Dufferin.Biz - Dufferin County, Ontario, Canada

Food and Water First Campaign

admin — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:31:51 +0000

“Food and Water First” is a movement dedicated to protecting Ontario’s prime farmland and source water regions. The successful fight against the Mega Quarry was just the beginning as these dedicated folks continue their efforts to encourage widespread adoption of a Food and Water First ethos for all levels of government. Join them by taking the pledge to preserve land and water now and into the future. www.foodandwaterfirst.com

Dufferin.Biz and the Hills of Headwaters Tourism are seeking a Student Research Assistant

admin — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 21:42:09 +0000

Dufferin.Biz and the Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association (HHTA) have identified the need to collect data to support its ongoing programs, specifically related to agriculture with a focus on local food and equine. We are looking for a data savvy student that sees how economic development, tourism and agriculture are connected. If you feel comfortable with spreadsheets and databases and are keen to learn about rural communities, then click Summer Student 2013 for the full job description.

Headwaters Horse Country Launches at Can Am Show

admin — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:10:45 +0000

The Headwaters Equine Leadership Group will launch Headwaters Horse Country at the Can Am All Breeds Equine Emporium, March 28-31 at the Orangeville Event Centre. The goal of the program will be to connect and engage equestrians and supporting businesses in the Hills of Headwaters region. One of the objectives will be to develop an equine business and event directory. Visitors to the show are encouraged to enrol and will be provided options for participation. If you are not planning on attending the show, you may enrol online at www.headwatershorsecountry.com.

Headwaters Horse Country is a sponsor of two seminars at the Cam Am show in support of the equestrian professional. Thursday, March 28th at 1:00 p.m. Jeff Bowman of the Marketing Pad, in collaboration with the Orangeville and Area Small Business Enterprise Centre, will present “Introduction to Social Media in the Equine Sector”. This one hour presentation will include an overview of the value of social media for marketing your equine business and the best uses of Linked In, Twitter, Facebook and Blogging.

On Sunday, March 31st, at 1:00 p.m. Shelly Sargent of Caledon Media and Sargent Communications will present “Managing Multiple Social Media Platforms” including automating the process to free more time, tips, tools and short cuts for the busy equestrian, and social media etiquette. The full schedule of speakers at the Can Am show can be downloaded from www.canamequine.ca.

Headwaters Horse Country is recognized as a sponsor of Youth Day on Friday, March 29th. Youth Day features Equimania! an interactive exhibit for families. The Headwaters Equine Leadership Group recognizes youth engagement as a priority for the region’s equine industry.

For more information about Headwaters Horse Country please contact Kelly Counsell at (647) 530-6457 or email Kelly@thehillsofheadwaters.com.

The Headwaters Equine Leadership Group, a steering committee for the Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association, is working to provide strategic direction for regional economic development that supports rural heritage, community development and agricultural sustainability.

TORONTO 2015 Mascot Creation Challenge Day

admin — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:19:06 +0000

The Town of Caledon is hosting a TORONTO 2015 Mascot Creation Challenge Day and is inviting all youth ages 6-16 in the community to join special guests Jason Burnett (Olympian and Pan Am athlete) and David Arrigo – (local artist). The event will showcase the contest spearheaded by TO2015 in search of a mascot for the 2015 Pan Am Games. The contest is open to all youth. Check out the full event details here and be part of the excitement as this region prepares to welcome the world to our doorstep.

Trillium grant to support equine sector in Headwaters Region

admin — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 16:00:49 +0000

Dufferin.Biz is pleased to announce our ongoing work on growing and supporting our thriving equine sector was successful in receiving a significant grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation Please read on to see how this money will be used to further the goals of the Headwaters Equine Leadership Group and benefit the entire region.

For immediate release – 25 January 2013

Ontario Trillium Foundation provides funding to help develop the

Headwaters region as a centre of equine excellence

The Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association is delighted to be the recipient of funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation — one of 425 not-for-profit and charitable organizations in the province that will receive funding to help build healthy and vibrant communities.

The $119,000 funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation has been awarded to the Tourism Association to increase the capacity of the collaborative to promote the Headwaters region as a centre of equine excellence in the province of Ontario, thereby strengthening the local economy. Funding from the Foundation will allow the Association to hire a project coordinator and begin the process of marketing the equine opportunities available in the region.

Recognizing the important contribution of the equine sector to the economy of the Headwaters region, the Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association has facilitated the formation of a Headwaters Equine Leadership Group (HELG), made up of equine industry leaders, municipal partners and community stakeholders. According to Ross Millar, Chair of the Headwaters Equine Leadership Group, “the funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation will help support our vision to position the Headwaters region as a centre of equine excellence in Ontario (and indeed the world), and to support, grow and advocate for this vital sector of our regional economy – which is the mandate and vision of our HELG committee”.

According to Lucille Roch, Acting Chair of the OTF Board of Directors, “OTF invests for impact in the community”, and supports groups “making the most of investments through partnership, collaboration and inclusive programs”.

