Peterborough Blogs
Innovation Cluster Partners with Kawartha Manufacturers Association to Provide Free Memberships for New Local Manufacturers and Clean Tech/Social Innovation Startups
/The Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas (ICPK) unveiled its partnership with the Kawartha Manufacturers Association (KMA), offering complimentary membership in its association to emerging manufacturers and early-stage Innovation Cluster clients in the manufacturing and clean tech/social innovation sectors.
photo courtesy of innovation cluster.
Tom Sayers, one of longest standing members of the Kawartha Manufacturers Association said, “the KMA was founded 30 years ago with a mission to increase the competitiveness of manufacturers in Peterborough and the City of Kawartha Lakes by providing forums for sharing best practices, collaborating on training initiatives, and creating a network of experienced problem-solvers.”
Diane Richard, President of Diatom Consulting and Professional Training, is a KMA member and serves on the Innovation Cluster board. Diane emphasized the importance of KMA's initiative, stating, "the free membership program offered by KMA is an incredible opportunity for new manufacturers and Innovation Cluster clients to access invaluable resources and connect with industry experts. It will undoubtedly contribute to the growth and success of businesses in our region."
Camila Duarte, Senior Innovation Specialist & Programs Director at the Innovation Cluster, stated, "this initiative aligns perfectly with our goal of fostering innovation and growth in the manufacturing and clean tech/social innovation sectors. It's a great way for emerging businesses to tap into the wealth of knowledge and experience within the KMA community."
By offering free memberships to emerging manufacturers in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, along with early-stage Innovation Cluster clients, KMA aims to expedite the growth of these new manufacturers and startups, benefiting the community by creating skilled technology jobs resulting from their endeavours.
John Jankowski, current KMA Chair, encourages local manufacturers and Innovation Cluster clients to take advantage of the free membership offer or renew their existing memberships. "We are very excited to bring our community back together after several years of challenges for our members and the inability to hold events," says Jankowski.
For more information on the free membership offer or to renew a membership, please contact the KMA at info@thekma.com.
Voice of Business: SME Institute
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As a chamber of commerce, our main objective is to help the businesses in our area thrive. We do this by offering promotion, professional development, connections within our community and assistance with issues at all four levels of government. As a local chamber, we are also able to offer our members services provided by our big sisters, the Ontario and Canadian Chambers of Commerce.
One of these services is the SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) Institute by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC).
The SME Institute promotes itself as a “one-stop shop for services and resources, we are a community of partners, mentors and peers who are committed to the collective success of SMEs.”
So, what does this mean for local businesses?
As a Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce member, you can access training, consulting, networking, SME-focused tools and resources, and tips on the SME website.
The training programs are run by the CCC partner and trusted experts, to bring relevant and up-to-date content to help your business grow.
“Learn how to recruit, retain and train talent; find and attract investors; use technology to grow your business; and boost your business performance through diversity and sustainability.”
Their consulting page has a list of “trusted experts and connections to get the support you need to help you reach your goals.” Experts from Grant Thornton LLP, M2M Business Solutions, Cat-Tec Inc., Goodman Sustainability Group and Mentor Works - A Ryan Company are included as advisors – with packages and services available for any member ready to access them.
The SME Institute also has a Marketplace page, with extra tools available to help businesses become more efficient. As an example, Canadian Government Funding Application Writing Services by Mentor Works, “a leading government funding firm dedicated to streamlining the funding and grant application process for businesses across Canada. Through Ryan ULC, an award-winning global tax services, consultancy and software provider, Mentor Works can offer a 360 Funding Experience and a grants discovery and screening platform that helps match businesses with government funding opportunities.”
The SME Institute’s Founding Sponsor, our friends at RBC, also offer some services. First, the RBC Insight Edge “helps you uncover actionable insights for your business without the need to sort through mountains of data. Using anonymized credit and debit card transactions along with demographic and location data, RBC Insight Edge offers real-time intelligence through an easy-to-use dashboard.”
