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WHERE TALENT AND OPPORTUNITY INTERSECT
JUNE 2021
The York Region Agriculture and Agri-Food Update newsletter shares highlights from York Region's business community, including news, upcoming events, new funding programs and more.

IN THIS ISSUE

BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY NEWS FUNDING PROGRAMS AND COVID-19 SUPPORTS UPCOMING EVENTS

BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY NEWS

Ontario to Move to Step One of Roadmap to Reopen on June 11


Based on the provincewide vaccination rate and continuing improvements in key public health and health system indicators, the Ontario government will move the province into Step One of its Roadmap to Reopen at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, June 11, 2021.
 

Step One of the Roadmap to Reopen includes but is not limited to:

  • Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 10 people;
  • Non-essential retail permitted at 15 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold;
  • Essential and other select retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold;
  • Outdoor dining with up to four people per table, with exceptions for larger households;
  • Concert venues, theatres and cinemas may open outdoors for the purpose of rehearsing or performing a recorded or broadcasted concert, artistic event, theatrical performance or other performance with no more than 10 performers, among other restrictions; and
  • Outdoor attractions such as zoos, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens with capacity and other restrictions.

READ MORE

Celebrating Local Food Week 2021

 

Local Food Week is a time to celebrate and thank the hardworking farmers, workers, food processors, retailers and everyone working in the food system. From field to fork, this sector plays an important role in our communities, helping keep food in our stores and on our plates.

There is no better way to celebrate Local Food Week than by enjoying the diverse food products made right here in York Region. York Farm Fresh has updated their annual Guide Map for 2021. The map contains information on 36 farms and eight farmers’ markets throughout York Region. Also new this year is their multilingual mobile app to help you find local products on the go! The app also offers translation from English into seven other languages to help newcomers and York Region’s diverse communities access delicious, healthy and local food. Visit yorkfarmfresh.com to view the Guide Map and learn more about the mobile app, or find it on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

READ MORE

Are You a Primary Producer in York Region?

 

We’re updating our internal contact list of primary producers, and as a local business, we want to make sure we have your updated information to share agri-food program information and help enhance local food sales. We also are giving producers that directly sell to the public the opportunity to appear on an upcoming local food page on YorkLink.ca – helping promote your business and increase your exposure!

READ MORE

Young Markham Chef Takes Title of MasterChef Canada

A pharmacist by profession, Markham's Christopher Siu’s true passion has always been in the the bakery business and he worked full-time at a Toronto pharmacy to save up enough money to support his dreams of owning his own place.

Siu launched Daan Go Pastry Lab and Daan Go Cake Lab featuring delightful creations from his own childhood memories with a nod to Hong Kong culture.

During a recent interview, Siu described the win as one of his greatest accomplishments: “I’m still so super-excited. It’s been quite a wild journey from the first time I appeared to proving myself to winning.”

READ MORE

Sovereignty Gardens Program Encourages Residents to Donate Produce


Sovereignty Gardens is encouraging residents of York Region to cultivate their own edible gardens and donate a portion of their harvest to local food banks through The Food Bank of York Region. With the impact of COVID-19, food banks are reporting an increase in demand and struggling to meet needs.

To participate in the program, please drop off your fruits and vegetables to The Food Bank of York Region (8201 Keele Street, Unit #5 & #6, Concord, ON L4K 1Z4)

Upon drop off, please let staff know that the food is for the Sovereignty Gardens program. 

READ MORE

Spotlight on Local Business: Summer Fresh

 

Food In Canada Magazine recently published a story on Summer Fresh - a Vaughan-based company that generates more than $100 million from the sale of 80-plus products across Canada and the United States. It is also the leading brand for prepared salads and dips in English Canada.

Summer Fresh founder Susan Niczowski began her multi-million dollar company in her mother’s kitchen 30 years ago. Her parents came to Canada as immigrants from Macedonia via Poland, where they met after fleeing their homeland as children during the Greek Civil War in the late 1940s.

Though her father Chris was an engineer and her mother Francis was a housewife, Niczowski says food was always a central feature of her family’s life.

READ MORE

York Region Food and Beverage Accelerator Participant Featured in Canadian Grocer Magazine

Lola Adeyemi's business, It's Souper, was recently featured in Canadian Grocer Magazine. Adeyemi is a current participant in the York Region Food and Beverage Accelerator program offered through York University's YSpace. When Lola Adeyemi first arrived in Canada from Nigeria in April 2005 to attend the University of Winnipeg, the shift was a bit of a shock to her system, given Manitoba was in the middle of a deep freeze.

Fast forward to 2021, and things are heating up for Adeyemi. She is enjoying success with It’s Souper, a company she founded that makes soup and chili inspired by the flavours and culinary traditions of Africa. While her products are now expanding into major retailers like Sobeys and Whole Foods Market, the path to this point has been filled with highs, lows, and even moments where she thought she should just give up on her dream of launching a business.


READ MORE

Agriculture and Agri-Food Business Recovery Sub-Group Recognizes York Region Public Health Staff
 

In 2020, York Region established the Business Recovery Support Partnership and the Agriculture and Agri-Food Sub-Group to support local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This group is comprised of local economic development stakeholders and industry leaders from across York Region, including farmers, food processors and more.

The members of this industry-led group would like to acknowledge and thank Becky Hester, Manager of Health Protection at York Region Public Health for her efforts and dedication to supporting the farming community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since last year, Becky has been working tirelessly to support local farmers, helping organize mobile and on-site testing, providing information, safety resources, attending meetings and much more. She has gone above and beyond to ensure farmers have the public health information they need to keep their staff safe. Becky is a champion of the agriculture and agri-food sector and embodies York Region's commitment to serving our 1.2 million residents and 54,000 businesses.

