This week’s round of regional business news includes the announcement of the five winners in eastern Ontario of the cannabis retail store lottery, the opening of the first virtual reality arcade in the Kawarthas at Lindsay Square Mall, the launch of Community Futures Peterborough’s ignite100 competition, a provincial government consultation of a new tourism strategy for Ontario, the rebranding of Collins Barrow as Baker Tilly, Brighton business owner Jay McArthur being nominated for the inaugural Prince’s Trust Global Award, Peterborough luthier Russ Parker launching a new website, and the January 17th deadline to apply for the City of Kawartha Lakes’ Million Dollar Makeover program.
New regional business events added this week include Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce’s creative networking workshop in Cobourg on January 17th, Business and Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland’s Facebook ad seminar in Cobourg on January 22nd, Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce’s annual general meeting in Cobourg on January 29th, a January 31st deadline for employers to participate in Agilec spring hiring fair in Peterborough, and the Peterborough Chamber’s PBX at Peterborough Business Hub on February 5th.
Five winners in eastern Ontario of cannabis retail store lottery
On Friday (January 11), the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) announced the 25 winners in the cannabis store lottery, including five in eastern Ontario.
The winners in Eastern Ontario are Daniel Telio, Brandon Long, Patterson and Lavoie, Pure Alpha Holdings, and Karan Someshwar.
The winners have five business days to submit applications as well as a $6,000 non-refundable fee and a $50,000 letter of credit. Winners will undergo background check, including a review of tax records and financial statements. Additional winners from a wait list will be selected if a winner does not meet approval.
AGCO didn’t announce the municipalities the winners are representing. However, only municipalities with more than 50,000 residents are eligible in the first round of retail stores opening in April 2019. In the Kawarthas, that includes the City of Peterborough and the City of Kawartha Lakes. Other eligible cities in eastern Ontario region include Barrie, Belleville, Kingston, and Ottawa.
Applicants will also have to provide their proposed location to AGCO and then undertake a consultation process where the public will have the opportunity to object to the location.
This is the final week for municipalities to decide whether to opt in or opt out to allow private recreational cannabis retail storefronts, with the province having set a deadline of January 22, 2019. Peterborough City Council already voted to opt in on December 3, with the City of Kawartha Lakes Council voting tomorrow (January 15). Kawartha Lakes city staff are recommending the municipality opt in.
The Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce is supporting the opt-in option for the City of Kawartha Lakes. Chamber president Bob Armstrong wrote a letter in December to city CAO Ron Taylor which states, in part, “Our biggest business segment is agricultural production. Cannabis and hemp are plant-based businesses. Perhaps Kawartha Lakes could be known as a base for licensed production as well.”
The provincial government is giving municipalities a one-time opportunity by January 22nd to decide whether to allow or prohibit retail cannabis stores within their boundaries. Municipalities that choose to opt out can opt back in at any time but, once they are in, they may no longer opt out.
The province is distributing $40 million over two years to help municipalities with the costs of cannabis legalization. A first payment, based on the number of households in the municipality, was issued in late 2018, with a second payment to be issued only to those municipalities that opt in. Peterborough will receive over $185,000 and the City of Kawartha Lakes will receive $100,000 (if it chooses to opt in).
Ontario plans to increase the number of licences once more cannabis is available, expanding eligible locations to include smaller municipalities, but has not announced a timeline.
First virtual reality arcade in the Kawarthas opens at Lindsay Square Mall
Ctrl V at Lindsay Square Mall offers rental of individual VR booths for $24.99 per hour, as well as group rates and private events. All VR stations are wheelchair accessible. (Photo: Ctrl V)
The first virtual reality arcade in the Kawarthas opened last Sunday (January 9) in Lindsay Square Mall (401 Kent St. W., Lindasy).
Owned and operated by Laurie and Kevin Stapley of Lindsay, the arcade is a franchise location of Ctrl V, a Canadian company headquartered in Waterloo.
Ctrl V was North America’s first virtual reality arcade and is currently the largest virtual reality arcade chain in the world. The Waterloo-based company was incorporated in 2016 by CEO Ryan Brooks, his long-time friend CFO Robert Bruski, and his cousin COO James Elligson.
The company began franchising in 2017 and now has 18 locations, primarily in Canada with a few in the United States and one in Costa Rica, with plans to expand further in the United States. With custom-designed VR stations featuring the HTC Vive, each Ctrl V location offers high-end commercial VR experiences and a variety of different games.
Ctrl V offers rental of individual VR booths for $24.99 per hour, as well as group rates and private events. All VR stations are wheelchair accessible.