Ron Munro, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Tourism Association acknowledges that the concept of collaboration is the basis for the equine initiative: “the leadership group is a collaborative initiative of regional stakeholders who are committed to the importance of the equine sector in Headwaters”. Mr. Munro suggested that this framework of collaboration is a model that can be utilized for other sectors across the region, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that our communities are strong, viable and sustainable.

The funding announcement from the Ontario Trillium Foundation comes on the heels of a highly successful destination development conference and equine forum held by the Tourism Association in late October of 2012. At that conference, keynote speaker John Nicholson, the Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park commended the work being done by the Headwaters Equine Leadership Group, and encouraged them to continue positioning the power of the horse as a strong driver for economic development and a way to ensure the vibrancy of rural communities in Headwaters.

As a result of the conference in October, many equine and community partners have expressed an interest in joining the project in a variety of capacities. The Headwaters Equine Leadership Group will be following up to get their further input and will offer opportunities for interested parties to get involved in helping shape the direction of this exciting initiative.

The equine events of theTO2015 Pan/Parapan American Games are coming to Headwaters in 2015 at the Caledon Equestrian Park, and we are excited to welcome the world to our doorstep for this exciting event.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation will provide significant support to this important work, and will ensure that Headwaters is recognized as Ontario’s horse country throughout Canada and the world!

The Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association and the Headwaters Equine Leadership Group acknowledge the support of the Town of Caledon, County of Dufferin, Town of Mono, Town of Shelburne, Town of Erin and Dufferin.biz, who have supported our work on this initiative, and gratefully thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their generous support of this regional community equine collaborative.

A leading grantmaker in Canada, the Ontario Trillium Foundation strengthens the capacity of the voluntary sector through investments in community-based initiatives. An agency of the Government of Ontario, OTF builds healthy and vibrant communities.

For more information about the Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association, visit www.thehillsofheadwaters.com
For more information about the Ontario Trillium Foundation, visit www.otf.ca

Please direct media inquiries to:

Michele Harris Ross Millar

Executive Director Chair

Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association Headwaters Equine Leadership Group

michele@thehillsofheadwaters.com rmillar@bell.net

Open House at Employment Access – Come meet the team

admin — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 01:10:52 +0000

JANUARY 22, 2013
OPEN HOUSE

COME CELEBRATE WITH THE EMPLOYMENT ACCESS TEAM AT THEIR NEW OFFICE
Employment Access, The Coalition for Persons with Disabilities, invites you to attend the grand opening of our new location. Come out and learn how we can assist persons with disabilities in Dufferin County to find competitive employment.
Meet the staff and find out how you can access Wage Subsidy funding for employment.
Ribbon cutting and presentation by local MP David Tilson at 2:15 pm. Light refreshments and snacks will be served.

The Coalition for Persons with Disabilities was formed as a not-for-profit community-based partnership of persons with disabilities and community groups working collaboratively to affect positive changes for persons with disabilities in the regions of Peel, Halton and Dufferin. Operating since 1985, it was established in order to avoid duplication of services and to foster cooperation, trust and collaboration to meet the challenges faced by persons with disabilities.
EmpAcc is a one-stop employment service for all persons with disabilities who wish to access assistance in preparing for, obtaining and maintaining competitive employment.
Our goal is to promote the full and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in today’s labour market. We are committed to providing client-centered services which assist persons with disabilities to create individualized solutions to employment barriers.

EMPLOYMENT ACCESS
210 Broadway, Suite 209
Orangeville, ON
L9W 5G4
(519) 942-8151
www.disabilityaccess.org
January 22, 2013
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Story roundup of Melancthon Mega Quarry

admin — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:02:49 +0000

Last week the Highland Companies pulled its application to develop a quarry in Melancthon Township. Collected are some of the stories published in the wake of the announcement:

A timeline of Melancthon’s proposed quarry

A post-mortem in the Toronto Star

The celebration on Twitter

Interviews with lead activists

Headwaters Destination Development Conference & Equine Forum – follow-up

admin — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:29:55 +0000

Event Follow-Up, Industry Engagement & Next Steps

On October 18th the Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association hosted a Destination Development Conference & Equine Forum featuring industry leaders and panelists, as well as presentations from Craig Collins of the Caledon Equestrian Park, TO2015 Pan/Para Pan Am Games, and an inspiring keynote address from John Nicholson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park.

The Headwaters Equine Leadership Group, a volunteer group of regional stakeholders, will be taking an active role in bringing industry together to implement the strategic direction identified for moving forward as a result of this event. It was very apparent that there was a strong desire by attendees at the conference to put a stake in the ground to establish Headwaters Horse Country, and to work together to support the equine industry in the context of our rural communities. Needless to say, we were very excited by the level of interest in the work we are doing.

