Tag Archives: economic development

Business Centre kiosk at City Hall supports small business

Guelph, Ont., June 19, 2019—The Business Centre Guelph-Wellington has set up a staffed kiosk in the Guelph City Hall Galleria as part of a new pilot project aimed at supporting small business. The kiosk is open weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A small business concierge is stationed at the kiosk to speak to the services offered by the Business Centre and answer questions. The concierge can also schedule a free one-hour consultation with a business advisor at the centre’s main office at 14 Macdonell Street. Start-up packages and information will also be available to direct clients to other business support services available throughout the city. “Small business centres are an integral part of any city’s economy and we’re excited that the Business Centre has… Continue reading Business Centre kiosk at City Hall supports small business

Guelph second best city to buy real estate in Canada

Guelph, Ont., June 10, 2019—MoneySense has ranked Guelph as the second best city to buy real estate in Canada after Windsor. Guelph has been among MoneySense’s top five places to buy real estate since 2017. MoneySense ranks cities based on three criteria: Value: how affordable the community is compared to the surrounding area and the region overall. Momentum: how quickly prices are appreciating in a community with an emphasis on long-term appreciation. Expert insight: grading of communities as desirable by an extensive panel of real estate agents. “Employees often want to live in the same city they work in, so a community’s real estate market really matters,” says Barbara Maly, Manager, Economic Development with the City of Guelph. “Whether local businesses choose to expand here… Continue reading Guelph second best city to buy real estate in Canada

Pfaff Subaru operations are full speed ahead in Guelph

Guelph, Ont., May 24, 2019—Pfaff Subaru officially opened their new Guelph dealership at 12 Wilbert Street during a grand opening ceremony last night. Pfaff Subaru broke ground for the new dealership in the City’s west end in September 2018, and completed construction on schedule in December. Pfaff Subaru chose to invest in Guelph because the community matched their needs on key decision criteria including location and quality of life. Guelph’s ideal location paired with convenient access to neighbouring communities made Guelph an excellent fit for a new dealership. Guelph is a great location for new or expanding business. Guelph is the sixth fastest growing city in Canada and 97 per cent of Guelph residents rate the overall quality of life as good or very good.… Continue reading Pfaff Subaru operations are full speed ahead in Guelph

Guelph-Wellington promotes innovative solutions to address food waste – FoodCycler helps realize Smart Cities goals

Guelph, Ont., April 18, 2019 — The City of Guelph, County of Wellington, and Alectra Inc. are pleased to announce that FoodCycler—a business that offers a countertop food recycler that turns food waste into a nutrient-rich fertilizer for plants and gardens, and uses Smart technology to help residents, businesses and cities understand their food waste patterns- was awarded $5,000 to promote application development. At Toronto’s Globe Capital Exchange earlier this year, the City and the County of Wellington participated in the Alectra Inc.-sponsored Innovation Challenge in search of innovative technologies to support their circular food economy model. FoodCycler emerged as a leader in this technology and an example of the type of innovation at the heart of Guelph-Wellington’s Smart Cities Challenge bid. “We were impressed… Continue reading Guelph-Wellington promotes innovative solutions to address food waste – FoodCycler helps realize Smart Cities goals

City, Innovation Guelph and local startups attend Global Food Summit

Guelph, Ont. March 28, 2019—Staff from the City of Guelph, Innovation Guelph and three local start-up companies travelled to Munich, Germany for the Global Food Summit last week. The two-day conference featured presentations on agri-food industry trends and innovation from around the world. Global Affairs Canada invited the City to participate in this international conference because of Guelph and the surrounding region’s leadership in agri-innovation. The City was also invited to nominate local agri-food start-ups to participate in the Summit. Three companies from Guelph and Wellington County were selected to attend: Be Seen Be Safe: creators of virtual boundaries (geofences) around farms and other agribusinesses using satellite technology and Quinta Quinoa: producers of an all-natural, sustainable, Canadian-grown quinoa that’s high in fibre iron, and other… Continue reading City, Innovation Guelph and local startups attend Global Food Summit

Guelph labour market and economy continues to perform strongly

Guelph, Ont., March 12, 2019—Results from the February update of Canada’s Labour Force Survey show that the Guelph census metropolitan area (CMA) continues on its established path of strong performance in economy and labour force. “Guelph’s economy and labour force continue to outperform not only our neighbouring communities, but also communities across Canada,” says Scott Stewart, deputy chief administrative officer of Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise for the City of Guelph. “Guelph is a resilient community built for success as evidenced by our having the highest employment rate in Canada.” In February, the Guelph CMA had the highest year-over-year working-age population growth in Canada (2.6 per cent); this is faster than the Toronto CMA (2.5 per cent). With the increase, 70.2 per cent of working-age Guelph… Continue reading Guelph labour market and economy continues to perform strongly

