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Windsor-Essex Gets Economic Boost January 8th, 2010:
McGuinty Government Helps Get Local Initiatives Off The Ground
Ontario is helping Windsor-Essex County create new business opportunities and boost economic development.
The province is investing a total of $350,000 in three initiatives in the Windsor-Essex region, including:
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Providing $200,000 to the Windsor Economic Development Commission (WEDC), for a feasibility study that will determine the viability of transforming the Windsor International Airport into a transportation and logistics hub
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Investing $50,000, through the WEDC, to launch a cooperative pilot program which will create cross-border youth entrepreneurial business ventures in Ontario and Michigan.
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Contributing $100,000 to help the Canadian Tooling and Machining Association host a trade mission in Windsor that will connect at least 30 buyers from international markets to Ontario's Machine Tool, Die and Mould Sector.
Funding is being provided under the Communities in Transition program which supports economic development projects that will help communities in Ontario attract new investments and retain existing businesses.
QUOTES
"Despite the challenges posed by the global economic recession, Windsor remains strong, vibrant and determined. This region is reinventing itself and through these initiatives, the McGuinty government is helping craft a new, more robust local economy." -
Sandra Pupatello, Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Trade
"Windsor-Essex County is seizing every opportunity to grow the local economy. We are continually investing our efforts to diversity in areas such as advanced manufacturing and engineering, research and development, and transportation & logistics. This announcement and the support from the Ontario Government will enhance our diversification initiatives and better leverage our assets to meet the needs of a global marketplace" -
Patrick Persichilli, Vice-President, WindsorEssex Development Commission
"Showcasing the potential of the Ontario Machine Tool Die & Mould sector is crucial to strengthening and securing its future success. The Inbound Trade Mission we are hosting with the aid of this grant gets us a step closer to that goal and will also assist in enhancing the World Tooling Conference at the same time. The decision by our board to locate this conference in Windsor was made during the peak of Windsor's downturn, not only to support our Windsor members but also to promote all of our Ontario members". -
Les Payne, Executive Director, Canadian Tooling and Machining Association
QUICK FACTS
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In October 2009, Windsor and Essex County was recognized as one of the top 21 most intelligent communities in the world by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF). The ICF is a think tank that studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community.
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Through the cross-border youth cooperative pilot program, six University of Windsor students will be selected to travel to Michigan from January to April 2010 to take part in the entrepreneurship incubator exchange.
LEARN MORE
Learn more about the Ontario government's other Communities in Transition announcements.
Leigh-Ann Popek, Minister's Office, 416-325-0362
Sofia Sousa-Dias, Communications Branch, 416-326-8465
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