Consider This (https://consider-this.ca/tag/economy/page/8/)
By Robert Washburn
Cobourg’s downtown must be ready to take advantage of a rebounding economy in the near future if it hopes to flourish, says the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) event and business co-ordinator. Andrew Hall said the economic downturn in Canada and around the world is taking its toll, but the end of the cycle is approaching. Read more. Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
Communication is the key to successful downtown revitalization, according to the person in charge of one of the projects heralded by the province as an example for others. Paula Lehr, co-ordinator of the downtown revitalization projects for Collingwood, said keeping all the various stakeholders informed, including business owners and citizens, is vital to success. Read more Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
COBOURG – As Cobourg prepares to undertake a major three-year downtown revitalization initiative, Northumberland Today examines the implications, history and potential impact of the unprecedented project. Join our discussion about this three-part series at the Northumberland Today Facebook page, where you can make comments, offer suggestions or ideas on the future of the downtown. The key to Cobourg’s economic health is the vitality of the downtown and it is time to address the issues facing the town’s core using a provincial program, Deputy Mayor Stan Frost said last week. Read more… Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
There is a lot of good news for the local economy lately, which is encouraging for Northumberland County residents. Still, there are reasons for taxpayers to be concerned. China’s Bright Food took control of U.K. breakfast cereal maker Weetabix last week, leaving the employees at the local plant in Cobourg wondering about their future. Despite assurances from the vice-president of operations for North America, the fate of the 250 people working in Cobourg cannot be assured. Too many times residents have watched as head offices far away close local operations, leaving a wake of unemployment and empty buildings. Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
As global investors dumped everything from corporate bonds to foreign currency last week, Northumberland-Quinte West candidates gave little attention to worldwide fears of another recession. Markets reeling from economic weakness around the globe responded negatively as governments and central banks try to get themselves on track. Asian markets continued to drop and the U.S. Federal Reserve unveiled another round of economic stimulus. (more…) Continue Reading →
Bukkavor Foods Canada received much fanfare recently when it was given $1.3 million by Northumberland MPP Lou Rinaldi from the Rural Economic Development Fund and the Eastern Ontario Development Fund. With 15 employees and promises of up to 50 jobs by Christmas, this is music to many ears. With the recent announcement by Transcom International that it was cutting 65 to 85 full-time people, the Bukkavor story is good news. (more…) Continue Reading →
This sidebar story provides some further context to Deborah O’Connor’s piece on temporary work.It examines the phenomena of temporary work in a national context, along with some local labour force statistics. It ends with information about a work force gap study currently underway in Northumberland County. (more…) Continue Reading →
By Deborah o’Connor
When Bakkavor Foods announced a few short months ago it was setting up shop in the Lucas Point Industrial Park in Cobourg, promises of up to 150 jobs were heralded as a victory for the town and unemployed workers in the area. Scheduled to open in April 2011, 30 jobs were up for grabs with a goal of 70 in total after two more years. The company, a subsidiary of Bakkavor Foods U.S.A., based in the United Kingdom, employs 19,000 workers in 10 countries around the world. They process fresh agricultural products to sell in supermarkets, and with Cobourg so close to both farms and Highway 401, our location is just right for their business. (more…) Continue Reading →
By Robert Washburn
An inexpensive tourism study about the Sandcastle Festival is paying big dividends in Cobourg, the tourism events coordinator said Thursday. Lara Scott said she was able to do an economic impact study for $1,000 through the Festival and Events Ontario non-profit organization, which normally would cost between $10,000 to $20,000. She presented the findings of the survey to council Monday night. Through the festival organization, she joined with 48 other tourism groups to have a study done last year by Toronto-based Enigma Research. It found the event brought in about 7,000 people, of which 5,110 people were from out of town. Continue Reading →
By Deb O’Connor
With the decision by the Town of Cobourg to operate the Community Centre Café, by providing refreshments for users of the facility, another opportunity to do some innovative local economic development is lost. The town rejected the one submission it received from a local group to actually operate the cafe, but claims other sports related groups are still interested and will be involved in staffing it and in other unspecified ways. But overall the town will provide management of the cafe, at least for now, says Paul Allen, of the centre’s operation committee. A review of the arrangement will be completed in two years. So what else could they do? Continue Reading →