto.

It might sound unusual, but a café that specializes in seafood served alongside coffee and mocktails in the same space just opened right outside of Toronto. Sea Salt Seafood Café, located at 100 Westney Road in Ajax, claims to be the first "seafood café" in Ontario

Check out the story on BlogTO.  

Robots, coming to a golf range near you?

It appears modern technology is about to threaten another time-honoured golf tradition. The days of taking pleasure from hitting the screen-enshrouded ball picker at the driving range may be numbered due to the latest innovation, the Korechi Pik’r. This automated robot hooks up to any existing golf ball picking unit and was created by Krechi Innovations Inc., based in Oshawa.

Learn more about this modern technology.

Joe Baker, hospitality, tourism, and education sector expert.

Joe was a guest on a recent episode of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce “VeloCITY” podcast. Listen in as Joe kicks off the episode with some startling statistics to help frame an appreciation for what a major economic driver tourism is in Canada.

Listen to the podcast.