by Deron Johnston
This year’s GCFDC Annual General Meeting was hosted by North Grenville and took place at the Brigadoon Restaurant in Oxford Mills. Approximately sixty people were in attendance, including MPP Steve Clark, MP Gord Brown, and the mayors of the municipalities in Grenville County. MPP Clark, MP Brown and North Grenville Mayor David Gordon all gave welcoming remarks and praised the efforts of the staff and volunteer board of GCFDC. Ryan Hreljac of the Ryan’s Well Foundation, who is a volunteer director on the GCFDC board, was the guest speaker.
GCFDC is one of fifteen Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) in Eastern Ontario supported by Fed Dev Ontario, the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, which helps to address key economic challenges by providing CFDCs to deliver a wide variety of programs and services to support community economic development and small business growth. They employ local staff, and are each governed by a volunteer board of directors, made up of community members.
GCFDC has been a key part of numerous local success stories, including supporting local businesses like O’Farrell Financial and Tallman Truck Centre, helping to fund economic development projects like the new signage for the Old Town Kemptville Business Improvement Area on County Road 43, and contributing to large-scale community events like the Kemptville Live Music Festival. All of these initiatives, both directly and indirectly, bring jobs, economic activity, and increased awareness for local businesses and organizations in North Grenville and other municipalities in Grenville County.
At the meeting, GCFDC announced funding for two initiatives in North Grenville, and a cheque presentation was made to both organizations. Through the Eastern Ontario Development Program (EODP), Tallman Truck Centre received funding in the amount of $50,504 to help increase operational efficiency, enhance productivity, and increase sales. Kemptville Live also received funding of $20,572 through EODP to help improve the festival experience, for technological enhancements, for equipment purchases, and to help with marketing costs.
If you’d like to know more about what programs are available through GCFDC, you can call them at 613-925-4275, email them at info@grenvillecfdc.com, or visit their office at 197 Water Street, Suite #405, Prescott. You can also visit their website at www.grenvillecfdc.com.
