Celebrate Ontario is an annual program through the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, that helps new and existing festivals and events enhance their programs, activities and services. The program also supports bid and event hosting costs of major one-time events and festivals attracting out-of-province visitors through the Blockbuster category.
This support helps grow tourism in the province by making it easier for event organizers to offer new and improved experiences that will attract more tourists and increase visitor spending.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: All organizers of festivals and events are required to apply via the new Grants Ontario web-based application system.
Applicants must register with the Government of Ontario’s encrypted ONe-key log-in system at Grants Ontario as users and apply online. You are strongly encouraged to register for your ONe-key password as soon as possible to ensure you meet the application deadline.
* Full details, including what’s eligible, how to apply, and when to apply are on the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport’s website at:www.ontario.ca/celebrateontario.
Your local tourism advisor can also assist you with any questions you might have about Celebrate Ontario Main Stage and Signature 2013 grant applications.
The Waterloo Summit Centre for the Environment is pleased to announce it will be hosting an Open House on July 5, 2012 from 5 pm to 7:30 pm. The Waterloo Summit Centre for the Environment is located at 87 Forbes Hill Drive, in Huntsville, Ontario. All are welcome to attend.
The Open House will showcase a number of things that are currently happening at the facility including the University of Waterloo and the Town of Huntsville’s vision for the Centre. Dr. Stephen Murphy, Chair of the University of Waterloo’s Department of Environment and Resource Studies, within the Faculty of Environment, will be on hand to talk about Waterloo’s role here in Huntsville. Visitors can see Waterloo’s recently completed ecology lab and research projects being undertaken by Waterloo’s Faculty of Environment students this summer.
Attendees will learn about the initiatives of other building tenants including Muskoka Community Network and the Innovation Muskoka Pilot Project being led by Muskoka Community Futures Development Corporation.
Muskoka Community Network (MCN) works with both the public and private sector to extend high speed internet coverage in the cottage country of Muskoka and Almaguin, thus providing the region with a modern and attractive business climate.
Building on the success of the mentorship program, Muskoka Futures partnered with the MCN in November of 2011 to host an Innovation Muskoka event at the Waterloo Summit Centre for the Environment. The event resulted in an “Innovation Sandbox”, where local entrepreneurs pitched their ideas to a panel of experienced business people and received practical advice for a successful enterprise. From the Sandbox came the Innovation Muskoka Pilot Project which is housed in the Waterloo Summit Centre. This project involves advisory panels assisting six local entrepreneurs ready to take their business to the next level. The advisory panels consist of several experienced business people for each participating business, with each panel member providing different skill sets and experiences. A number of the pilot participants will be on hand at the Open House showcasing their products and businesses.
At the event, attendees will also discover more about the projects underway with the Unity Plan – Huntsville’s Guide to a Sustainable Future. The Town of Huntsville’s wide range of rental facilities for your events of all styles and sizes will be showcased at this event as well.
About the Waterloo Summit Centre
The Waterloo Summit Centre for the Environment is a year-round research, teaching and community centre, and run by the University of Waterloo and the Town of Huntsville. It is a research centre for ecology, climate change, tourism, land-use planning, and local economic development. The Centre can host short courses, meetings, conferences, workshops, and field exercises, with on-site overnight accommodation available for up to 46 people. It is located near Arrowhead Provincial Park and within easy driving distance from many other natural areas and provincial parks, including Algonquin Provincial Park. The Centre is within walking distance to the shops and restaurants of beautiful downtown Huntsville. For more information, visit uwaterloo.ca/waterloo-summit-centre.
About the University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada’s Technology Triangle, is one of Canada’s leading comprehensive universities. Waterloo is home to 34,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students who are dedicated to making the future better and brighter. Waterloo, known for the largest post-secondary co-operative education program of its kind in the world, supports enterprising partnerships in learning, research and discovery. For more information about Waterloo, visit us at uwaterloo.ca.
For more information on the event, please contact Robin Brushey, Events Manager, Waterloo Summit Centre for the Environment, University of Waterloo at 705-571-0259 or rbrushey@uwaterloo.ca.
To pre-register for the event, please contact the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce at (705) 789-4771 or email at chamber@huntsvillelakeofbays.on.ca.
‘Youth Enterprise Camp’ offers a special experience designed to stimulate aspiring young business entrepreneurs! It’s a fabulous way for kids to exercise their brains, their spirits, and their bodies, while having some old-fashioned summer fun!
Muskoka Futures is an enthusiastic partner of this innovative camp. It’s a great opportunity for young people to gather together and develop their business skills. Kids from the ages of 9 to 15 pool their entrepreneurial resources, develop their creative ideas, and learn how to be their own boss for a week. All this while still enjoying the natural outdoor perks of the summer camp experience!
The camp is located at the beautiful Canadian Ecology Centre in Mattawa, Ontario. The games and activities of business enterprise – how to fund a business venture, make a business plan, create a marketing strategy, and actually sell an invention – are complemented by traditional outdoor fun, such as canoeing, swimming, and mountain biking.
