In this newsletter:
Registration is open for our next virtual event in the “Local Sustainable Economies” series! Join us for an exciting discussion on “The Role of the Arts – strengthening local economies and creativity”
Upcoming December event: Multi-sector partnerships and the role of philanthropy
3rd Collingwood World Summit Recap: view some of the recorded sessions here
THE ARTS IN SGB
THE ARTS IN SGBLocal Sustainable Economies
A 6-part regional online discussion series – June-December, 2022
Thanks to many of you for your input and help, we are excited to be presenting two more events in the Local Sustainable Economies series this fall!
Join us on Wednesday, November 16th for Part 5 in the series:
The Role of the Arts – strengthening local economies and creativity
The Southern Georgian Bay region has a vibrant arts and culture community of individual artists, arts organizations, and businesses representing all artistic disciplines. This wealth of arts and cultural entities provides residents with a strong sense of community and an opportunity for our community to be celebrated and enjoyed by visitors.
The arts and culture community is uniquely positioned as a significant tourism driver while impacting the local economies within the SGB region. In this event, speakers will share their insights on the effects of the arts and culture on their local economy, give suggestions on how to strengthen our connection with the tourism industry, and give tips to advocate for the growth of the sector across the region. Registration for this free, virtual event is open NOW!
PHILANTHROPY
PHILANTHROPYMulti-sector partnerships: the role of philanthropy
Saturday, December 3, 2-4 pm, Simcoe Street Theatre, Collingwood
Extraordinary people will share their stories about how they are helping to make great things happen through their philanthropy. They are passionate about the arts, our environment, social enterprises, and innovation and will offer insights about why multi-sector partnerships are important to the future of our local sustainable economies.
This is the final event in our 6-part series on Local Sustainable Economies, where we gather businesses, nonprofits, government, and philanthropic leaders together to collectively work on creating integrated, resilient, and equitable transformations toward sustainability. We are excited that this event is in-person!
Speakers:
- Tony Cobb, Shorefast Foundation, will share his passion for Fogo Island, the multi-sector partnerships created, the 100-year vision for the Island’s local sustainable economy, and lessons learned.
- Liz Rykert is a facilitator with a keen interest in complexity and the power of networks to shift systems. She played a key role contributing time and expertise to help develop the collaborative Regional Arts Strategy and provided seed capital to help launch the SGB Arts Network. She is exploring ways to apply her skills and resources for the greater good.
- Dale Biddell, is the recently retired CEO of United Way Simcoe Muskoka and a Board member of the Institute of Southern Georgian Bay. She will talk about why she’s investing in the Institute’s work and how endowments and flow-through funds are good vehicles for supporting emerging initiatives.
- Julie Di Lorenzo is the founder and President of Mirabella Development Corporation, a Diamante Legacy Company and one of the largest female-run real estate development companies in North America. She will share her insights on multi-sector partnerships, why they are important, and her $500,000 gift to the Town of Collingwood to help build a robust tree canopy, helping community members become even more invested in solutions to manage climate change.
- Larry and Barb Hall are community builders, who recently launched the Wellness Innovation Fund at Collingwood Marine and General Hospital. Larry will talk about the impact of putting together the right people with the right resources and how it leads to innovative progress for improving quality of life in our region. He will also make a significant announcement about a new SGB Innovation Fund.
The Institute will also be thanking the founding contributors to our $35,000 Endowment Fund, which is being managed by the Community Foundation Grey Bruce, and announce our 2022 grants to two organizations who are partnering on new regional, collaborative projects.
Please mark your calendars! And stay tuned for the registration link in the next newsletter!
Local speakers take the stage at the international Collingwood World Summit
The 3rd Collingwood World Summit was co-hosted by the Town of Collingwood, Urban Economy Forum and UN Habitat in Towns on October 31 and November 1. The objective of this international virtual gathering is to help advance the Sustainable Development Goals and focused on Sustainable Housing and Finance and the need to integrate Climate Action into new housing plans. New this year were two Southern Georgian Bay sessions – one on a regional approach to affordable housing and the other to gauge interest in working regionally on 10 pilot projects. It was exciting to see so many local speakers presenting on panels with colleagues from around the globe including:
- Jillian Morris, Poet Laureate, Collingwood
- Mayor Keith Hull, Collingwood
- Jack Vanderkooy, Chair, Habitat for Humanity, South Georgian Bay
- Randy Scherzer, Deputy Chief Administration Officer, Grey County
- Kathy Jeffery, Councillor, Town of Collingwood
- Jennifer Bisley, Executive Director, Blue Mountains Attainable Housing Corporation
- Larry Law, CEO and Founder, Living Waters Resorts, Collingwood
- Robert Voigt, Director of Development Services, Municipality of Meaford
- Marilyn Struthers, Principal, M. Struthers & Co, and co-lead/facilitator of the Institute’s Social Finance & Housing Group
- Sonja Klinsky, The Blue Mountains, and Associate Professor at School of Sustainability, Arizona State University
- Linda Swanston, Manager, Climate Change Initiatives, Grey County
- Jason Reynar, Strategic Advisor, Town of Collingwood
- Doug Linton, Chair, Town of Collingwood Affordable Housing Task Force
- Jenn Rae, Housing Development Coordinator, Town of Collingwood
- Rosalyn Morrison, Chair, The Institute of Southern Georgian Bay
- Sonya Skinner, Chief Administration Officer, Town of Collingwood
- Nicole Yardy, Climate Change Specialist, Town of Collingwood
- Nicholas Cloet, Sustainability Coordinator, The Town of the Blue Mountains
- Yvonne Hamlin, Mayor Elect, Town of Collingwood
We are fortunate to now have many more regional and international connections, a deeper understanding of how to address interconnected issues, and insights into town partnerships and performance frameworks, as well as new resources at the table. And there seems to be a growing appetite for accelerating progress on a regional, collaborative basis.
Some sessions were recorded here and final touches are being put on the 2022 Resolution. If you are interested in seeing the 2021 Resolution, which informed this year’s program you can read more here.