Amber Darling, Business Advisor with the Trenval Business Development Corporation is the first person in Canada to earn a Professional Designation from the Community Futures Leadership Institute (CFLI).  The CFLI is a nation-wide professional development program for staff at Community Futures Development Corporations. 

In Ontario, 55 CFDC staff members are registered with the Community Futures Leadership Institute, and 22 have completed their Certification, which is the first level.  Amber is the first to complete the Professional Designation or second level.   The CFLI has four areas in which Community Futures staff can earn certifications: General Manager, Business Analyst, Community Economic Development Officer, and Administrative Coordinator. 

Amber has been with the Trenval Business Development Corporation, located in Belleville, for 21 years. “I started in reception and moved on to bookkeeping, then I became Trenval’s coordinator for the Eastern Ontario Development Program.  I moved on to become the Executive Assistant and began lending,” she says.  For the past 10 years she has been Business Advisor, looking after all Investment Services.

Her rise through the ranks at Trenval BDC is the result of her passion for professional development.  She has always looked for educational opportunities to aid her career path.  “I believe in continual upgrading”, she adds.  She completed courses in Financial Accounting for Lenders and Commercial Lending to Small Business through the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations (OACFDC). In addition, she took courses on Bankruptcy and Collections. In 2010, she was certified as a Small Business Counsellor with APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation), through the Acadia Centre for Social & Business Entrepreneurship at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.

In 2012, she received her basic certification from CFLI, and then in 2014, she moved forward with her Professional Designation, becoming the first to complete the program.  “I am pleased to have this designation; it demonstrates professionalism.  It’s important for our community here in Belleville and area to know that we at Trenval are professionals, and we are part of a bigger organization such as the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations,” says Amber.

“At the OACFDC, we are very proud of Amber and her achievements, and we’re especially pleased that the first person with a Professional Designation in Canada is from Ontario,” Executive Director Diana Jedig says.  “Amber has always been a great supporter of the Community Futures program and our Association,” Diana adds.  She cites Amber’s involvement in the Association’s various professional development courses and her attendance at the OACFDC’s annual conference as evidence of her passion for the work that the Community Futures Program does.  

The OACFDC welcomes Peter Wesley, new General Manager at Wakenagun CFDC in Moose Factory.  Peter was born and raised in Moose Factory, the oldest English speaking settlement in Ontario, and is a member of Moose Cree First Nation (MCFN) where he has served as a councillor for just over 10 years. His most recent employer was Moose Cree First Nation, where he was Executive Director.  MCFN at its peak season has close to 200 employees offering a variety of services to its members. Peter has been married to Laurette for 21 years and they have two children.  

Choose from 9 updated courses, each one designed to explore a key area in TEA 10 to help expand your TEA knowledge and boost productivity. Each course costs $195 and payment must be received prior to the start of the course.  

COURSE SCHEDULE

1. Customizing the TEA Interface/Efficient Navigation - Mon. Mar. 23  11:00 AM

2. Working with Scheduler, Activities and Activity Logs - Mon. Mar. 23  1:30 PM

3. Managing Contacts, Accounts and Projects - Tues. Mar. 24  11:00 AM

4. Working with Loans - Tues. Mar. 24  1:30 PM

5. Creating Amortization Schedules - Wed. Mar. 25  11:00 AM

6. Managing Delinquent Loans - Thurs. Mar. 26  11:00 AM

7. Accounting and Transaction Processing - Wed. Mar. 25  1:30 PM

8. TEA Administration - Thurs. Mar. 26  1:30 PM

9. Customizing System and Personal Views - Fri. Mar. 27     11:00 AM

There will be a TEA 10 User Group meeting on March 19th at 1:00 p.m. EST focusing on Year-End Reporting, Cash Flow Management and Accounting Integration.  All Ontario CFDCs are welcome to attend. Contact John Meredith at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details. 

Carmen Demarco, Manager of Program Delivery, FedNor, has plans to retire in April.  In anticipation of his departure, plans are in the works to wish him well.  Please contact Diana Jedig at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., for more information.  Photo:  Carmen DeMarco, left, at the 2008 OACFDC Conference in Stratford, with OACFDC’s then-President Ken Sheppard.  The two set Shakespearean tone at the Awards Gala.

