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Community
Development Department Newsletter
September 2019
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Positive
outlook for arts, entertainment & recreation sector
While growth
outlook is strong, recent BR+E survey
points to challenges around space and volunteers
Artists and musicians must adapt to keep pace with
the changing needs of tourists and visitors, while sports leagues
face challenges around limited spaces for play, according to
results of a recent Business Retention and Expansion (BR+E)
survey looking at the growth outlook for the arts, entertainment,
and recreation sector.
Service organizations also report facing
challenges in recruiting and retaining quality volunteers.
In Prince Edward County, the Arts, Entertainment
& Recreation Industry represents 266 jobs, which is 44 per
cent above the national average. This sector of our economy has
grown more than 20 per cent since 2009. Read more here.
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County to offer
immersive experiential tourism training
We’re looking for six
individuals, representing six businesses / organizations in
Prince Edward County to attend a 4-day experiential tourism
training course hosted by Northern
Edge Algonquin. Fully funded through the
Regional Tourism Organization (RTO9), this is an opportunity to
learn first-hand how to develop high-quality, high-yield
experiences that encourage return visits, longer stays and
shoulder season travel. The deadline to apply is Friday September
20 at 12 noon.
For more information and/or an application, click
here.
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Culture
& Recreation Funding Open for Applications
The Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program has opened its
Community, Culture and Recreation stream of funding,
providing cost-shared infrastructure funding to
support improving access to and / or quality of community,
cultural, and recreation priority infrastructure projects.
Eligible projects must include a capital component and focus on
recreational facilities, cultural facilities such as museums,
libraries or theatres, or community centres. The funding is open
to governments and not-for-profits. Full details can be found
here.
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Royal
Winter Fair 'South Eastern Ontario' booths
RTO9 is organizing a ‘South Eastern Ontario’ communal space at
the Royal Winter Fair this November in Toronto. They’re looking
for County-based food and non-alcoholic beverages producers to
sell / sample products while promoting all the delicious things The
County has to offer. If you’re interested in taking part and
available in early November, please contact Ashley Stewart – astewart@pecounty.on.ca
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Changes coming
for Fall Countylicious!
The popular Countylicious
culinary promotion will undergo changes for Fall 2019, with new
experiences that celebrate farm-to-table fare. Read more here.
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Countylicious
Advisory Committee
We're seeking representatives
from the Culinary; Accommodations; Food Security; Food Production
and Beverage sectors to join a new advisory committee that will
help shape the future of the prix-fixe promotion. If you're
interested, please contact Karen Palmer at kpalmer@pecounty.on.ca
or 613-476-2148 x. 2505.
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Mile Markers
Added to Millennium Trail
The County, in partnership with
the The Millennium Trail Revitalization Committee, is
excited to share images of recently installed kilometre markers
on the Millennium Trail. The markers are part of the
revitalization of the trail, which includes resurfacing and
grading, new directional and safety signage as well as
"staging areas" where walkers, cyclists, riders and
more can start or break their trip.
Funding for the signs came from generous sponsors. The Community
Development Department was also able to secure provincial tourism
dollars (through RTO9 South Eastern Ontario) to match sponsor
funding, which has allowed for additional signs. More signage
will be installed later this year, as part of an overall signage
family for the trail. Revitalization of the trail has made it
more accessible and promotes an active lifestyle for both County
residents and visitors alike.
For more information about the trail signs contact Trevor Crowe
at tcrowe@pecounty.on.ca
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Application
stream for RED Funding open until September 9
Ontario’s Rural Economic Development (RED)
program is cost-share funding that supports activities that
create strong rural communities in Ontario, and opens doors to
rural economic development by:
- Providing
funding assistance to address barriers to economic
development, to better position rural communities to attract
and retain jobs, and investment, and enhance economic
growth;
- Providing
funding to build community capacity and support for economic
development in Ontario’s rural communities; and
- Investing
in rural communities to help diversify and grow local
economies – making economic growth more inclusive so Rural
Ontario continues to share in the province’s economic
prosperity.
Not-for-profit entities are
eligible for matched funding under the Economic Diversification
& Competitiveness stream and the Strategic Economic
Infrastructure Stream. Learn more here.
