For release: December 02, 2005

Ontario Government Invests In Skills DevelopmentIn Eastern

And Northern Ontario
Partnership With Local Manufacturers To Support Economic Growth,
Global Competitiveness

CORNWALL - The Ontario government is supporting economic growth and global competitiveness in eastern and northern Ontario by investing in new opportunities for skills development and industry alliance building, Jim Brownell, MPP for Stormont-Dundas-Charlottenburgh, announced today.

"The people of this province are our greatest asset," said Brownell. "Today's announcement will create more opportunities for workplace skills development, which supports this government's plan to build stronger communities."

The government will contribute more than $1.4 million to the development and execution of the project, which will be led by Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC). EMC, with its members and partners, will invest the remainder of the $3.17 million project cost. Through the project, EMC will help participating municipalities and organizations work together to enable resource sharing, skills training, mentoring, knowledge transfer and networking.

Project partners include the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Community Futures Development Corporation, Communities Quality Initiative, Kingston Economic Development Corporation and Renfrew Industrial Commission. Initial clusters will be created in Cornwall, Lennox and Addington, Kingston, Renfrew, Pembroke, Arnprior, Hawkesbury, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury.

"Nobody knows the challenges to success that Ontario industry faces on a daily basis better than the manufacturers themselves," said Al Diggins, EMC president and general manager. "EMC brings together manufacturers in a way that harnesses the collective strength and experience that exists within the community to provide a knowledge network infrastructure through which manufacturers can prosper."

"The manufacturing industry in eastern Ontario has many challenges and we see EMC as one of the tools to help not only survive but thrive in the new economy that we are in," said James dePater, Executive Director of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Community Futures Development Corporation.

Today's investment was made through the Rural Economic Development (RED) program, which invests in projects that support sustainable rural economies and community partnerships - a key part of the government's plan for rural Ontario. Through the RED program, the Ontario government and its rural partners are building stronger communities that work better for the people who live in them. For more information about RED or Ontario's rural plan, visit www.mah.gov.on.ca

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RELATED LINKS
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Contact:
Christopher Flavelle
Minister's Office
(416) 326-3072