Many young people have excellent business skills, but they don't even know it. Creativity, enthusiasm, and good ideas are just a few traits of a successful entrepreneur. Maybe there’s a kid you know who has an idea for a product and would be keen to see how this kind of innovative thinking can be the basis for an interesting career.
Traditional high-school business classes may not be the answer to honing the skills of our enterprising youth. Youth Enterprise Camp is the perfect way to learn that business can be creative and stimulating. When young people gain more understanding about the world of business, their interest and skills will expand. After all, the houses they live in, the clothes they wear, and the technology they use all represent business in action. Even student jobs (like flipping burgers or checking out groceries) are more engaging when enlivened by a glimpse of the bigger picture behind the humdrum tasks. This camp offers a terrific chance to learn more about the mechanisms behind the products and services that make our world go round!
The camp runs from July 30th to August 3rd, with two concurrent groups: Youth Camp for ages 9 to 12, and Teen Camp for ages 13 to 15. Camp fees are $500, and Muskoka Futures is offering lots of great ideas for fundraising to encourage the kids to get a head-start on cultivating their entrepreneurial spirits. Some subsidies may be available upon request.
Help us get the word out to anyone who may be interested in this type of a camping experience. Information is available on Muskoka Futures' camp website: www.muskokafutures.ca, including registration packages and fundraising tips. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Lucas at Muskoka Futures (646-9511, ext. 21) or by e-mail at lruttan@muskokafutures.ca. Registrations are due by June 16th, and space is limited, so contact us soon!
And remember that Muskoka Futures believes in helping entrepreneurs of all ages. If you have a great idea and need a little advice, or if you have a successful business that you want to expand, stop by the office at 111 Manitoba Street in Bracebridge or give us a call at 705-646-9511. Muskoka Futures is interested in helping to turn your plans into reality, and we’d be happy to explore your ideas.
As anyone who follows our local media knows, the communities in Muskoka benefit from numerous, dedicated not-for-profit groups and supportive volunteers who provide leadership in promoting the economic welfare of our community. These groups and volunteers plan and host a wide-range of events and projects that attract people to Muskoka, and that support our local businesses. In hosting their events, and implementing their projects, many of these groups look to Muskoka Futures to help transform their visions into reality. Through our Muskoka Community Initiative, Muskoka Futures offers partnership in projects that promote Muskoka’s economic and cultural sustainability.
The Muskoka Community Initiative grant program has funded over 170 projects since 2000, assisting groups such as Chambers of Commerce, environmental associations, museums, business groups, cultural organizations, and municipalities. Spanning the entire region of Muskoka, some of our recent recipients have included:
•Arts Council of Muskoka (Steps to Leadership Program) •Town of Gravenhurst (Business Seminar) •River Mill and Port Carling Farmers’ Markets •Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Promotional Campaign •OFSAA Nordic Skiing Championships •2012 Ontario ParaSport Winter Games To be eligible for grant consideration, projects must be located within the District of Muskoka (including the Towns of Bracebridge, Gravenhurst and Huntsville, and the Townships of Georgian Bay, Lake of Bays and Muskoka Lakes). Preference is given to not-for-profit community-sponsored groups which have been in existence for at least six months and which represent and/or collaborate with the voluntary sector, the private sector, cooperatives or various levels of government.
If your group has a plan to help our region realize its potential as a vibrant, innovative, creative, and healthy community, ask Muskoka Futures about your eligibility for a MCI contribution. Projects may support the community’s growth in a number of ways: by developing infrastructure, enhancing technological capabilities, offering training or seminars, supporting entrepreneurship, increasing opportunities for local youth, promoting cultural identity, attracting or retaining employment opportunities, or enabling feasibility studies.
Applicants must first discuss their project with the staff at Muskoka Futures, and, if eligible, complete an application form detailing the project and its budget and including all support material. Application forms and program guidelines can be downloaded from Muskoka Futures. Applications are then reviewed by a committee of volunteers from the community, and awarded to projects most appropriate to the program’s mandate: those which exert a positive effect on Muskoka’s community and economic development, have a regional and/or significant impact, and present a sound project budget.
If your organization would like to discuss the Muskoka Community Initiative, contact Muskoka Futures Executive Director, David Brushey, at 646-9511 x.22. Application deadlines for 2012 will be May 31st, June 14th, and October 25th.
The CBC show, The BIG Decision (cbc.ca/thebigdecision), is searching for suitable businesses to participate in the second season of the show. The show features companies from coast-to-coast that come from a variety of industries. Throughout each episode, one of Canada's top investors visits each company, provides expert advice and in the end decides whether or not he or she will invest. There are many benefits to the company- not only receiving top-notch business advice, but also the possibility of receiving an investment that could help turn the company around.
Last year the CBC featured companies from coast-to-coast and they are hoping to reach out to as many cities and towns as possible in their search this year. In their first season The BIG Decision featured three companies from Ontario.
The press release from the CBC, and contact information, is available Additional details and contact information for the CBC are available Here.