For more info on Ctrl V’s Lindsay location and for their social media channels, visit www.ctrlv.ca/ctrl-v-lindsay-lindsay-square-mall/.
Applications now open for Community Futures Peterborough ignite100 competition
Applications are now open for ignite100, a new annual innovation competition that was officially launched this afternoon (January 10) by Community Futures Peterborough (CFP) at The Venue in downtown Peterborough.
The winner of the competition will receive a repayable loan of $100,000 with no payments in the first year and no interest for the first three years (CFP will pay the interest for the first 36 months).
Entrants must apply at ignite100.ca by 5 p.m. on March 15, 2019.
Eight semi-finalists will be selected by March 30th and will make their pitch to a panel at a live competition on May 2nd. Three finalists will then make a private presentation to the Board of Directors at CFP on June 18th, with the winner announced at the CFP’s annual general meeting on June 27th.
Provincial government consulting on new tourism strategy for Ontario
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport is conducting a consultation on a new strategy for Ontario’s $34 billion tourism industry and is seeking feedback from visitors, college or university students pursuing an education in tourism or hospitality, and tourism operators and industry stakeholders (such as Chambers of Commerce and Business Improvement Areas).
The consultation is focusing the following areas:
- embrace a visitor-first approach
- improve the business climate
- improve sector alignment
- provincial interests and role in tourism
- support business and community development
Online surveys for visitors, students, and tourism operators and industry stakeholders are available until Thursday, February 28, 2019 at ontario.ca/page/consultation-ontario-tourism-strategy.
Collins Barrow Kawarthas is now Baker Tilly
Collins Barrow National Cooperative Incorporated, the largest group of independent chartered accounting firms in Canada, has taken on the name and visual brand of its global network, becoming Baker Tilly Canada Cooperative.
Since 2009, Collins Barrow has been the Canadian representative of the Baker Tilly International network of independent business and accounting firms, which has members in 147 territories and a combined worldwide revenue of $3.4 billion USD.
In December, Baker Tilly International introduced a new brand and visual identity, which became the foundation for Baker Tilly Canada’s rebranding, officially announced last Monday (January 7).
The rebranding affects all Collins Barrow locations, including Collins Barrow Kawarthas with offices in Peterborough and Lindsay.
Brighton business owner Jay McArthur nominated for Prince’s Trust Global Award
Jay McArthur, owner of Rest Easy Home Inspections (737 County Rd 64, Brighton), has been nominated for the inaugural Prince’s Trust Global Award.
The annual Prince’s Trust Awards, held in the United Kingdom recognize people who have overcome barriers to achieve success in their lives. The first-ever global award will be presented in 2019 to recognize an individual outside of the UK.
The award recipient is someone who has significantly benefitted from a Prince’s Trust program and whose success is an inspiration to others.
McArthur is a graduate of Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur program, a national program that provides transitioning military and veterans with education, tools, and resources to build confidence, develop networks. and run their own successful businesses.
McArthur served for 14 years in the Canadian Armed Forces before being medically released. The transition back to civilian life, exacerbated by mental health issues, proved difficult for McArthur.
Two years after graduating from the Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur program seven-day intensive business boot camp, McArthur’s business has grown exponentially. He also regularly volunteers his time to speak at events with donors and transitioning military members, sharing his story about his struggles with mental health and the impact the program had on his business and life.
The Prince’s Trust Awards will be presented at a high-profile ceremony in London in March.
For more information about Rest Easy Home Inspections, visit resteasyhomeinspections.com. For more information about Prince’s Trust Canada, visit www.princestrust.ca.
Peterborough luthier Russ Parker launches new website
If you’re a local guitarist interested in acquiring a custom handcrafted guitar, you’ll want to check out Peterborough luthier Russ Parker’s new website.
Parker, who relocated to the Peterborough area after retiring from his career with the North York/Toronto Fire Services, is a talented woodworker. As well as being a luthier, he volunteers at The Canadian Canoe Museum, where he builds skin-on-frame kayaks and boats and teaches paddle-carving courses.
He built his first guitar in the late 1970s and, for two seasons in the early 1980s, worked with Toronto-based luthier David Wren (a former apprentice of famed Canadian luthier Jean Larrivée). Parker’s steel-string and nylon-string guitars use a modified lattice brace system and feature a side sound port, as well as an adjustable neck so that string action height can be easily modified for different playing styles.
VIDEO: Musician Rick Fines plays Russ Parker’s J-17 super jumbo model
Parker offers four standard models: a J-17 super jumbo, a J-16 jumbo, a 000 (triple zero), and a classical/flamenco model. A left-handed player, Parker also has a selection of used left-handed guitars he had made for himself that are available for sale.
