Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – December 1, 2020
The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus Receives Rural Economic Development (RED) Funding
Southwestern, ON – The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus has received $14,374 grant from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to share best practices throughout the region.
The funding will be used to execute three components of the Regional Economic Development Strategy;
- Updating https://wowc.ca including a logo refresh and creating an Economic Development Resources component for the WOWC Website;
- In partnership with Workforce Planning West, aggregate fifteen local job hubs and provide monthly job search and job demand reports; and
- The site will also house regional data from Townfolio.
The funding is part of a larger regional strategy that supports economic development in Western Ontario. The plan emphasizes a regional and collaborative approach to dealing with the implications of a transforming economy and focuses on identifying cross-cutting regional economic development opportunities that have implications for all aspects of the Southwestern Ontario economy.
Quotes
“It’s great to see that our investment through the Rural Economic Development program will help the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (WOWC) initiate measures to support economic development in Western Ontario,” said Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “This funding will help the Caucus to provide essential local and regional job search information and job demand reports, as well as providing material on economic development resources to help stimulate local economic growth through the WOWC website.”
“The sharing of best practices in our region is pivotal to our success. We are able to learn and adapt programming from other counties to best serve the needs of our tax base. This knowledge sharing will also increase efficiencies by improving delivery to customers and stimulating innovation and growth.” – Jim Ginn, Chair of the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, Warden Huron County.
“This project is integral to our success as a region, by being a repository for datasets, community profiles, regional news stories, business resources, and quality of place considerations for workforce attraction, wowc.ca will be a one stop shop for the fifteen Counties in Western Ontario..” – George Bridge, Chair of the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus Economic Development Committee, Mayor Town of Minto.
About
The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (WOWC) is a not-for-profit organization representing 15 upper and single tier municipalities in Southwestern Ontario, representing more than three million residents. The WOWC aims to enhance the prosperity and overall wellbeing of rural and small urban communities across the region. Caucus members work collectively to influence federal and provincial legislation and programs through advocacy, research and analysis and education. For more information, visit www.wowc.ca.
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Media Contact
Kate Burns Gallagher, Executive Director Economic Development
Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus
T: 226-374-6654 E: kburns@elgin.ca