Please download and print the October 2015 edition of the Update to be included in your board packages.

The_Update-_October_2015.pdf

First of all, we would like to thank all those who took the time to complete the post-conference survey- 81 people responded. Of those 81, 14 people had not attended this past conference. All of this information is extremely valuable to us and our committee members in ensuring that the 2016 conference is interesting and useful to those who attend.

Overall Conference:  95% were Very Satisfied and Satisfied, with 5% neutral.

• Networking with peers remains the #1 reason people attend the conference.
• Those who responded were: 74% staff & managers, 23% directors, 3% government.
• 45% of respondents were from Northern Ontario and 55% were from Southern Ontario.
• Those who plan to attend next year’s conference in Kenora: 77% yes, 23% no.
• Many people commented that they liked the “condensed” format with the opening night dinner included, awards on the second night and wrap up by 2pm on the third day.

Workshops, Plenaries, Keynotes: 94% said that the content of the workshops was appropriate, timely and informative. 

• All of the evaluations of the individual workshops were tabulated and passed on to the presenters.
• Some of the comments indicated that more “loan related” topics should be presented.
• People liked the workshops put on by other CFDC’s who were able to share successful projects and processes that could be implemented in their own offices.
• 36 people attended CFLI training sessions- the pre-conference session was very well attended.
• 80% were Very Satisfied or Satisfied with the Opening Keynote Lauren Friese
• 53% were Very Satisfied or Satisfied with the Kathryn Wood Loan Portfolio Analysis
• 76% were Very Satisfied or Satisfied with the Closing Keynote Janet Podleski

Location of Conference:  People were very pleased with Casino Rama (rooms, food, conference rooms, staff, and location) and some mentioned that a more central location for the conference might be considered.

• 61% of respondents said they would be in favour of having the conference in one central location instead of moving from North to South each year.
• People did seem to be in favour of possibly attending a conference if held in a semi-urban location but would rather see one of the CFDC offices still be the host in order to showcase their successes, communities etc…

What people liked the least:

• “Anticipated entertainment after the awards gala”
• “Conversation café”
• “Workshops were more talk and less action”
• “Lack of activities for spouses”
•  “Losing in the casino” J

We are still VERY OPEN to any and all feedback about our conference including your suggestions for speakers and workshop topics/presenters etc… contact us at 1-888-633-2326 ext. 125 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Congratulations to Suzanne Viel of the Venture Centre in Timmins who was the winner in the Conference Survey draw.  Suzanne’s name was entered along with 76 others who completed the survey.  Suzanne wins free registration and meals at our 2016 Conference at the Lakeside Inn in Kenora in September 2016.   Suzanne actually hadn’t attended this year’s conference but gave us some great information about what she would like to see next year.

(Note: we had 81 respondents to the survey, but 5 preferred not to give their names for the draw.)

The Conference Board of Canada was commissioned by the OACFDC to prepare a report to assess the economic impact of the lending services provided through the Community Futures Program. Findings suggest that the impact is significant as is the employment boost created by our loan program.

The OACFDC is working with the Conference Board to create a bilingual media strategy toolkit for you to use in order to help spread the word in your communities about the positive economic impact that the CF Program is having. This is particularly important information for you to get to your current provincial and federal political government representatives in light of the recent federal election.

We will be contacting all managers in early November with links to these tools so that we are all sharing the same information that will have sections that can be tailored to also show the impact of your individual office. These tools will include:

•             Complete electronic copy of the final report

•             Sample Press Release with template section for each CFDC office to tabulate and insert their lending programs’    

             economic impact

•             Sample text for Facebook pages

•             Sample text for Twitter feed

•             PowerPoint presentation (prepared by CBoC) to be used for local presentations including section for each CFDC

             office to tabulate their lending program’s economic impact

•             30 second video created by CBoC

This selection of best-selling publications specifically address today’s most pressing association leadership topics. To order contact Brenda at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Regular CSAE Non-Member price $80.95 Regular CSAE Member  price $63.86 SPECIAL promotion price $44.75 *

*Does not include tax or shipping costs

Access up to $10,000 per employee for training!

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 more information, please see http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/eng/eopg/cojg/index.html#pilot

Note: CFDC staff are eligible for this funding 

is providing rural communities, businesses and organizations, with funding to help attract investment, create jobs, and boost tourism, through a renewed Rural Economic Development (RED) program.

The RED program is now open, and is accepting applications on the following dates:

• October 2, 2015 to January 15, 2016
• January 16, 2016 to April 15, 2016
• April 16, 2016 to July 15, 2016
• July 16, 2016 to October 15, 2016
• October 16, 2016 to January 15, 2017

The renewed program will now have two streams for applications: a Community Development Stream and a Business Development Stream. For projects to qualify under either stream, applicants must demonstrate how their project benefits rural Ontario.

