For immediate release: 25 July 2006

BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION INITIATIVE
GOOD FOR BRANTFORD ECONOMY
McGuinty Government Invests In Brantford And Area

BRANTFORD - The McGuinty government is helping the City of Brantford advance local tourism opportunities, Dave Levac, MPP for Brant, announced today on behalf of Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

"The McGuinty government is supporting economic development in the City of Brantford and helping to build a stronger more prosperous economy for local residents," said Levac. "This initiative will encourage further economic development and shows that we are on the side of families in rural Ontario."

The government will contribute $35,000 to help the City of Brantford - Tourism Brantford and the Brantford Downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) implement an effective business retention and expansion initiative. The project will survey up to 500 Brantford, County of Brant and Six Nations/New Credit tourism-based businesses and organizations and up to 230 Brantford Downtown BIA companies.

"We are pleased that the government has helped secure RED funding for this initiative," said Susan Sager, manager, tourism & marketing of the City of Brantford - Tourism Brantford. "This initiative will go a long way in helping to obtain and analyze data to help advance the tourism industry in our community."

"By surveying the membership of the Brantford Downtown BIA, this business retention and expansion initiative will help identify steps to overcome barriers to further economic development," said Annette Fitch, coordinator for the Brantford Downtown Business Improvement Area. "The commercial business district of the downtown area and the tourism sector of Brantford, County of Brant and Six Nations/New Credit will all benefit from this initiative."

Other government initiatives that support a strong, rural economy include:

• A $500-million advanced manufacturing investment strategy that provides loans to help industry stay competitive
  
• A refundable apprenticeship training tax credit
  
• Investing over $22 million in rural communities through the Rural Economic Development Program.

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.

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Contacts:
Christopher Flavelle
Minister's Office
416-326-3072

Brian Cardy
Rural Investments Branch
519-826-3787