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November 2018 Newsletter

November 2018 Newsletter

We are continuing to build on the Institute’s Strategic Plan, which highlights a powerful vision and mission to become the smartest, greenest, healthiest and most caring region in Ontario. Many of you were part of the Community Innovation Day held earlier this year and helped to develop 28 great ideas towards achieving this vision.

The Business & Entrepreneurship tables at that gathering generated these four ideas:

  • Create a multi-sector community collaboration leadership committee,
  • Develop a regional strategic plan,
  • Develop a regional branding campaign, and
  • Expand post-secondary education in the region


Building on the momentum of Small Business Month in Canada, we are liaising with Martin Rydlo, Centre for Business and Economic Development, Town of Collingwood; Andrew Siegwart, Blue Mountain Village Association, and Lynn Hynd, Georgian College and want to share more ways we can all get more informed about and engaged with innovations in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Education. Here are six important initiatives:

South Georgian Bay Tourism Organization Innovates for the Future.Formally known as the Georgian Triangle Tourist Association, Visit South Georgian Bay, the region’s longest standing tourism organization is reinventing how it does business to better reflect visitor needs in a booming tourism economy. Now boldly called South Georgian Bay, it will be positioned as an industry first, Destination Education Organization (DEO). The role is to enhance the visitor experience through seamless connections between visitors and the region’s highly unique products and experiences. The South Georgian Bay DEO will become the regional seal of quality as the destination information authority for visitors. Take a look at their new branding and promotional strategies here.

November 14: Creative Collingwood Symposium
Presented by Parks, Recreation, and Culture and the Small Business Enterprise Centre
Theme: When Creativity Connects. Explore what happens when we connect our audiences, our ideas, our community and each other. Keynote and panel discussion on Creative Entrepreneurship.

November 15: ‘How to Thrive in a Multigenerational Workplace’ is the theme of this fall’s Business in Motion forum.  Featuring Erin Bury, a national tech commentator and start-up tech fanatic, this will be a fast-paced morning with the latest ways to address the regional workforce shortage. The panel discussion afterwards will be equally dynamic, with Erin joined by leaders from across Ontario, including:

Space is limited; register now.

Read the recently released attainable accommodation regional study.  This study was commissioned by the region’s municipalities, counties and Blue Mountain Village association to address the acute need for attainable accommodation, in response to the acute workforce shortage. This study gives developers, municipalities and other stakeholders critical information needed to start working on actual solutions. In addition to identifying 3 key accommodation gaps, the study provides information that quantifies the unmet demand in the region. Read the full study.

Georgian College – increased post-secondary programs. Georgian College announces new Tourism and Tech programs for its Southern Georgian Bay campus, including two-year co-op Diploma Programs in Hospitality – Hotel and Resort Operations Management, Snow Resort Operations, and Computer Programmer.

And, also of note – Georgian College is the first college in Canada to be designated a Changemaker Campus by Ashoka for its role in social innovation and changemaking in higher education. Ashoka is one of the world’s largest networks of social entrepreneurs and changemakers:

The Institute’s new tagline: Harnessing the Power of People and Place speaks to the potential for growing social and economic prosperity together. Get engaged and more involved by joining the Institute.