Carmen’s sense of humour and willingness to be a good sport will be fondly remembered by OACFDC members. 

A survey was sent on Thursday, February 19 regarding the CFNC’s “Value Proposition”. The OACFDC Board is committed to continuing its participation as a member of the Community Futures Network of Canada.  We value the work the organization has undertaken on behalf of the Community Futures Program.  We acknowledge the organization is undergoing a strategic structural change to meet the changing needs of CF/CBDCs in Canada.

Background information is available in the survey link. Please review the preamble, and then complete the survey before February 27^th.  

Welcome Jonathan Dueck to the OACFDC office – he is completing a Job Creation Partnership contract, working with our webmaster Laura Rey on uploading and organizing material on the OACFDC website.  Jonathan, who lives in St. Thomas, is a graphic designer and illustrator, skilled in website development and maintenance.  

If you haven’t already done so, be sure to complete the online survey regarding Public Relations.  The firm Brown & Cohen has been hired to work develop a public relations course of action for Northern CFDCs, and they are seeking this information in the development of their work.

You should have received a link to the survey in your email. 

Hello CFDCs in the Northern Network,

Brown & Cohen Communications & Public Affairs is proud to be working with OAFDC to create a vibrant social media presence for the Northern Network of CFDCs.

There are a host of fantastic activities across Northern Ontario to connect with new audiences and small business. We’re working to help you maximize your reach on Twitter and Facebook.

Last week, we launched our social media initiative to bring regions, partners and interested citizens together. Following our first Tweet from our Twitter account, @CFDCNorth, the President of the Treasury Board MP Tony Clement, FedNor, and a number of businesses in Northern Ontario have already followed us.

We encourage you to follow us on Twitter. We’ll be tweeting out announcements and re-tweeting regional posts as well. We invite all interested businesses, clients, community partners, board members, MPs and MPPs to follow us as we work to build the profile of CFDCs and businesses in Northern Ontario

Our Facebook page is another opportunity to connect the Northern Network of CFDCs. We welcome you to “Like” us on Facebook, http://goo.gl/kbRX1b .

We are always happy to help celebrate your success stories for local businesses. Our most recent success story featured was re-Tweeted by FedNor and Rural Entrepreneurs Advancing Prosperity. It was also favourited by a number of small businesses in the North. By submitting your stories to us, we’ll be able to spread the word about your community. This will serve as an excellent forum to promote your accomplishments, your services, and your industries.

We’d like to give a big thanks to OACFDC Executive Director Diana Jedig and OACFDC Past-President Denis Bérubé. Their leadership has been crucial in moving this initiative forward. We’d also like to thank OACFDC Member Service Coordinator Mary Alderson for all of her previous work on social media.

We invite all CFDCs in Ontario to participate on Social Media. Although the focus of the Twitter (@CFDCNorth) and Facebook Page (http://goo.gl/kbRX1b) will be Northern News, we want to hear from everyone.

If you have any questions about this initiative or Brown & Cohen, please feel free to reach us at the below coordinates.

Leah Buchholz, Account Director

•          Phone: 416-484-1132, ext. 5

•          Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you!

Howard Brown, President

Brown & Cohen Communications & Public Affairs  

CFDCs that are part of the OACFDC Retirement Savings Plan should note that the Canadian operation of their supplier, Standard Life, has joined Manulife.

Manulife has promised to make customer service a top priority. “As we merge the two organizations, we remain committed to supporting the needs of plan members without interruption.  A dedicated team, which includes service professionals from Standard Life, will manage integration activities to ensure a smooth transition,” says Marianne Harrison, President and CEO, Manulife Canada.  With this acquisition, Manulife increases the breadth of products and services they offer by combining the best features from each company.

The customer service numbers and websites that plan members use to access information and assistance will not change immediately. Please continue to use the same forms for now and contact the same service professionals for support.

Manulife anticipates that integrating the two organizations will take 18 to 24 months and they will look for opportunities to introduce options and resources that enhance their service. 

Make the most out of your OACFDC membership and take advantage of some of the most competitive rates available on shipping services with the UPS Members Benefit Program. We’re excited to share this opportunity with you and enhance our members’ savings through UPS. See how you’ll save:

Small Package Services

- 30% off shipments within Canada

- 30% off shipments to the U.S.

