YOUR MONTHLY NEWS & UPDATES | | WOWC Meets with Minister Flack | | |
On Monday, February 23rd, WOWC Chair Warden Marcus Ryan and Executive Director Kate Burns Gallagher met with Minister Rob Flack, Municipal Affairs and Housing to talk about the priorities shaping rural and small urban communities across Western Ontario.
We had a productive conversation about infrastructure, economic development, and ensuring Western Ontario communities have the tools they need to grow and succeed.
Thank you Minister Flack for your strong support. We look forward to continuing our work together on behalf of local municipalities.
| | 2025 EDCO Awards of Excellence Recipients | | | Congratulations to the EDCO Award Recipients from Western Ontario;
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Planning and Strategic Development (Rural, under 100,000 population): Town of Innisfil - Innisfil Heights Investment Readiness Initiative
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Business Attraction and Retention (Rural, under 100,000 population): County of Brant – 2025 Downtown Dig
- Visitor Attraction & Tourism Product Development (Rural, under 100,000 population): Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc – Canvas and Culture Night
- Excellence in Rural Economic Development: County of Brant – 2025 Downtown Dig
These recipients were honoured for their creative and impactful contributions to the field of economic development, from strategic planning and business retention to tourism product development and workforce attraction. EDCO is proud of the many initiatives and projects it has helped celebrate that have contributed to the overall excellence of Ontario competitiveness. A complete list of 2025 Award Finalists and Recipients can be found on the EDCO website at edcoawardsofexcellence.ca
| | Chatham-Kent Records Fastest Population Growth in More Than Two Decades | | |
New data from Statistics Canada confirms that the Municipality of Chatham-Kent is experiencing its strongest population growth since data collection began in 2001, signalling continued momentum for the community.
From 2001 to 2015, Chatham-Kent experienced a -6.6% population loss, meaning 7,381 residents had left Chatham-Kent during that period. Since 2016, Chatham-Kent has seen a population increase of 8.1%, or a growth of 8,477 residents. Now, according to Statistics Canada’s Population Estimates, Chatham-Kent’s population has reached 113,070 as of July 1, 2025, representing a 1.23% increase over the previous year. This marks the fastest single-year growth rate recorded in more than 20 years.
The growth is being driven primarily by people moving to Chatham-Kent from elsewhere in Ontario, accounting for a 16.7% net increase from the previous year. This is the second highest increase since 2001. Notably, 26% of new arrivals are children and youth under the age of 15, which highlights Chatham-Kent’s growing appeal to young families.
Chatham-Kent’s growth rate also outpaced neighbouring municipalities, as well as the provincial average. Chatham-Kent grew by 1.23%, Ontario’s average growth was 0.7%, with Windsor growing 0.83%, London 0.98%, and Sarnia 0.17%.
Learn more here
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Simcoe and Essex Counties Named
Regional Technology Development Sites
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The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), announced an investment of $17.5 million to establish nine Regional Technology Development Sites (RTDS), with $32.8 million in matching industry investment and over $19.3 million from the broader public sector, for a total of over $69.6 million. Leveraging Ontario’s regional strengths and expertise in automotive manufacturing, technology, and critical minerals, the RTDS provides a network for Ontario-based small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to drive the development, testing, and commercialization of automotive and smart mobility solutions across the province.
The nine RTDS locations in Durham, Hamilton, Kingston, Northern Ontario, Ottawa, Simcoe, Waterloo, Windsor-Essex and York, are physical sites that connect post-secondary institutions, regional innovation centres, incubators and accelerators, industry partners, and municipal and regional resources to collaborate and accelerate made-in-Ontario solutions through homegrown companies.
The nine sites offer opportunities for regional testing and prototyping of technologies and solutions, connecting companies with regional partners to create a pathway for the adoption and deployment of made-in-Ontario technologies to bolster supply chains.
Learn more here
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Georgian College receives $1 million from Ontario Research Fund to expand Ontario’s first Industry 5.0 sandbox
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Georgian College has received $1 million from the Ontario Research Fund (ORF) to support the expansion of its Centre of Industrial Simulation and Prototyping, Ontario’s first Industry 5.0 sandbox designed to help manufacturers and technology companies test and adopt advanced technologies in a safe, controlled environment.
The ORF investment serves as the provincial matching fund to a $1 million award from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) announced last October, bringing combined federal and provincial infrastructure funding to $2 million.
The Centre was established byGeorgian College to provide manufacturers and technology providers with an independent, low risk setting to simulate, test, demonstrate and validate advanced manufacturing technologies before real-world deployment. Unlike traditional applied research labs, the Centre is intentionally designed to function both as a hands-on research facility and as an exhibition and demonstration hub, allowing technology developers and adopters to work together to evaluate solutions collaboratively.
Learn more here
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Community Futures offices across Western Ontario
are proud to share their clients' success.
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It is the businesses we support that make what we do so impactful to our rural communities.
Take a look inside Evelyn’s Sausage Kitchen, a growing rural success story based in Shedden, Ontario. What started as a family passion for traditional European recipes has quickly become a local favourite, known for handcrafted sausages, smoked meats, and specialty deli items made with care and local ingredients.
Since purchasing the business in 2022, the Harris family has grown sales, expanded their vision, and is now taking the next big step into a larger storefront and production space. In this video, you’ll hear directly from the owners about their journey, the milestones that helped fuel their growth, and how support from the Elgin Business Resource Centre and local partners played a key role in helping turn their plans into reality.
Watch a feature video on Evelyn's here
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