Staff
Through FedNor’s Community Futures and Northern Ontario Development Programs, the federal government last week invested $5.1 million to support small business, community economic development, innovation, information and communications technology, and youth initiatives across Northwestern Ontario.
Here in Rainy River District, the Rainy River Future Development Corp. is getting more than $1.1 million in FedNor funding, including $900,000 to offer business services, access to capital for small- and medium-sized enterprises, and community development projects for the next three years.
RRFDC chair George Emes said the $900,000, which is about the same amount they received in the last round of such funding, will be used as its operating budget for the next three years.
In addition to promoting the district as a place to invest in and supporting local business ventures, Emes said the RRFDC has been keeping busy with several long-term projects.
“The biggest new thing we have is we’ve got sod turned and the [abattoir] project underway in Emo with the plant there.
“That’s been a huge project—it’s taken us years to get underway,” he noted.
“We also have some more going on updating the cell system and broadband system.
“There’s things in place, but we have new things coming down the pipe, as well,” Emes added. “It’s taken us a few years to get the broadband and it’s taken us a few years to get the cell, but each year we seem to get a little bit more evolved.”
Telecommunications will continue to be a major focus of the RRFDC for the near future.
“We obviously aren’t on par with the rest of the country,” Emes stressed. “It would be wonderful if we could be, but given the logistics of our area, it’s pretty difficult.”
The RRFDC also continues to work with area businesses.
“We’re trying to support the local business people, and we’re finding if there are any having problems in this economic time, we can help them sometimes with loan guarantees and things like that,” noted Emes, adding he’d like businesses to remain aware the RRFDC is there for them.
“We spend a fair amount of money on advertising for that reason,” he explained. “We’ve been around for a long time, but sometimes the young entrepreneur tends to have his eyes focused on his job. He deals with his local banker, and he doesn’t necessarily think about anything outside until he really needs the help.
“So we want to make sure everybody knows that we’re available to help,” he stressed.
In addition to the $900,000 in operating funds, Emes said the RRFDC also is supported by a per capita levy, which seven of nine district municipalities pay.
As well, it has a contract with the Town of Fort Frances to be its economic development office.
Meanwhile, an additional $225,000 in FedNor dollars will support smaller scale, local economic development initiatives over the same three-year period.
Emes noted these funds can be utilized to help community groups and fund studies, citing the Fort Frances Folk Festival last month as a recent example.
“The program is designed for something that’s going to bring value into the community,” he remarked, adding district groups and communities can contact the RRFDC to find out more about accessing these funds.
The RRFDC also received up to $27,500 to deliver FedNor’s Youth Internship Program (YIP).
The local investment also includes a previously-announced amount of $170,000 to help the Town of Fort Frances purchase web and video-conferencing equipment, computers, and software for the new Fort Frances Public Library and Technology Centre to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and expertise to people and businesses in Rainy River District.
In related news, the Town of Rainy River received $65,000 in FedNor funding to hire consultants to assist with investment readiness activities there.