The second is the RBC PayEdge. “RBC PayEdge is an innovative accounts payable platform that automates payments to suppliers by integrating with your accounting system. It enables you to easily access funds from any Canadian bank account and most credit cards to pay suppliers globally. Businesses of all sizes can save time and money using RBC PayEdge — whether they’re an existing RBC banking client or not.”
As the world changes, including the way businesses operate and how customers interact with them, all organizations can use the resources available to them to stay competitive. As your local Chamber, we can help on a local, provincial, and national level.
Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.
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StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Bobcat, WingsUp!, The Village Wine Shoppe and Lang Pioneer Village
/PTBOCanada is delighted to be running StoosNews columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…
Bobcat of Peterborough is celebrating their grand opening on May 19 at 2161 Wittington Dr.
The dealership opened back in May of 2020 and recently came under new ownership with Ryan Di Bello. Ryan started as a sales specialist but took over ownership in January of this year. Bobcat sells, rents and services equipment for both business and home use.
A new franchise of WingsUp! is celebrating its grand opening from April 28 to 30 at 1135 Lansdowne St.W.
Drop by and sample some tasty chicken. WingsUp! prides itself on sourcing all of its chicken from Canada and only serving it fresh — never frozen. They focus on takeout, delivery, and catering. Get your wings in 18 flavours from sweet to bold and spicy. Check out their menu at www.wingsup.com.
After 22 years working in local industrial technology, Lori Konig is starting a new adventure running The Village Wine Shoppe in Bridgenorth.
Konig will officially take over ownership of the business on May 1 as Pat Flache retires. The Village Wine Shoppe ferments on site. Customers select their wine, add yeast and wait five to eight weeks. It is an economical way to create the wine you want. Drop by 874 Ward St. in Bridgenorth to start making your own wine.
Have a Feast On the Farm on May 28 and 29 as the Culinary Tourism Alliance partners with Peterborough and the Kawarthas Tourism to hold the event at Lang Pioneer Village.
This unique two-day, zero-waste fundraiser event series includes a curated gastronomic experience for food lovers on the first day — featuring Chef Brad Watt of Publican House Brewery and Pub, Chef Tyler Scott from Rare Escape, and Chef Lisa Dixon of Black Honey Café. The second day is focused on interactive sessions for industry professionals. Tickets and details are available at www.ontarioculinary.com.
Voice of Business: We Need to Invest in Public Transit
/Investing more in public transit will help our city thrive.
Public transit is crucial for people getting to school, appointments, work, the grocery store and to visit friends and family. For some, it’s an economical option compared to car ownership. Some prioritize transit to cut down on their carbon footprint. Some simply prefer not to drive or have physical barriers to operating a car.
Before the pandemic hit, public transit was providing nearly 5 million rides per year.
One particular aspect of transit is hitting businesses particularly hard – the commute.
The Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce recently issued a letter to Mayor Jeff Leal and members of City Council advocating for further investments in transit.
Businesses in Peterborough are struggling to access the workforce they need. According to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Canadian Survey on Business Conditions Report, Q4 2022, businesses cited labour-related challenges as three of their top 10 barriers. More than one-third of businesses across Canada report significantly struggling to retain and recruit the workers they need.
It is a complex problem and will take multiple solutions to address. One area that employers have brought to our attention is the struggle many of their staff have getting to work via public transit. Of businesses surveyed, 57% responded that improved transit service would help them access their workforce needs. The biggest concern raised was route disruptions and cancellations. If an employee does not live within walking distance of their work and does not own a car, they need reliable service. Regular, last-minute bus cancellations make it very difficult to get to work on time, if at all. Many resort to paying significantly more than a bus ticket for a ride to work, sometimes multiple times per week. The added expense, uncertainty, and frustration at wasting their time leads people to consider other employment options.
Other barriers highlighted include bus schedules not fitting with shifts, the length of time it takes to reach their destination, and transit stops not being in convenient locations.
