Welcome to Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership’s Newsletter
Taking Care of Business
News for the Sarnia-Lambton Business Community
April 2016
** Summer Company Program
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Students! The Sarnia – Lambton Economic Partnership is here to make your entrepreneurial dreams come true with the Ontario #SummerCompany program. You can receive up to $3000 to start up your own business, and we are here to help you every step of the way.
Student Sign Business
We will sit with you and develop a business plan that works with your ideas, abilities and budget.
Learning how to run your own student business is one of the best summer jobs you can have. You get to be your own boss while learning what it takes to manage a business. Sales, marketing, bookkeeping, customer relationship management and networking are just a few of the highly useful skills you’ll develop.
To be eligible for this opportunity, you must currently be a student (high school, college or university) between 15-29 years old, you must live in Ontario with a Canadian citizenship or be a permanent resident, and must be returning to school at the end of the program.
If you are looking to get a taste of entrepreneurship, this is an excellent opportunity to meet with industry professionals and gain valuable life-long experience.
To learn more about the Summer Company program, call SLEP today and speak with Dave Moody (http://slep.wpengine.com/staff/david-moody/) at (519)332-1820.
** SLEP Provides Input on Provincial Cap-and-Trade Strategy
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The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP) is calling on the provincial government to partner with local industry to understand the broader impact of the government’s cap-and-trade strategy on Lambton County’s economy.
SLEP is broadly supportive of the government’s goals to reduce carbon emissions but industry is concerned with the tight timetable for implementation. Chemical Valley companies could be disadvantaged by cap and trade, compared to counterparts in the U.S. Gulf Coast where the policy isn’t in place.
This does not spell ‘doomsday’ for our community. The Ontario Government has stated that it plans to reinvest money it raises through cap and trade into emissions-reducing initiatives.
“They see renewables and sustainable energy as being significant areas for investment and job creation in the future,” says George Mallay, GM.
The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership recognizes that the region will have to make significant changes to mitigate the impacts of cap-and-trade on traditional sectors of Lambton’s economy and has put forward three recommendations on the development of a province-wide cap-and-trade strategy:
* Complete a regional economic impact analysis that will study the short-term and long-term cumulative effects of cap-and-trade on the region’s economy, and future investment in the region. In addition, the Province should provide clear direction on free allowances for new or expanded business in order to attract new investments and jobs to the region
* Invest in Lambton County’s bio-industrial complex to develop new technologies that will reduce carbon emissions, and will help the region diversify and modernize its economy
* Provide transition funding to energy-intensive trade industries, including the petrochemical and oil refining sectors, to encourage early investment in new energy efficient technologies
SLEP will continue to engage with Ontario government and local partners to put forward our recommendations as the Province develops a cap-and-trade strategy. SLEP believes that the region’s emerging strengths in applied research and development and commercialization, specifically around energy technologies, as well as its experience in alternative energy technologies, can be a resource to the provincial government to support cap-and-trade and stimulate economic growth in Lambton County.
** SLEP Participates in 2016 BIO World Congress
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George Mallay and Matthew Slotwinski represented SLEP and the Sarnia community at the world’s largest industrial biotechnology event this week in San Diego, California. The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF) brought together international biotech companies, researchers and innovators to BIO’s 13th Annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology.
The topics of discussion included; biofuels, renewable chemicals, biobased materials and emerging technologies. Modern biotechnology enables the breakthrough of products and technologies that work to combat debilitating and rare diseases, reduce our environmental footprint, feed the hungry, use less and cleaner energy, and have safer, and cleaner and more efficient industrial manufacturing processes.
SLEP officials and Bioindustrial Innovations Canada held meetings with many prospective firms that have demonstrated interest in the Sarnia-Lambton area. “Sarnia-Lambton’s increasing recognition at the BIO World Congress demonstrates the incredible advancements this community has made in establishing Sarnia-Lambton as North America’s key hybrid chemistry cluster,” says Mallay.
** Rail Celebrates 3 Years in June
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The Rail Advocacy in Lambton (RAIL) group is approaching its 3rd year of spearheading the restoration of passenger rail services in Lambton County. Advocacy is directed towards providing all citizens with better service delivery. RAIL works in partnership with transportation providers, municipalities, senior levels of federal and provincial governments, as well as other rail advocacy groups.
This group of dedicated local volunteers has taken on the challenge of bringing real solutions to government and CN/VIA so that the community as a whole can enjoy the convenience of rail travel.
In a very short amount of time, RAIL members have become a cohesive group, hard-working and persistent with diversified skills and community outreach capabilities. Rail has gained immense community investment, and invites everyone to follow their Facebook page and RAIL website for news and events.
If you support RAIL’s mission and wish to contribute to the advocacy effort, do your part by reaching out to Honourable Marc Garneau MP, in Ottawa in support of the Network Southwest vision of integrated high-performance rail and bus services for Southwestern Ontario. You can do this by sending a letter to the following address:
The Honorable Marc Garneau MP
Minister of Transport
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
Instantly show your support for RAIL and the SWOTA (Southwestern Ontario Transportation Alliance) by sharing the following twitter message.
Reconnect SW Ontario communities to opportunity! @marcgarneau @StevenDelDuca please implement #NetworkSouthwest http://www.swota.ca/network-southwest
Community demand for the service will propel RAIL’s mission and strengthen its collective voice.
Rail Website
www.e-rail.ca (http://www.e-rail.ca )
RAIL Facebook Page
www.facebook.com/RailAdvocacyInLambton (http://www.facebook.com/RailAdvocacyInLambton )
“Connecting London – Part Three”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZx7TiZFOGY&app=desktop (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZx7TiZFOGY&app=desktop )
SWOTA Website
www.swota.ca (http://www.swota.ca )
** Discoveries That Matter Brand Unveils New Website.
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This week the Discoveries That Matter community brand committee unveiled a new design for their website. The new online platform allows for a one-stop destination for information on the Discoveries that Matter brand, local municipalities, upcoming events, interesting Lambton County facts and recognizes organizations that have adopted the brand. The website continues to offer resources for downloading and customizing the Discoveries That Matter brand logo. The updated website reflects the increased outreach efforts to promote Lambton County and create a positive shared identity of a creative and innovative community.
Over the next several months, the Discoveries That Matter brand committee will increase their social media presence (you can follow them on twitter: @DTMLambton) and community outreach. If you would like to get involved in promoting Lambton County through the use of the Discoveries That Matter brand, please visit www.discoveriesthatmatter.ca.
** Updating Business Directory
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Have you registered your company in our online business directory? It is absolutely free and will ensure that more people know about the great work that you do. Our website attracts over 12,000 visitors each month, a large percentage of which are browsing through the business listings. Make sure yours is not overlooked!
Visit our directory page slep.wpengine.com/business/ to register your business or update your existing listing.
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** (http://twitter.com/SarniaLambton)
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** (http://slep.wpengine.com/)
** (mailto:contact@sarnialambton.on.ca)
Copyright © 2016 Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, All rights reserved.
Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership
T: 519-332-1820
Toll Free: 800-972-7642
Western University Research Park, Sarnia-Lambton Campus
1086 Modeland Rd., Building 1050, Suite 100
Sarnia, ON
N7S 6L2
** slep.wpengine.com (http://slep.wpengine.com/)
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