You can see samples of Parker’s work, watch more videos of musician Rick Fines playing the different models, and take a look at guitars he currently has for sale, at rgpguitars.ca.
City of Kawartha Lakes business and property owners have until January 17th to apply for Million Dollar Makeover program
The deadline for applications to the City of Kawartha Lakes’ Million Dollar Makeover is now only a few days away.
More than a million dollars in grants and loans are available, but you must apply by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 17th.
The Million Dollar Makeover is a funding program to support property and business owners who want to improve the visual and functional aspects of their commercial, mixed-use commercial/residential, or heritage-designated residential buildings.
Low-interest loans are available over a five-year term, and matching fund grants — covering up to 50 per cent of eligible costs — are available to properties within the areas that completed a Downtown Revitalization project, including Lindsay, Omemee, Coboconk, Norland, and Fenelon Falls.
For more information and to apply, visit kawarthalakes.ca/makeover.
Haliburton Chamber hosts “Meet the Fire Chiefs!” in Minden on January 15
The Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce is hosting “Meet the Fire Chiefs!” from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 15th at the Minden Fire Hall (12418 Highway 35, Minden).
The breakfast and networking event will provide the opportunity to see the new fire hall in Minden and network with all of the fire chiefs in the county, as well as to learn about fire safety and why it matters for your business.
The cost is $20 for chamber members, and $25 for non-members. Register at events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=lu6q9flab&oeidk=a07efxawpbe23f86ffa.
Peterborough DBIA Breakfast Network features Deputy Fire Chief Chad Brown on January 16
The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA)’s next Breakfast network meeting takes place at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 16th at Empress Gardens (131 Charlotte St., Peterborough).
Chad Brown, Deputy Fire Chief of Peterborough Fire Services, is the guest speaker.
Breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m. with the guest speaker at 8 a.m.
Tickets are $5 at the door. The Breakfast Network is open to everyone.
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development hosts business planning workshop in Peterborough on January 16
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre is hosting “Business Fundamentals: Business Planning” from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 16th in the boardroom at VentureNorth (270 George St. N., Peterborough).
The session is designed to give you a strong foundation in business planning, and the importance of a comprehensive business plan. The Business Advisory Centre will also share tools available for creating a business plan and top tips for creating a plan ready to share with banks and funding agencies to secure financing.
The session is free, but registration is requested at www.eventbrite.ca/e/business-fundamentals-business-planning-tickets-53060316836.
Peterborough Chamber hosts “Lunch Box Learning: 3 Ways Risk Affects your Business” in Peterborough on January 16
The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is hosting “Lunch Box Learning: 3 Ways Risk Affects your Business” from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, January 16th in the boardroom at the Chamber offices (175 George Street North, Peterborough).
Kelland Sewell of rPM3 Solutions Canada Inc. will share three ways risk affects your business and how you can harness this information to improve business performance through Enterprise Risk Management (ERM).
Bring your lunch along with you, and have the opportunity to listen to the short presentation followed by a Q&A.
The event is free to attend for members of the Chamber or members of the Women’s Business Network of Peterborough.
Port Hope Chamber hosts annual Mayor’s Breakfast on January 17
The Port Hope and District Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual Mayor’s breakfast from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 17th at Railside Restaurant (112 Peter St., Port Hope).
Mayor Bob Sanderson will be providing an update on the plans for Port Hope for 2019.
The cost of $20 per person includes a served breakfast.
To register, call 905-885-5519 or email admin@porthopechamber.com.
Otonabee Conservation hosts annual meeting in Peterborough on January 17
The Otonabee Region Conservation Authority (Otonabee Conservation) is hosting its 60th annual meeting at 4 p.m. in the boardroom of the Otonabee Conservation offices (250 Milroy Dr., Peterborough).
The meeting will feature the election of the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for 2019, appointments to Conservation Ontario Council and Authority Committees, as well as the presentation of the 2019 Operating and Capital Budget.
Members of the watershed community are welcome to attend.
The board will also be holding a special 60th anniversary celebratory event in the spring, at which time it will present the annual awards and service recognition.
For further information about the annual meeting, call Otonabee Conservation at 705-745-5791.
Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce presents a creative networking workshop in Cobourg on January 17
The Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce is presenting its first “creative networking” workshop of 2019 from 5 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 17th at The Rustic Bean Coffee Co. (91 King Street West, Cobourg).
Award-winning glass artist Marcella Rosemberg will host “Art in a Box” workshop, which she will guide you through the design process of laying out pieces of pre-cut glass to create a set of four beautiful and practical fused glass coasters.
The cost is $50+HST for Chamber members, and $60+HST for non members.
