CORNWALL, Ontario – Communities worldwide are participating in Economic Development Week celebrations, and in this most challenging of times, we thought we should take a moment to recognize how local efforts are supported by a variety of organizations and partnerships.
In Canada, local economic development efforts are most often funded by municipal governments. The City of Cornwall has had a formal Economic Development Department for over 50 years and Cornwall City Council continues to make it a strategic priority. The United Counties of SDG also has a dedicated economic development team, as do most area townships.
“Economic Development Week is an opportunity to highlight the importance of economic development in Cornwall and to acknowledge the ongoing efforts that make our region a better place to live and do business,” says Mayor Bernadette Clement. “Economic Development is a strategic priority of Council and we are committed to working with our community and regional partners to achieve our mutual goal of sustainable positive growth.”
Cornwall Economic Development
Cornwall Economic Development works to facilitate the growth of the local economy, including efforts aimed at industrial, small business and tourism sectors, along with resident attraction. Department activities can be summarized as follows:
- Marketing Cornwall to attract new investment, new residents and tourism activity
- Initial and direct point of contact for investors, developers, tourists and new residents
- Direct point of contact for business owners (small and large) in their efforts to grow and sustain their businesses
- Development, marketing and sale of land in the Cornwall Business Park
- Advice and research activities related to short and long term, micro and macro economic issues
Local firms can take advantage of the Department’s resources and expertise to source the information and contacts necessary to succeed in today’s competitive global economy. Economic Development staff also work very closely with other City staff in planning, permits, municipal works and other departments to facilitate development.
The Department publishes the Cornwall Year in Review – an annual recap of economic development activity. Other reports, brochures and maps are available for download via the Resources page of this website.
Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre
The Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre is funded by the Province of Ontario and operated by Cornwall Economic Development. Centre staff help small business owners and entrepreneurs to succeed – not just in Cornwall, but in Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry and Akwesasne as well. This includes managing programs such as Summer Company, Starter Company Plus and Digital Consult.
Cornwall Tourism
Cornwall Tourism is a division of Cornwall Economic Development and works with local tourism stakeholders to welcome visitors to Cornwall and to facilitate the growth of the sector. These efforts are in turn supported by the Tourism Development Corporation of Cornwall which administers the Tourism Development Fund.
Community Economic Development
Part of celebrating Economic Development Week is recognizing that the entire community must work together to achieve its goals.
“We are very fortunate in Cornwall to have a long list of community agencies and organizations that collaborate on economic development projects,” says Peter Gault, Chair of Team Cornwall, a local group of business and community leaders that act as economic development ambassadors. “It really is a team effort!”
The following organizations support local economic development efforts:
- Cornwall Chamber of Commerce
- Downtown Cornwall BIA and Le Village BIA
- Cornwall and the Counties Community Futures Development Corporation
- Team Cornwall
- l’Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario SDG
- United Counties of SDG Economic Development
- Akwesasne Economic Development
- Eastern Ontario Training Board
- Job Zone d’emploi
- Social Development Council of Cornwall and Area
- St. Lawrence College
- Cornwall Community Hospital
- Eastern Ontario Agri-Food Network
Regional Economic Development
Cornwall is a founding member of the Ontario East Economic Development Commission, which acts as the collective voice for economic development in Eastern Ontario. Local economic development efforts are ably supported by the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Invest Ontario and Invest Canada.