We have employers in our community where 30% to 50% of their workforce depend on public transit to get to work. Route disruptions and cancellations are leading to turnover as employees consider both shorter commutes and working from home.
The City of Peterborough is undertaking a review of its transit service. We would like to see the needs of our local businesses and workforce considered when deciding how we invest in transit and how we plan and schedule routes. When determining what kind of service to support, we would like council to consider how it will impact and hopefully enhance people’s ability to get to work. Our workforce needs safe and accessible transit stops in residential neighbourhoods throughout the city with convenient stops in commercial and industrial employment areas
Recruitment and retention are huge struggles for many businesses right now and the issues are not expected to subside any time soon. We believe investing in more reliable transit services will improve the resilience of our local businesses.
It is clear that public transit will play a vital role in the growth of our city. Investing in a more robust transit service will help employers generate economic growth, create a stronger workforce, improve the quality of life in our community, and help us address our climate change goals.
Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.
StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Nixon Electric Company, Permanent Beauty, Community Futures Peterborough and Homeward Bound
/PTBOCanada is delighted to be running StoosNews columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…
Jesse Nixon recently started his own business.
Nixon Electric Company provides a wide range of electrical services to residential and commercial customers, including installation, repair and maintenance. Fully licensed and insured, with extensive knowledge of local building codes and regulations, Jesse offers everything from lighting, electrical panel upgrades, EV Charger installation and generator installation to a full suite of commercial services.
Permanent Beauty is a unique clinic at 354 Charlotte St.
It specializes in permanent cosmetics, injectables, lashes, fine line tattoos, micro pigmentation and lots more. Owner Kalayna Cabral-Iammancini is particularly proud of her daughter Kiki, who has just introduced her own line of crystal-infused, lightly scented, healing candles. Called Gemini Moon, each candle contains at least 10 crystals and is lightly scented. Check out this budding entrepreneur’s product line at 354 Charlotte St. in Peterborough or online.
Devon Girard, the new Community Futures Peterborough executive director and Board Chair Charlina Westbye, recently unveiled a new brand identity for the organization.
The new logo pays tribute to the federal government, which provides the funding for CFP’s loans, while reflecting a modernized look and their redefined strategy for supporting local entrepreneurs. Community Futures Peterborough supports small businesses in the City and County of Peterborough with flexible financing. It has invested more than $38 million in 1,000 small businesses since 1985, creating or maintaining more than 4,000 jobs in the City and the County.
Homeward Bound is a program run through Peterborough Housing that works with single mothers.
The program provides, housing and education as the women get trained or retrained for the workforce. It’s been very successful in graduating six women so far, who are all working in their field, including plumbing, paralegal, instrumentation, ECE and educational assistant.
The Spring cohort is currently looking for placements and hopefully apprenticeships in carpentry and plumbing. If your business is looking for motivated talent or if you know of a single Mom who is in transition, reach out to Maisie Watson at Peterborough Housing or visit ptbohousingcorp.ca.
Spring Intake Applications Open For Starter Company Plus Program
/This spring, aspiring and established entrepreneurs in Peterborough & the Kawarthas can make their business ideas a reality with the Starter Company Plus Program.
photo courtesy of invest ptbo
Starter Company Plus is designed to provide business training for entrepreneurs in the City of Peterborough and Peterborough County who are launching or expanding a business that has been operating for 5 years or less. The program provides one-on-one consultations with the program facilitator and in-person/virtual training with experts who guide entrepreneurs through writing a business plan.
“For many, 2023 is a year where individuals are looking to take something they may have been operating on the side or a passion project developed throughout the pandemic and turn that business into a reality. This is a comprehensive self-employment training program that sets entrepreneurs up for long-term success,” says Madeleine Hurrell, manager of the Business Advisory Centre.
The Starter Company Plus program has supported numerous businesses to grow from early-stage startup to retail enterprise and to grow their teams, product lines and marketing channels.