Space is limited and advance registration and payment is required. For more information, visit nccofc.ca/events/details/creative-networking-series-1370.
Business and Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland hosts Facebook ad seminar in Cobourg on January 22
Business and Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland is hosting “Understanding Facebook Ad Types” from 9 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, January 22nd in the boardroom at its offices at 600 William Street in Cobourg, K9A 3A5).
In this advanced seminar, Marquis Murray of Media Crate will break down the different Facebook ad types available, what they’re used for, and how you can use them to better market your business online, gain leads, and increase traffic to your website through strategic targeting.
The cost is $10 for Chamber members and $15 for non-members.
For more information and to register, visit www.becn.ca/advance-seminars/.
Nomination deadline for Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors on January 23
The Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations from its membership for four full-terms (two years) on its Board of Directors until Wednesday, January 23rd.
Nominees must be a member in good standing, nominated by a member in good standing, and be an authorized representative of a business operating within the Town of Cobourg, the Township of Hamilton or Alnwick/Haldimand.
Directors will be elected or appointed by the membership at the Chamber’s annual general meeting on Tuesday, January 29th.
For nomination forms, visit nccofc.ca/events/details/nccofc-nominations-to-the-board-1367.
Northumberland CFDC hosts fireside chat on sustainability at Venture13 in Cobourg on January 24
The Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) is hosting a fireside chat on the importance of sustainability in business and community from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, January 24th in the Innovation Commons Lecture Hall at Venture13 (739 D’Arcy St., Northam Industrial Park, Cobourg).
The event will include a moderated panel discussion featuring representatives from Sustainable Cobourg, Headwaters Farm, Local Food for Local Good, and more, followed by a Q&A with the audience.
There is no cost to attend, but you must register at www.eventbrite.com/e/fireside-on-the-importance-of-sustainability-within-community-and-business-environments-tickets-53389184488.
Innovation Cluster hosts power breakfast meeting on digital technology in Peterborough on January 25
The Innovation Cluster Peterborough & the Kawarthas is hosting “Power Breakfast: Digital Technology, An Innovative Future” from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Friday, January 25th at the Holiday Inn Peterborough – Waterfront (150 George St., Peterborough).
Over a hot breakfast you will hear from organizations that support entrepreneurs, including Michael Gatschene of the Business Development Bank of Canada, Catherine Lovrics of intellectual property law firm Bereskin & Parr, as well as Innovation Cluster client David Winter of Canuck Play.
The event is free, but you must register at www.eventbrite.com/e/innovation-clusters-power-breakfast-digital-technology-an-innovative-future-tickets-53059731084.
Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual general meeting in Cobourg on January 29
The Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual general meeting from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, January 29th at Woodlawn Inn (420 Division Street, Cobourg, K9A 3R9).
All members in good standing are invited to attend the meeting and hear an overview of the Chamber’s activities for the past year, including the presentation of the Chamber’s audited year-end financial report. The 2019 executive will be introduced and elections will be held to fill the available seats on the Board of Directors.
The annual “Chair’s Dinner”, a four-course meal with wines, will be held immediately after the meeting.
For more information and to RSVP, visit nccofc.ca/events/details/nccofc-annual-general-meeting-1366.
January 31 deadline for employers to participate in Agilec spring hiring fair in Peterborough
Agilec is presenting a multi-employer spring hiring fair from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26th at Northminster United Church (300 Sunset Blvd., Peterborough).
Numerous employers looking to hire part-time, full-time, and seasonal positions will be in attendance.
Any employer who would like to participate should contact Arlayna Curtin at Agilec before January 31st.
Curtin can be reached at 705-740-2577 ext. 5210 or acurtin@agilec.ca
Peterborough Chamber PBX at Peterborough Business Hub on February 5
The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce’s next Peterborough Business Exchange (PBX) takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 5th at Peterborough Business Hub (398 McDonnel St., Peterborough).
The PBX networking event is a great opportunity for the business community, employers, consumers, and community agencies to make valuable connections.
Everyone is welcome to attend this free event.
For more information, visit www.peterboroughchamber.ca.
Nomination deadline for Haliburton Chamber’s Business & Community Achievement Awards on February 14
Nominations are being accepted for the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce’s 13th Annual Business & Community Achievement Awards until Thursday, February 14th.
There are awards in 11 categories: Business Achievement, New Business, Customer First Business, Customer First Employee, Tourism & Hospitality, Innovation & Creativity, Skilled Trades & Industry, Young Professional of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Not-For-Profit of the Year, and Highlander of the Year.
Nomination forms are available at www.haliburtonchamber.com.
