7:30am to 4:00pm, Thursday, October 24, 2024 Cobourg Community Centre, Cobourg, ON
Join 250 of your industry peers, connect with exhibitors & learn from the top industry leaders. Bring your Management, HR, Operations and IT teammates!
Challenges in workforce recruitment and retention are troubling every industry. Ontario East is sponsoring a panel discussion, and Q&A with leaders who have created, executed and maintained successful workforce strategies.
Leeds and Grenville 2024 Economic Development Summit
9:00am to 3:00pm, Friday, November 22, 2024 North Grenville Municipal Centre, Kemptville
The Leeds Grenville Economic Development Office, in partnership with Michael Barrett, M.P., Steve Clark, M.P.P., the 1000 Islands, Grenville and Valley Heartland Community Futures Development Corporations and the Eastern Workforce Innovation Board, invite you to the region’s top Economic Development event of the year.
For this year’s event, M.P.P. Clark has invited the Honourable Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Electrification. The Minister will give the keynote address at the Leeds Grenville Economic Development Summit.
If you have any news that you would like us to share, please forward to info@ontarioeast.ca.
Blommer Chocolate Factory in Campbellford gets
$80M expansion
Published Sep 23, 2024, The Intelligencer-Belleville
CAMPBELLFORD — Blommer Chocolate in Campbellford held a ground breaking ceremony for their $80 million expansion project that is expected to be completed by 2026.
The original building was constructed in 1958 and was owned/operated by World’s Finest Chocolate from 1958 to 2006. Blommer’s purchased the site in 2006 and specializes in being an industrial supplier of various types of compound confectionery coatings. Blommer Chocolate was purchased by Fuji Oil Holdings in 2019 but continues to operate under the Blommer Name.
Fuji has committed to invest $60 Million USD. The benefits of expansion are many. An additional capacity for the factory of 53 million lbs of production annually bringing the factory’s potential volume to 145 million pounds annually. They will have a true sugar-free compound coating manufacturing facility; added capability to produce ice cream coatings and filings; and the ability to leverage Fuji Oil’s expertise in fat systems to service the baking, frozen novelty and nutritional sectors. Most importantly there will be 35 new jobs added to the already 140 people employed at the factory.
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development President & CEO Accepts Position as General Manager, Economic Development for the Peterborough County
For Immediate Release – September 27, 2024
Earlier today, Peterborough County announced the appointment of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s (PKED) President & CEO, Rhonda Keenan as the new General Manager of Economic Development. PKED’s Board of Directors and staff wish to congratulate Peterborough County on the announcement of their new Economic Development team.
“For nearly a decade, Rhonda has been a key driving force behind economic development in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. As PKED’s President & CEO, she has built a dynamic team of overachievers who have worked hard to propel our region forward,” noted PKED Board Chair, Burton Lee.
A month to: • celebrate the impact manufacturing has on our local, provincial, and national economy • get more young people and job seekers interested in manufacturing careers
Why should you care about Manufacturing Month?
Because: • manufacturing is the backbone of not only eastern Ontario's economy, but also Canada's as a whole • choosing to buy locally made products and support local manufacturing businesses invests in our economy - keeping jobs local • manufacturing has an undeserved bad reputation in Canada: it's actually an innovative, technology driven sector with many opportunities for growth and stability
Agricultural Workforce Equity and Diversity Initiative
Accepting Applications
Learn how to get money to support underrepresented groups in starting or growing their own business in the agri-food sector.
Intake opens: October 8, 2024 Deadline: December 3, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET
The Agricultural Workforce Equity and Diversity Initiative offers 70% cost-share funding up to a maximum of $100,000 to support projects from industry organizations, research bodies, municipalities or Indigenous governments and communities.
The funding is aimed at helping primary producers and food processors who are underrepresented in the agri-food sector, including Indigenous peoples, 2SLGBTQI+ people, persons with disabilities, youth, women or members of French linguistic minority communities.
Attend an upcoming webinar on October 8 to learn more. Register here.
This initiative is funded in part by the Governments of Canada and Ontario under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year federal-provincial-territorial initiative.
Ontario East Charter Member Doug Ellis Passes
Ontario East is saddened to advise members and friends of the passing of Doug Ellis, one of the Charter Members of the Ontario East Economic Development Commission and for many years, organizer of the Ontario East Municipal Conference, along with his wife Shirley.
Our condolences to Shirley and his family at this difficult time.
Doug was a great contributor to the advancement of economic development in eastern Ontario and was an Honourary Life Member of the Ontario East Economic Development Commission who often provided information and advice to the organization he believed in so much, even after retirement.
He will be missed.
Arrangements are entrusted to Irvine Funeral Home, Brockville where further details will be available once confirmed. https://www.irvinememorial.com/
Ontario East Economic Development Commission, 100-623 Fortune Cres, Kingston, Ontario K7P 0L5, info@ontarioeast.ca, 613-634-8569
