Attention Orillia area businesses: the City of Orillia, in partnership with the Orillia Area Community Development Corp. (CDC) and the Downtown Orillia Management Board (DOMB), is excited to host an Orillia Area Neighbourhood Social.
The social will take place on Sept. 7, 2022, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Creative Nomad Studios (23 Mississaga St. W.) and will bring together business leaders and business support organizations from across the Orillia area to showcase the resources that are available to local entrepreneurs.
“The City is pleased to offer resources to businesses across Orillia through many opportunities, including support from the Provincial and Federal levels of government and strong partnerships with local organizations such as the Orillia Area CDC and the Downtown Orillia Management Board,” said Mayor Steve Clarke. “Council is proud to support programs like the My Main Street program, which help Orillia businesses grow and thrive. The Orillia Area Neighbourhood Social is a great opportunity for business leaders to meet with like-minded entrepreneurs while learning how they can leverage business support resources in our community.”
The My Main Street, Local Business Accelerator program is delivered by the Economic Developers Council of Ontario with an overall Government of Canada investment of $23.25 million through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) to support the recovery and strength of main streets and local businesses in southern Ontario. The program, delivered through the City’s Business Development Division, is geared at supporting commercial hubs, like the Downtown Orillia Business Improvement Area (BIA), throughout Ontario.
“Our government is committed to supporting small businesses to drive economic growth in communities across southern Ontario,” said the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario. “The My Main Street program invests in local small businesses and communities to keep our neighbourhoods vibrant, grow our economy and make sure Canadians have access to good jobs.”
Through the support of Orillia Council and the My Main Street grant, which funded a contract Main Street Ambassador to deliver services to the BIA for a period of one year, the City has successfully assisted a large number of downtown Orillia businesses to date, providing 66 one-on-one business meetings and 16 custom market research reports. Additionally, five businesses have successfully applied for non-repayable funding contributions totaling $50,000. Five more businesses are currently completing the application process.
The Orillia Area Neighbourhood Social is open to all business leaders in the Orillia area to connect with the City of Orillia Business Development Division, Orillia Area CDC, Downtown Orillia Management Board, Small Business Centre of Barrie, Simcoe County & Orillia, and Orillia District Chamber of Commerce, and to learn about regional programs and initiatives available to small businesses. The social will also highlight recent successes from the My Main Street program and provide information about how eligible businesses in the BIA can tap into what the Local Business Accelerator program has to offer.
“We have a very strong business support network in the Orillia area,” said Laura Thompson, Senior Manager of Business Development. “We want to do everything possible to ensure our local businesses are able to leverage all available services – and this event will be instrumental in facilitating that. We also look forward to sharing a special announcement about the Digital Main Street Program.”
All interested attendees must RSVP to orillia.ca/NeighbourhoodSocialRSVP by Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, at noon.
For more information on this event, contact the City’s Business Development Division at edc@orillia.ca or call 705-325-4900.
For specific information on the City of Orillia My Main Street program, visit orillia.ca/mymainstreet.