Support for municipalities and not-for-profits remains largely unchanged and will fall under the Community Development Stream. The ministry has made changes for business applicants through the Business Development Stream, which includes a cost-share of up to 20 per cent, to a maximum of $1 million per project.

For more information on the renewed RED program, please visit the website.

EDCO Members Save on Training!

Members of EDCO save 50% off of the registration fee for these upcoming 

webinars from the Conference Board! 

These special rates will not be available through our website, so if you would like to take advantage, please contact Joel Elliott at the information below!

Waiting on Growth: The Ontario Business Outlook
November 3, 2015
Full Price:           $399

Your Price:         $199

Post-Election Canadian Outlook with the Chief Economist

November 13, 2015

Full Price:           $399

Your Price:         $199

As a member of EDCO, you'll save on either webinar you would like to attend! Remember though, these special rates will not be available through the Conference Board Website, so to take advantage of the cost savings for yourself or a colleague, please contact Joel Elliott at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Don't forget to quote your special campaign code EXEDCO1!  

Earn credit towards your economic development designation

EDCO and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs are pleased to once again offer the Foundations for Regional Economic Analysis Training.

Each session will consist of a full-day Foundations for Regional Economic Analysis classroom style training, and an optional half-day Hands-On Introductory Training with Analyst.

Day and a half  (includes had day hands on Analyst training)

$110.00 Member Rate

$125.00 Non-Member Rate

Each session will consist of a full-day Foundations for Regional Economic Analysis classroom style training, and an optional half-day Hands-On Introductory Training with Analyst.

Click on a location to register 

North Bay - November 18-19, 2015

Brownsville - November 25-26, 2015

Kingston - December 2-3, 2015 

www.OMAF.gov.on.ca

CHANGE MANAGEMENT - BUILDING COMMITMENT FOR SUCCESS

Change management is critical to building commitment and ensuringsuccess for individuals and an organization. Successful leadership through change depends on your ability to be future oriented, seize external opportunities, and bounce back from unforeseen changes.

Join this complimentary rebroadcast webinar to learn practical approaches for leading others through change.

Community Literacy of Ontario has designed this self-study resource guide to help organizations further develop and strengthen their board governance practices. This resource guide will examine effective governance in the areas of:

 Board roles and responsibilities

 Governance structures

 The board and risk management

 Board development

 Effective board meetings

 Evaluation

The full guide can be found on our website at http://www.oacfdc.com/best-practices/board-training-resources/5018-board-governance-resource-guide

ANNOUNCING - Francophone businesses located in Northern Ontario can NOW apply to get up to 75% of their registration and/or exhibit fees to Naturallia 2015 reimbursed through the VISION + Program offered through North Claybelt CFDC. 

Companies are encouraged to contact Melanie Lawrence for application details and to see if your company qualifies.  In addition, this program will support additional marketing and development projects up to a maximum of $5,000.  Please do not hesitate to contact Melanie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or 705-337-1407 for more information on thisopportunity for Northern Ontario businesses.  

When: Wednesday November 4th at 9AM AST to Thursday November 5th at 4PM AST

Cost: $600

Business plans are important, especially when clients need financing.  But too often clients get caught in the weeds writing their plans and emerge from the process without having tested their product ideas on real people or understanding their value proposition, revenue streams and more. Lean Startup and Business Model Canvas are accepted worldwide as essential business startup tools that help business owners clear those hurdles.

In this 2-day program you will learn how small business owners can use these tools to test their ideas and plan a strategy for success. We will help you understand how this innovative approach will help clients learn quickly about their revenue, customers and marketing viability, and how to develop a one-page strategic plan - a Business Model Canvas - that helps them evaluate their options and trade-offs. A client's Business Model Canvas and their experience stepping out to their office and testing their ideas with real customers can then help them quickly develop a more traditional business plan for funders that has a higher likelihood of success.

• Become aware of the language and approaches of Lean Startup and Business Model Canvas
• Understand the benefits and risks of a Lean Startup approach in small business
• Understand how to combine these two approaches with traditional business development and funding
• Assess the experience of real small businesses who have used Lean Startup and Business Model Canvas for relevance to your own clients
• Experience creating a Business Model Canvas
• Experience counselling clients through Lean Startup approaches in simulated client meetings

Register at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/regform?llr=zhynpkcab&oeidk=a07eba0ouxf5c118b83

Do you have staff or board changes? Retirements, new hires or new volunteers?

Don’t forget to send us your updated staff and volunteer email addresses so that we can add them to our communications distribution lists. We will also sign them up to access the OACFDC website which has many resources available to members.

Also make sure to “Like” and Share the OACFDC Facebook page and follow our Twitter feed to keep up to date on events, resources and news.

Don’t forget to keep checking our online OACFDC calendar at Calendar.

We are continually adding events/workshops/webinars which are all great resources for staff and volunteers. If you have an event you would like us to post, please send it along to Brenda at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.