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Knowing
Your Customer a Vital First Step
Before a budding entrepreneur spends money on a business
location, looks for staff or starts production of your goods, you
need to know your customers thoroughly. Before you create a
marketing strategy, design a website or even a business card, you
need to know who you are talking to and what is important to
them.
Knowing how your customer prefers to shop, how much they are
willing to pay, how often and at what times of the year, will
help you develop a sales strategy and a realistic cash flow. The
more thorough you are in your Customer Research, the better you
will be able to plan and manage your business, especially in the
first crucial years.
Here is a list of questions to
help you with this research:
- Are
they purchasing a product, service or both?
- How
many main customer groups does your business have and what
makes them different?
- Are
they year round or seasonal? If seasonal which one?
- Do
you expect your customer to be an infrequent or
routine/repeat shopper?
- Is
your access to the customer direct or through another
business?
- Are
you engaging them in person, online or both?
- Are
they buying for themselves or others?
- What
is the reason for the purchase – are they fulfilling a need
or want?
- At
your price point, will you be looking for customers with a
high, medium or lower expendable budget?
- What
is their preferred means of getting key information
prior to purchase? Can you do this easily?
- Do
you know the satisfaction level of customers who fall into
one of the regular/repeat categories?
- What
is it that they like most about your business?
If you would like help with your
Customer Research, or any other aspect of starting a business,
give me a call. I’d love to work with you on this! Sandy
Abbott: 613-476-4240 or email abbott.agency@sympatico.ca.
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Industrial
Park Properties
Four Industrial Park Properties remain. All are zoned MG-20
General Industrial Zone and are serviced with full municipal
sanitary sewer services.
Lot 25 on McDonald Drive - $29,025
(.645 acres)
Lot 29, 32 on McDonald Drive - $29,430
(.654 acres)
Lots 26, 27, 28, 33 on McDonald Drive -
$158,500 (3.3 acres)
Lot 34 on McDonald Drive - $56,700 (1.26
acres)
For more information, contact Tom McEvoy, Century 21
Lanthorn Real Estate Ltd. at 613-242-1045.
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2 Gallery
After 18 months of looking for
suitable gallery space, gallery owners Jim Turner and Craig
Daniel came back to Picton. “In fact we’d walked past this
shopfront many times,” says Craig, “and grumbled why can’t that
place be available?” When the For Lease sign appeared, it was as
if they’d wished it into being. “It was perfect,” he says. “One
big space. It was a martial arts studio before, so it didn’t need
tearing apart. It had good light, big windows and a terrific
street presence.” Being close to the Royal Hotel, which will surely attract
potential clientele when it re-opens, was a bonus. Read more here.
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GOOD Place
“I’ve been coming to The County
for five years," says GOOD Place co-owner Stew Garnham.
"I noticed a lack of options, particularly for vegetarians,
and that’s where this all started. I was just finishing up my
real estate license when Trish [Cook, another co-owner] called to
pitch some business ideas, all of which sounded more exciting
than what I was doing. Our brainstorming phase was nuts! We
dreamed we could do this and that, have amazing camping packages,
all sorts of stuff, but then we calmed down and brought it back
to the essentials we’d originally had in mind, which were healthy
food options, vegetarian, gluten-free. We have our passions for
the environment, too, so we’d strive to be waste-free and reduce
our footprint on everything.” Read more here.
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Beacon Bike +
Brew
As parents of a 19-month old, owners Stephanie & Jordan Malka
know the frustration of being out and about with kids but unable
to browse or relax because there’s nowhere to put them down.
“Most places just don’t have the space, but we do, so we thought
why not offer it up? And of course it’s good for us personally,
because we both work here and can have our son Levi with us if
need be.” Read more here.
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Real
estate works differently in The County
The laws governing real estate sales are the same
across the province, but the actual day-to-day practices vary a
lot from place to place. This is especially true when people
are coming from a big city like Toronto to buy real estate in a
small, rural market like Prince Edward County. Here are some
common Big City misconceptions about buying real estate here.
Read more here.
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Events
Find out what's on this month
on the event calendar
or catch the highlights on the blog.
Planning something for
October?
Tell us about it! Submit the details
so we can spread the word!
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Family
Rate at Escape Macaulay
Dress cool and take advantage of our family rate
of $75! Escapees can collect a free cocktail at Kinsip House of
Fine Spirits. Find ticket links here: https://www.visitpec.ca/escape/
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