The Headwaters Equine Leadership Group met recently to review the outcomes of the conference, and to respond to the valuable input provided at the conference. That input helped confirm the broad vision outlined by our Leadership Group:

The principle objective of the Headwaters Equine Leadership Group

is to promote the Headwaters region

as a centre of equine excellence in the province of Ontario,

and to support, grow and advocate

for this vital sector of our regional economy.

We also heard, loud and clear, that there are many diverse issues which need to be addressed, including (but not limited to), making the business case for the industry as a viable economic sector, marketing and promotion, risk management, industry engagement, trails development, industry training, asset mapping, industry advocacy, government policy and relations.

The Headwaters Equine Leadership Group is willing to continue to facilitate the work that needs to be done to support our objectives, but will need your input to move this work forward. We have outlined the key areas of work into the following development categories:

Promoting the Headwaters region as a destination and a centre of equine excellence;
Facilitating economic development opportunities that support the growth and sustainability of the equine sector in the Headwaters region;
Identifying opportunities to enhance regional equine industry capacity and to work with partners to capitalize on these opportunities;
Supporting public education and accessibility as it pertains to the equine sector in the Headwaters region;
Nurturing positive and supportive working relationships with government partners, equine sector businesses, groups and organizations, and other community partners;
Capitalizing on opportunities presented by the TO2015 PanAm/Parapan Games that will be hosted in the Headwaters region.

The Headwaters Equine Leadership Committee is committed to keeping you up-to-date on our activities through regular electronic communications, and is seeking your involvement and support.

We would like to ask you to complete a very brief survey to indicate where your interest lies in supporting this initiative. We also encourage you to pass this along to your colleagues and associates who might be interested in supporting the growth of Headwaters Horse Country.

To those of you who attended our Destination Development Conference and Headwaters Equine Forum, we thank you for taking the time to provide input, and to all our stakeholders, we look forward to continuing to work with you as we establish Headwaters Horse Country as a centre for equine excellence in the province of Ontario.

Sincerely,

Ross Millar

on behalf of the Headwaters Equine Leadership Group

COMPLETE SURVEY BY CLICKING HERE

A Day in the Life of a Horse Owner: The Economic Impact of the Equine Sector on a Regional Economy with Shelley Peterson

Amaranth completes strategic plan

admin — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:08:33 +0000

The Township of Amaranth has recently completed a Strategic Plan for their Economic Development and Sustainability Advisory Committee.

The EDSAC team in Amaranth has spent considerable time and effort in preparing this plan to help guide the efforts of the committee over the next two years. The plan identifies goals and strategic directions for the committee to help achieve its mission to “support the Township to be an economically viable, resilient, healthy, and sustainable community by providing the opportunity for social & economic development and recognizing the importance of agriculture, and natural and cultural heritage.”

Click here to read more.

Food Skills and Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Youth in Caledon-Dufferin

admin — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 20:15:23 +0000

Know of any youth that are interested in food and that would like to try their hand at a food micro-business? HAYville, which stands for Harvesting Agricultural Youth, is a Food and Farming Entrepreneurship Program for 12-19 year olds in Caledon, Dufferin and surrounding areas. HAYville aims to foster food and farming enterprise and innovation by empowering youth through hands-on experience in growing, harvesting, cooking, preserving, eating, marketing, business planning and selling. Youth have access to business incubators set up at locations throughout Caledon.

November and December include a great line-up of food skills workshops, as well as a couple selling opportunities for any budding entrepreneurs. All events are FREE! For more information and to register for the various activities, please contact eatlocal@eatlocalcaledon.org or (905) 584-6221.

Here is this month’s line-up:

GARLIC PLANTING – Saturday, November 10^th, 10am-noon, Albion Hills Community Farm, 16555 Humber Station Rd., Come out to the farm, where we will be doing a fall-planting of garlic. Learn the basics of garlic planting and production. Hot apple cider and snacks await those that can help out. Please note that this event is eligible for community service hours.

CRACKERS & ROOT VEGETABLE CHIPS – Tuesday, November 13^th, 6:30-9:00pm, Palgrave Community Kitchen, 34 Pine Avenue, Learn how to make your own spelt and lentil crackers, as well as root vegetable chips. A great food business idea!

PALGRAVE CHRISTMAS BAZAAR (Selling Opportunity) – Saturday, November 17^th, 10am-1pm, Palgrave Community Kitchen, 34 Pine Avenue, Join us at the HAYville table, where you can sell your own products or help us to sell HAYville preserves that we have been making throughout the season.

HOLIDAY COOKIES – Tuesday, November 27^th, 6:30-9:00pm, Palgrave Community Kitchen, 34 Pine Avenue, Learn how to make delicious holiday cookies that feature local, wholesome ingredients. Take home a dozen or two for your own household!

INGLEWOOD HOLIDAY FAIR (Selling Opportunity) – Saturday, December 1^st, 11am-3pm, Inglewood Community Centre, 15825 McLaughlin Rd., Set up a table and sell your own products, or help out at the HAYville table.