Vaughan-Based nutriSCOPE Inc. Advances to Food Waste Reduction Challenge Semi-Finals

 

The Food Waste Reduction Challenge was launched in November 2020 to accelerate high-impact solutions to food waste in Canada.

This first round of the Challenge attracted 343 applications from innovators across Canada and around the world. The 24 semi-finalists’ entries span a diverse range of areas including production, inventory management, transportation, food waste measurement, food safety, food recovery and more. This includes Vaughan-based nutriSCOPE Inc., which connects the supply chain into a digital ecosystem that enables transparency, traceability, trust and supports demand forecasting in order to optimize operations and minimize food waste.

Each semi-finalist will receive $100,000 and move on to the market demonstration stage of the Challenge.

READ MORE

The 2021 Census of Agriculture Is Now Faster and Easier to Complete
 

The Census of Agriculture is an important tool for gathering valuable information for farm communities and decision-makers. It gives an up-to-date picture of the Canadian agriculture sector by identifying trends, opportunities and challenges that have an impact on the industry.

READ MORE
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FUNDING PROGRAMS AND COVID-19 NEWS

Enhanced Agri-Food Workplace Protection Program

 

The Ontario Government is investing in an Enhanced Agri-food Workplace Protection Program to support farmers and agri-food operators during this difficult time. Program applications are accepted for eligible items ordered on or after January 1, 2021 and received on or after March 13, 2021. Applications are received and assessed on a continuous basis, while funding is available or until November 30, 2021 at 11:59pm.

Funding is available through the following categories:

  1. The Workplace COVID-19 Prevention category will support the adoption of prevention and mitigation measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among agri-food workers/employees.
  2. The Responsive COVID-19 Outbreak Management category will reimburse eligible applicants who have been impacted by outbreaks of COVID-19 and faced with extraordinary costs related to employee wage supports and worker/employee isolation.
READ MORE

Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund

The Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund is a partnership between the Government of Canada, Black-led business organizations, and several financial institutions. It will provide loans up to $250,000 to Black business owners and entrepreneurs across the country.

The Government of Canada has announced that the Loan Fund is accepting loan applications from Black business owners and entrepreneurs through the Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE).

Eligible businesses may include start-ups and existing for-profit small businesses in Canada. Such businesses can be corporations or sole proprietors, and for-profit social enterprises and cooperatives. Businesses must have a business plan, business registration, and recent financial statements or financial projections for start-ups.

READ MORE

Applications Open for Agri-Tech Innovation Program

 

Applications are now open for the first intake (Early Adopters category) of the Agri-Tech Innovation Program, a cost-share program aimed to help farmers and food processors increase the adoption of technological innovations in the agri-food sector. This intake will support implementation of sector-specific and innovative technologies in the workplace that enhance protection of workers against COVID-19, lead to increased business efficiencies and productivity, and help build the sector's resilience. 

READ MORE

Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant

 

Announced in the Ontario Government's latest budget, applications are now open for the Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant. This grant provides one-time payments of $10,000 to $20,000 to eligible small businesses in the tourism and travel sector and does not need to be re-paid.
 
To be eligible for this grant, your business:
  • did not receive the Ontario Small Business Support Grant
  • operates a tourism or travel business in Ontario that:
    • opened before 2021, and
    • was still in operation on April 30, 2021.
  • had 99 or fewer employees on April 30, 2021.
  • has experienced a revenue decline of at least 20% if you began operating or acquired the business before July 2, 2019
READ MORE

COVID-19 Business Resources and Funding Programs Overview 


To help you make sense of all the available funding programs and resources, we continue to update our COVID-19 Business Resource page that contains information on supports announced by the federal, provincial, and municipal governments, as well as, events, and other pertinent information to impacted businesses. 

Primary Funding Support Programs:

View More COVID-19 Business Resources
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UPCOMING EVENTS

Social Media for Your Business


Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Social media is an invaluable tool for today’s business, whether you are just starting out or have been established for years. Not understanding how to use social media effectively can leave you overwhelmed and ultimately hurt your bottom line as your potential customers can easily find your competitors. This workshop hosted by the Toronto Digital Service Squad will leave you with a better understanding of how to leverage the power of social media to grow your online community, drive sales and reduce marketing costs.

READ MORE

Funding Support for Canadian Businesses


Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Looking for more information on available funding supports for your business? During this webinar, Mentor Works will share their insights on Canadian government funding, including COVID-19 financial support and the top grant, loan, wage subsidy, and tax credit programs York Region businesses should be aware of.

READ MORE

E-Commerce 101


Tuesday, June 29, 2021

More consumers than ever before are turning to online shopping for greater convenience, safety, and variety. In this webinar, the Toronto Digital Service Squad will teach you the basic steps to setting up an online store. We will cover everything from what you need to prepare before launching a store, to choosing an e-commerce platform, to providing excellent customer service online. You’ll finish this session feeling excited about how e-commerce can help you reach new customers and expand into different markets.

READ MORE
View all Business Events
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York Link | York Region Economic Development

 

The York Link team is here to help and are committed to supporting local businesses. We are still providing business advisory and consultation services, information on business resources, support for startups, and more in a virtual capacity at this time.

Get in touch with us:
Website: yorklink.ca/agrifood
Email: agri-food@york.ca
 
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