“Participants who successfully complete the program and submit a final business plan and pitch to our panel of judges have an opportunity to receive one of six $5,000 micro-grants to start or grow their business,” continue Hurrell.
Since its launch in 2017, the Starter Company Plus program, delivered by Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre, has assisted over 215 local entrepreneurs and more than 174 small businesses. These small businesses have created over 200 jobs in the local economy.
Applications close on April 30, and applicants can learn more about the program and apply online.
Voice of Business: A Tale of Two Budgets
/Both the federal and provincial governments have recently released their budgets and they could hardly be more different.
Ontario’s budget came in $10.7 billion under its initial projected deficit with projections of a balanced budget next year. Its debt to GDP ratio shrank. Driving this is higher revenue from inflation.
It’s in stark contrast to the federal budget where the deficit for this year is expected to increase by $6.6 billion. The plan to balance the budget by 2027-28 is gone, with no current projections or strategy for balancing the books. Our national debt to GDP ratio is increasing this year but is expected to decline later.
In the fiscal philosophy of spending when times are bad and saving when times are good, we’re getting some mixed messages regarding what times we’re in.
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has its analysis of the budgets. The highlights for Ontario include:
Further steps to address labour market challenges by boosting immigration through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program and removing barriers to foreign credential recognition through the Ontario Bridge Training Program.
Creation of additional pathways into health care jobs through the expansion of the dual credit program which will provide secondary students with opportunities to start their careers as nurses, personal support workers, medical laboratory technicians and paramedics sooner.
Introduction of the Ontario made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit to support local manufacturing companies in investing and expanding in Ontario, strengthening provincial supply chains.
Investments in mental health through an additional $425 million over three years for mental health and addictions, including a five per cent increase in the base funding of community‐based mental health and addiction service providers funded by the Ministry of Health.
It comes up short in investing further in the healthcare system, supporting small businesses through scaling digitization funding and improving access to capital, climate adaption and mitigation strategies, removing interprovincial barriers to trade and labour mobility, and investing further in our supply chain.
For the federal budget, the OCC’s analysis pulls out a few highlights:
Incentivizing investments in the green economy, with new refundable tax credits for clean electricity, carbon capture, and equipment to manufacture and process clean technologies and critical minerals; an expansion of the reduced corporate income tax rates for zero-emission technologies; and funding through the Canada Infrastructure Bank for major clean infrastructure projects.
Advancing economic reconciliation by developing an Economic Reconciliation Framework, supporting Indigenous equity ownership of infrastructure projects, co-developing a First Nations-led National Land Registry to help realize economic benefits of First Nations lands, and implementing a co-developed Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy.
Mitigating supply chain challenges by introducing measures to support a National Supply Chain Strategy and developing transportation supply chain data that will help reduce congestion, improve efficiency, and inform future infrastructure planning.
Supporting a resilient health care system through the New Canadian Dental Care Plan, funding for a renewed Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy to help address the opioid overdose crisis, and an ongoing focus on data collection.
The federal budget fell short on addressing labour market needs, reforming employment insurance, fast-tracking broadband internet investments, modernizing the federal tax system, and committing to regulatory reforms for industries that include cannabis, hospitality, and tourism.
Both budgets tackle some of the key issues our business community is facing and both fall short in some crucial areas.
Whether we should be tackling the current inflation challenges and looming recession with a budget big on spending or using the “good times” of increased government revenue to reign in spending is a difficult question — though both governments are clearly showing where they stand on the issue. The next year is going to be difficult to predict in terms of our economy. It will be interesting to see how accurate current spending predictions are at the end of the fiscal year.
Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.
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Kawartha Credit Union Grow Assets By 5.7 Per Cent; Hold 71st Annual General Meeting
/Kawartha Credit Union has reported that its assets grew by 5.7 per cent which was reported at the 71st Annual General Meeting announced on Friday afternoon.
Photo courtesy of Kawartha Credit Union.
