Rural Economic Development RED Program

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Rural Economic Development (RED) Program

• Presentation to

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Program Overview

• Designed to assist partnerships of rural
  stakeholders to address barriers to community
  development and economic growth
• Government shares cost of implementing
  community-driven projects to achieve common goals
• 2008 Provincial Budget announced a 30 million
  increase over four years to the RED Program.

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Who Can Apply?

• Partnerships/strategic alliances between (any
  combination of) individuals, businesses,
  community organizations (including
  not-for-profit) and municipalities with an arms
  length relationship from each other
• All applicants must share in the risks of the
  project, invest in the project, and have a vested
  interest in completing the project
• Individuals or individual businesses are not
  eligible to apply as sole applicants

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Approvals Process

• Ministry staff conduct due diligence including
  reviewing the application for completeness and
  accuracy
• Independent technical reviews are provided by
  relevant technical ministries
• Assessments are reviewed by an inter-ministerial
  Directors committee (13 other ministries)
• Assessments are reviewed by a RED Project Review
  Panel chaired by the Parliamentary Assistant
  (Rural) who make recommendations to the Minister
  for funding
• Minister makes final decisions for funding

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RED Definition of Rural

• Project benefits must accrue in rural Ontario
• For the purposes of the RED Program, rural
  Ontario encompass all of Ontario with the
  exception of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and
  eight large urban areas (see below). Communities
  and lower tier municipalities with a population
  of less than 100,000 in the GTA or in the eight
  large urban areas will be considered rural
• City of Hamilton
• Region of Waterloo
• City of Ottawa
• City of Greater Sudbury
• Region of Niagara
• City of Thunder Bay
• City of London and
• City of Windsor

       
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Priority Areas for Funding

• The Rural Economic Development Programs priority
  areas are
• Access to Health Care Services
• Revitalized Communities and Downtowns
• Skills Training and Development

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Project Profile Health CareSkills for Health
Care Attraction Retention PilotHuron County

• 317,500 grant towards a 595,250 project to
  develop the local capacity for creating
  communities of choice for health-care
  professionals in rural Ontario by
• Exposing local youth to a full range of
  employment opportunities found in the health-care
  sector
• Offering learning opportunities for health-care
  professionals by establishing a
  multi-disciplinary teaching center focusing on
  orphaned and/or high risk patients
• Engaging the broader community in the attraction
  retention of health-care professionals by
  drawing upon local voluntary ambassador teams

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Project Profiles Skills TrainingGetting Rural
Ontario on the Global Map (EMC)

• 1.8 million over 2 years
• Creation of over 3,296 management training day
  equivalents
• Total of 200 internship positions undergoing
  on-the-job training
• At least 8 active Strategic Interest Groups
  continuing to function well
• 100 new member companies in the two regions
  representing over 5,000 jobs supported in small
  town Ontario.

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Project Profile Skills TrainingIntegrated
Workforce Development InitiativeQuinte Region

• 1.1 million grant for 3.1 million project
  designed to address a lack of skilled labour
  (1,500 skilled professionals and trades over next
  2 years)
• Encourages youth to pursue careers in technical
  and skilled trades vocations through
  presentations, videotapes, CD ROMS, websites,
  plant tours and apprenticeships
• Encourages parents of youth to approve of careers
  in the trades sector for local manufacturer

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Project Profile Community RevitalizationTown
of Ingersoll Community Revitalization

• 1.87 million project developed from a
  comprehensive Community Strategic Plan to
  revitalize downtown business by addressing
  community image branding, standardized business
  signage, historically accurate street lights,
  sidewalk improvements, events and festivals
• Addition of a youth center as part of the
  renovated Thames Center (former downtown core
  school) to improve access and training and
  education programs for all members of the
  community including physical and mental health
  groups
• Will train up to 500 people per year

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Contact Information

• Website www.ontario.ca/rural
• Contacts
• Anne Guthrie
• A / Manager, Rural Community Development Branch
• Economic Development Division
• Phone [phone]
• Sheri Jenner
• Lead Project Analyst, Rural Community Development
  Branch
• Economic Development Division
• Phone [phone]