Vol. 13 - Issue 2 | February 23, 2023

Table of Contents

  • Exploring Sustainable Commuting with Smart Commute
  • Digital Digest, Volume 3 - Content Creation
  • Applications Now Open - $2,500 Digital Transformation Grant
  • Georgetown GO/Mill Street Corridor Virtual Open House, February 27
  • Council Approves 2023 Budget
  • Powering Ontario Toward Net-Zero Through Electrification Event
  • Halton Region's Census Infographic Series
  • 2022 GTA Employer Survey: Recruitment of Works in a Tight Labour Market.
  • 2023 Ontario Economic Report
  • 2023 Southern Ontario Tourism Conference, March 6 - 8

Exploring Sustainable Commuting with Smart Commute

Does your organization want to explore different sustainable commute choices? Do you have a corporate goal to ease gridlock, improve air quality, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while making commuting less expensive and more enjoyable for your employees? If you answered yes to any of these, please reach out to our Smart Commute Coordinator to discuss a lunch n’ learn session about joining the FREE Smart Commute program. There is also a chance to win free incentives/swag for your employees to encourage sustainable travel.


What is Smart Commute program?


Our goal is to ease gridlock while helping commuters save time and money, by promoting sustainable transportation options such as walking, cycling, transit, carpooling and flexible work arrangements. Workplace members receive customized transportation resources and support to help you develop a comprehensive commuter program that meets the needs of your workplace.


Benefits of joining Smart Commute include:


  • Employee recruitment and retention
  • Increase employee productivity
  • Engaging campaigns & events
  • Reduced parking requirements
  • Reduce congestion
  • Lower facility costs
  • Champion corporate objectives


Contact your local Smart Commute coordinator:


Ivan Drewnitski

Halton Hills Smart Commute Coordinator

905-873-2600 ext. 2328

idrewnitski@haltonhills.ca

Email Here

Digital Digest Volume 3 | Content Creation

Creating content for your small business has never been easier. New technologies and online resources can assist in taking your business' identity to the new level. Check out this month's edition of the Digital Digest to explore five user-friendly content creation tools.


Have questions about implementing new digital activations for your small business? Contact our Town Digital Main Street Coordinator, Natalie to set up a free consultation at dms@haltonhills.ca.

Read More

Applications Now Open | $2,500 Digital Transformation Grant

Digital Main Street is back in Halton Hills and available to small businesses until September 2023. Eligible businesses can apply for a $2,500 Digital Transformation Grant that can be used towards expenses including contracting digital services, purchasing software, enrolling in training courses, and purchasing digital hardware.


Contact the Halton Hills DMS Coordinator, dms@haltonhills.ca, to review your marketing goals and determine your eligibility for grants and services available through Digital Main Street.

Learn More

Join Us Virtually | Georgetown GO Station Area/Mill Street Corridor Secondary Plan Review - February 27

The Town will hold a Georgetown GO Station Area/Mill Street Corridor Secondary Plan Review Public Open House (POH) on Monday, February 27, 2023 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.


The Town is looking for community input on the plan's components including cultural and natural heritage, transportation, urban design, open space and parks, and sustainability.


Join Town staff and consultants for a presentation on the work completed since the June 20, 2023 POH and a question-and-answer period. The evening's agenda will focus on forecasted changes in the area and feedback will be welcomed on the plan's long-term vision, land use, and optimal growth concepts.

Register Here

Council Approves 2023 Budget

Last week, Council approved the 2023 budget for the Town of Halton Hills with a blended tax rate increase of 4.25% when combined with the tax changes at Halton Region (3.4%) and school boards (0%). The local Town tax increase is 6.62% including an increase of 1.83% for the special levy dedicated towards rising insurance costs and an increase of 0.6% for the infrastructure levy.


Key initiatives of the 2023 budget include:


  • Permanent delivery and enhancement of the ActiVan service pilot project providing transportation to the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital 
  • Implementing a new automated speed enforcement program
  • The addition of a new Fire Prevention Inspector and aerial ladder truck


To read the full press release, please visit the Town of Halton Hills website below.

Read More

March 3 Event | Powering Ontario Toward Net-Zero Through Electrification

Join the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce, Atura Power, and Ontario Power Generation in Halton Hills for an informative morning to discuss the leadership role that Atura has taken in decarbonizing Ontario's transportation sector by investing in the electrification of heavy fleets and through the launch of the Ivy Charging Network.


