HORNEPAYNE — Greater economic development equals greater opportunities.
The federal government is investing around $972,000 through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor) to support the creation and advancement of economic development opportunities in four communities along the north shore including Wawa, Hornepayne, Dubreuilville, and Michipicoten First Nation.
Terry Sheehan, member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour and Seniors, appeared on behalf of Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services and FedNor, to make the announcement in Wawa near the end of July.
For the three townships involved, the funding is aimed at hiring or retaining an economic development officer (EDO) – while Michipicoten First Nation has committed its portion of the funding ($198,000) to hiring a forestry technician to develop a community forestry strategy and engage with forestry industry partners.
In a statement shared with the media, Wawa Mayor Melanie Pilon said this funding opens up greater opportunities for Wawa and its residents.
Unlike the other two townships involved in this funding announcement, Wawa does not currently have an economic development officer.
“Our community is often recognized by our famous goose monument and stunning local landscape, but Wawa has so much more to offer. An economic development officer will allow us to support and expand new and existing businesses and push our local development initiatives to the next level.
“We are proud to partner with the Government of Canada and look forward to the benefits this investment will bring,” Pilon said.
Wawa is receiving $297,000 from FedNor while Dubreuilville and Hornepayne – both of which already have EDOs on-staff – are receiving around $231,000 and $245,000, respectively.
Speaking to Dougall Media, Hornepayne Mayor Cheryl Fort said this is Hornepayne’s second round of funding and that, so far, the assistance from FedNor has had a substantial impact on her community.
Fort said hiring an economic development officer with support from FedNor was something she advocated for when she first sat on council in 2016.
“The CAO and I at the time worked together. I was a councillor – we researched and saw that we could fit this within the municipality . . . and we were able to hire a highly qualified professional from our community which is a win-win because they know the history of the community and they bring all their expertise,” she said.
According to Fort, it’s been five years since they hired Stacey Rendell and the township hasn’t looked back since. The funding from FedNor only covers three of those five years, however.
“We applied again because we found that, in three years, it’s very difficult to setup an economic development department, get all of the policies that you need in place, incorporate economic development into pretty much everything that you do – you want to ensure you’re successful,” she said.
She went on to highlight the many projects Rendell and the township managed to develop within Rendell’s first three years, including the town’s official plan update, zoning bylaw, and community improvement plan.
More recently, the township also completed a gap analysis, a business attraction study, and worked with branding agency Cinnamon Toast on rebranding that is expected to roll out later this year into 2025.
“When you look at the breadth of work that’s been done in five years that’s a lot of work and we’ve been very proactive and not wasting any of our resources that we can utilize,” Fort said.
She added that she has spoken previously with MP Terry Sheehan about the possibility of altering the funding model to allow EDOs and their communities more time to develop their roles and priorities.
“In my view as a small municipality, three-year funding for two terms at full capacity and then moving into the three-year graduated funding would be better because I’m looking ahead to the end of next year when we’re down to 50-per-cent funding for the position.
“Our municipality, even though it’s growing . . . we’re still not fully developed yet,” she said.
Fort noted Sheehan was very receptive and appreciative of her comments.
“It’s really in the doing and seeing how those programs roll out,” she said.
“I’m really thankful for the program – that we were able to utilize it – and I’m hopeful that, maybe in the future, other municipalities will benefit even more substantially if they add that extra term of funding for small municipalities.”