David Watson, CEO PlainTree Systems Arnprior, presenting his business to the Seminar
Renfrew, Ontario – Cheryl Gallant, MP Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke is pleased to thank local business leaders in the Defence, Aerospace and Nuclear sectors for taking the time to attend an information session held recently at the Innovation Centre in Renfrew.
“I am pleased to express my appreciation to Mr. David Lemkay, Executive Director of the Renfrew Industrial Commission for allowing the use of the Renfrew Innovation Centre to hold our meeting,” stated Cheryl Gallant, MP. “The meeting was an outstanding success. In addition to providing an opportunity for local employers to network by sharing the core activities of their businesses, I was pleased to arrange the participation of Federal Government officials from the Southern Ontario Development Agency (FedDev);” (which includes Eastern Ontario).
Each Renfrew County employer was invited to give a brief presentation of their business, followed by an opportunity to answer questions and share information. FedDev Ontario gave a detailed overview of their programs including the Southern Ontario Fund for Investment in Innovation (SOFII), the Federal Government’s Prosperity Initiative and Investing in Business Innovation. FedDev has a mandate from the Conservative Government to promote economic growth and job creation, foster innovation, enhance productivity and competitiveness, support regional diversification, to position eastern Ontario as a strong force on the global stage.
In addition to Dr. Robert Walker, President and CEO of AECL, ETM Industries, Mobility Lab, Bubble Technology Industries, HDT Global, PlainTree Systems, Hypernetics, Tyne Engineering, Pacific Safety Products, NuTech Systems, Allan Vanguard, CFB Petawawa, Magellan Aerospace/Haley Industries, NRay, Itaxia represented local employers from across Renfrew County.
FedDev was launched in 2009 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in response to representations made by Conservative MPs in Eastern Ontario, who made the case for a Federal Agency with a similar mandate to the existing agency already established in northern Ontario for regional development.
“Canada has weathered the global recession better than most countries. Acknowledging that economic growth has been uneven, the Prime Minister agreed that federal leadership was necessary if all regions were to share in the economic recovery. FedDev is our direct response to that reality,” observed MP Gallant.
“It has been proven that helping existing businesses grow generates more jobs than trying to start new businesses from scratch. Judging by the reaction of today’s participants, the seminar was time well-spent,” concluded MP Gallant.