Confirmed guests include:


  • Hon. Ted Arnott, Speaker, Legislative Assembly of Ontario
  • Shelley Babin, President & CEO, Atura Power
  • Hon. Michael Chong -Member of Parliament Wellington-Halton Hills
  • Ann Lawlor, Mayor of Halton Hills
  • Rocco Rossi, President & CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce


For the full program and to register, please visit the link below.

Register Here

Halton Region's Census Infographic Series

In November, 2022, Statistics Canada released the last series of data from the 2021 Census on the topics of education, labour, and commuting. Halton Region Economic Development created a series of infographics related to the results.


Census shows that 78 per cent of Halton's population between the ages of 25 to 64 held a post secondary degree, which represents the highest post-secondary attainment within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). The labour infographic shows that Halton's labour force reached 320,175 people in 2021. Halton's employed residents working from home is up significantly from the prior Census to 39 per cent.

Find the infographics on the Halton Business Blog and Invest Halton Resource Library.

Read More

Peel Halton Workforce Development Group | 2022 Labour Market Report

Last week, the Peel Halton Workforce Development Group launched the new 2022 GTA Employer Survey: Recruitment of Works in a Tight Labour Market.


The results of the 2022 Peel Halton Employer Survey illustrate how employers feel about the challenges related to the hiring of workers (which includes entry-level, mid-level, and highly skilled workers), the importance of soft skills, addressing skills shortages, remote work, and assistance with human resources needs.


You can access the full report and the infographic below:

Full Report
Download Infographic

2023 Ontario Economic Report

The 2023 Ontario Economic Report (OER) features exclusive data from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce's annual Business Confidence Survey. It spotlights the business community's main policy priorities for the year ahead.


Key highlights of the report include:


  • Business confidence has dropped to a new low, with only 16 per cent of organizations expressing confidence in the outlook of Ontario’s economy in 2023 (down from 29 per cent in 2022).
  • Inflation and labour shortages are primary concerns for organizations.
  • Despite low confidence in the economy, 53 per cent of businesses are optimistic about the outlook and growth prospects of their own organizations, as high employment rates and population growth should prevent a sharp decline in consumer spending.
  • Small businesses want governments to prioritize policies and programs that support their immediate financial and operational challenges, while large businesses are more interested in broader workforce development and health care issues.
  • Labour shortages are directly impacting most employers and 87 per cent of large businesses. Shortages are especially acute in education, construction, and accommodation and food services.
  • Businesses appreciate the importance of employee health and well-being, diversity and inclusion, economic reconciliation, and climate action – but there are notable gaps in addressing them.


Visit the link below to access the full, interactive report.

Read More

Southern Ontario Tourism Conference

Hamilton or Virtual, March 6 - 8

Are you a business owner in the tourism industry looking to create strong connections in Southern Ontario? Do you want to meet other tourism stakeholders, that understand your perspective, to collaborate with? Are you looking to learn, challenge inherent biases, and improve skills?


The 2023 Southern Ontario Tourism Conference is being hosted in our tourism region (Hamilton, Halton, Brant) this year. The conference will be hybrid, which means you have the option to attend in-person in Hamilton, at the Sheraton Hotel or from the comfort of your office online. More information can be found here by visiting the conference website

Register Here

Halton Hills Economic Development Services

Halton Hills’ Economic Development, Innovation and Culture division 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. These include:


  • Financial incentives via the Community Improvement Plan (CIP)
  • Business retention and expansion (BR&E) programming
  • Investment attraction, expansion, and relocation
  • Business concierge service
  • Site selection assistance
  • Market research
  • Industry engagement
  • Workforce development
  • Supporting and advancing affordable housing projects and initiatives
  • Amplifying tourism’s economic benefits
  • Leveraging and supporting the arts and culture sector to raise quality of life

 

The Town offers existing and potential businesses a strategic platform for success, proximity to world-class markets, a distinct community with an ideal balance between urban and rural environments, and an outstanding quality of life.

 

As part of an ongoing commitment to engage with and support the local business community, Economic Development staff continue to update the Town’s COVID-19 Business Supports web page.

 

Please contact the Town’s Economic Development staff if you require assistance.

Please note:


Pictures used in this e-newsletter are for illustration purposes only


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