- 30% off shipments to worldwide destinations

- 25% off imports into Canada

Freight Services

- Savings start at 70% off heavyweight, LTL shipments

Also Included

- 20% off brokerage entry preparation fees

- FREE Weekly Service Charge (Automatic Daily Pickup)

- FREE UPS On-Call Pickup® service

- FREE Freight Collect 3rd Party Surcharge

Plus, UPS is committed to providing value that goes beyond cost and on-time delivery. Customized solutions and reliable services for shipping, tracking and billing drive greater efficiency and streamline internal processes.

Put logistics to work for you. You can receive these discounts even if you already have a UPS account. It’s free to sign up and there are no minimum shipping requirements. To enroll and start saving, visit http://www.membersbenefitprogram.com/OACFDC or call 1-800-MEMBERS (1-800-636-2377), Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. EST.

The OACFDC regularly receives updates from the Small Business Branch of Industry Canada (such as the one below) and we have now started posting them to our website.  Go to www.oacfdc.com and click on OACFDC, then log in.  Click on “Tools and Information for CFDCs” on the left, and where you will find Information from Small Business Branch, Industry Canada.  

The Small Business Branch of Industry Canada has just published the SME Profile: Canadian Exporters (January 2015). The report profiles Canadian exporters using data from the 2011 Survey on Financing and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises. It highlights the distinguishing features of SME exporters compared to non-exporters by examining differences in business and owner characteristics, financing characteristics, international business activities, revenue growth and levels of innovation.

In short, report findings showed that it is Canada's larger and older SMEs that export most intensively and that exporters tend to be more R&D intensive and growth oriented than non-exporters. Findings also showed that between 2004 and 2011 the share of Canadian SMEs exporting remained constant at about 10 percent. This stagnancy could be traced to many factors, including the steady appreciation of the Canadian dollar and, more recently, the 2008-2009 recession. As well, many SME exporters continued to focus predominantly on U.S. markets and remain underexposed to higher growth emerging markets. Specifically, only 10-12 percent of Canadian SME exporters in 2011 were selling to Latin America, China or other Asian markets and exports to these regions accounted for less than 10 percent of total export revenues.

You can access the full report on-line on the SME Research and Statistics website at the following address:

http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/061.nsf/eng/h_02925.html

A Call for Proposals is now open for the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure’s Youth Entrepreneurship Partnerships (YEP) program.  The deadline for submitting the Statement of Interest is 4:00 p.m. (EST) on March 5, 2015.  The Call documents are posted on the Government of Ontario website.

Interested applicants are encouraged to register for the information session below:

Webinar

Date: February 26, 2015

Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 p.m.

Participation in the information session is not mandatory.  To register, email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Feel free to share your questions in advance.  You will receive further details regarding the Information Session after you have registered. Please indicate if you require any special accommodations when you register.

Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) provides an opportunity for employers to invest in their workforce, with help from the government.

The Job Grant will provide direct financial support to individual employers who wish to purchase training for their employees. It will be available to small, medium and large businesses with a plan to deliver short-term training to existing and new employees, and will:

• Provide up to $10,000 in government support per person for training costs.

• Require employers to contribute one-third of the total costs. There will be additional flexibility for small businesses to provide an in-kind contribution towards their share of the costs.

• Require training to be delivered by an eligible, third-party trainer.

If you're an employer with a particular skills demand, the Canada-Ontario Job Grant might be right for you. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis.

For information please see the website: http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/eng/eopg/cojg/index.html

This marks the last issue of The Update that I will be writing.  I am retiring from the OACFDC, with plans to have my own home-based business as a writer, editor, tutor, and trainer.  I hope to devote more time to my website where I write theatre reviews, and I also want to complete various pieces of fiction I’ve started but never finished. 

I will certainly miss all the good people I’ve worked with during my 15.5 years with Community Futures (7.5 years at the OACFDC and 8 years with the Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation).  I am a trainer with the Community Futures Leadership Institute, (certified to present Module 1 - Community Economic Development; Module 3 - Board Development and Evaluation; and Module 9 - Cultural Awareness) so I hope we can keep in touch that way.   It’s been a pleasure to be a part of Community Futures and I take pride in its many accomplishments. Please keep up the good work!

Mary