Jobs: Your Decision, Your Future

The biggest challenge confronting Midland is to increase the number of good jobs in our community. New jobs, from both current businesses and new ones, are essential to maintaining and improving the quality of life that we all cherish.

Creating jobs is not easy. But from my business experience, I know that it starts with a solid foundation. Over the last four years I have worked to lay that foundation:

1. I brought together the four North Simcoe communities to co-operate on economic development - no simple feat in itself.


2. With some guidance, that partnership has grown to become the Economic Development Corporation of North Simcoe. Last month, Ms. Sharon Vegh accepted the new position of Economic Development Officer. Her job is to grow our area's economy.


3. I have led Council in a full review of our municipal operating costs. We are now better at controlling our taxes, fees, and regulations - measures that help all of our businesses and residents.

Creating jobs requires teamwork. My business background allows me to sit down comfortably with small business as well as large manufacturers. Many of these meetings involve active problem solving that have helped create jobs. My efforts and those of others are starting to show encouraging results:

1. Weber Manufacturing chose Midland when they brought their manufacturing line and jobs back from Mexico.


2. Forte EPS chose Midland to set up their high-tech polystyrene manufacturer, bringing new jobs to our community.


3. Kaitlin Corp. announced last month that they are returning to build homes in Bayport - more construction work.


4. Small businesses continue to come to our downtown - "Taylor and Co.", "We’re Nuts" and "Bell" are some of the most recent.

Creating good jobs is a tough business. It takes a long term vision and plenty of hard work. With your help, I will continue on the path we are on to bring jobs to our community.

The key question before voters this election is whether to continue building on the direction set by the people of Midland in the last election or to turn away and lose all of the energy and momentum that we have achieved.

Economic Development Officer Hired

Since I became mayor almost four years ago, it was clear that we needed to develop a new capacity in our area to drive economic development. The four municipalities (with a lot of encouragement) created an "economic alliance" to improve cooperation in North Simcoe. I knew that we could not stop there though. If we were to seriously move our local economy forward we would have to meaningfully engage the private sector and give them the proper corporate structure to be successful.

A few weeks ago, the four municipalities created the Economic Development Corporation of North Simcoe. This is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to building our area's economy. Their first major task was to hire an experienced Economic Development Officer (EDO) to bring energy and discipline to the job. As you can see in the media announcement below, we now have an impressive new EDO.

Looking for more good news in the year ahead!

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Economic Development Corporation of North Simcoe appoints Economic Development Officer. 

MIDLAND, Ontario; (August 7, 2014) The Board of Directors of the Economic Development Corporation of North Simcoe (EDCNS) today announced the appointment of Sharon Vegh (Economic Development Officer) to work with the Board to implement the Economic Strategy in the four municipalities of Midland, Penetanguishene, Tay and Tiny commencing on August 18, 2014.

Sharon is a seasoned economic development professional experienced internationally (Senior Consultant, Finpro/Consulate of Finland) and in the GTA, supporting the nine York Region Municipalities (Manager, Economic Strategy). She was Director of an international business development firm, LS Market Strategy. Sharon is a Board Director with the Canada-Finland Chamber of Commerce and Xact Solutions Group, Inc. She has a BA in Political Science and a Master of Library and Information Studies from McGill University.

Sharon is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Economic Development Strategic Action Plan; taking a lead role in activities and initiatives that will attract investment and business opportunities to the North Simcoe (County) area and actively supporting (and/or leading) business retention and expansion activities that will increase local employment in the region leading to growth and sustainability.

The EDCNS Board is committed to building a vibrant and sustainable economy, sharing information and ideas and forming strong linkages and networks within the North Simcoe region. Chris Johnston, Chair of the Hiring Committee commented, "The EDCNS Board is dedicated to fostering a business ecosystem that enables businesses and organizations to retain and create jobs that contribute to the continued development of a productive and prosperous business climate. I am encouraged to see the region working together cooperatively to positively impact not only each community partner’s interests but also those of North Simcoe as a whole."

As of August 18, 2014, Sharon can be reached at +1 (705) 526.1371, extension 114 or by email at svegh@edcns.ca.

About EDCNS

The EDCNS Board of Directors was established in 2014 and is composed of 11 members including one appointee each from the Town of Midland, the Town of Penetanguishene, the Township of Tay and the Township of Tiny; 6 members were selected by the Nomination Committee and 1 member was appointed by North Simcoe CFDC. EDCNS is located in the offices of the North Simcoe Community Futures Development Corporation (NSCFDC) in Midland, ON.