Council approves City purchase of Guelph Innovation District lands

Guelph, Ont., November 30, 2017—City Council has approved a staff recommendation to submit the City’s Letter of Intent to purchase 98 hectares (243 acres) in the Guelph Innovation District lands, formerly known as the York District lands. “We’re pleased Council has approved this start to bold and innovative development in our city,” says Scott Stewart, deputy chief adminstative officer of Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise for the City. “We’re excited to be one step closer to making the Guelph Innovation District Secondary Plan come to life.” The City will be submitting their Letter of Intent to the Province immediately. The purchase will include the former Wellington Detention Centre lands, the Guelph Research Station lands and 15 hectares (38 acres) of conservation lands. The purchase does not… Continue reading Council approves City purchase of Guelph Innovation District lands

Guelph supports Toronto Region’s bid for Amazon HQ2

Guelph, Ont., October 19, 2017 – The City of Guelph, University of Guelph and area regions have come together to support the Toronto Region’s bid for Amazon HQ2. Amazon, the U.S. tech giant in the business world, sought bids from across North America in search of a location for its second headquarters. Toronto Region’s bid provides 10 sites as possible locations for Amazon HQ2. “This is an unparalleled opportunity for the entire Innovation Corridor. Guelph is pleased to bring our strengths to the table to make Toronto Region’s bid even more competitive. Those strengths include a pool of highly skilled talent and the research strengths of the University of Guelph,” said Guelph’s Mayor, Cam Guthrie. Guelph provides a unique offering of skilled local talent with… Continue reading Guelph supports Toronto Region’s bid for Amazon HQ2

Guelph ranks among top cities in the Americas for foreign direct investment

Guelph, Ont., April 10, 2017– Guelph has ranked tenth best small city for foreign direct investment in fDi Magazine’s American Cities of the Future. The only Canadian city to make the overall top ten list for small cities, Guelph also came in fourth in human capital and lifestyle, and eighth for business friendliness. The bi-annual rankings are completed by fDi Intelligence, a division of the Financial Times. Guelph was ranked against 209 small cities with populations ranging from 100,000-350,000. Ranking criteria included over 95 data points in the categories of economic potential, business friendliness, human capital and lifestyle, cost effectiveness and connectivity. “Guelph ticks all the right boxes: a great location; an outstanding university and college; a skilled labour pool; and a supportive business environment. We’re… Continue reading Guelph ranks among top cities in the Americas for foreign direct investment

Local businesses go global at world’s largest food exhibition

Guelph, Ont, October 25, 2016 – Last week, three local businesses expanded their global presence at Salon International de l’Alimentation (SIAL) – the world’s largest international food innovation and trade exhibition in Paris, France. The delegation team of Troll Bridge Creek, Dixon’s Distillery, and Wagram Springs, and led by representatives from the economic development offices of the City of Guelph, County of Wellington, University of Guelph and Guelph Chamber of Commerce joined over 7,000 companies from over 100 countries to present their products to retail and food service professionals from around the world. The trip also offered members of the delegation an opportunity to meet with France’s leading network group – Vitagora – who connects its food industry and research members with manufacturers from around… Continue reading Local businesses go global at world’s largest food exhibition

Groundbreaking Ceremony welcomes Halwell Mutual Insurance Company to the Hanlon Creek Business Park

                 Guelph, Ont, April 27, 2016 – Long-time local business, Halwell Mutual Insurance Company broke ground on their 14,500 square foot head office, located in phase one of the Hanlon Creek Business Park. This new construction will more than double the square footage of Halwell Mutual Insurance Company’s existing location at 812 Woolwich Street in order to accommodate the future growth of its workforce. “We are very excited to be moving our headquarters into the Hanlon Creek Business Park.  It has given us the opportunity to create a healthy, modern work space for our team, and flexibility to expand our operations,” says Marg Torrance, President and CEO, Halwell Mutual Insurance Company. “We love that there is environmentally protected… Continue reading Groundbreaking Ceremony welcomes Halwell Mutual Insurance Company to the Hanlon Creek Business Park

City develops four possible scenarios to fund downtown parking

Public invited to attend open houses, take survey to inform Parking Master Plan Guelph, ON, September 4, 2015 – The City of Guelph is seeking public input on four possible funding scenarios to pay for existing and future parking needs in Guelph’s downtown. “Parking impacts all Guelph residents and is an important factor in growing and developing our city. To support the economy and growth targets in the downtown, we need to build new parking spaces, maintain existing parking infrastructure, create supportive policy, and plan for future requirements,” says Ian Panabaker, corporate manager, Downtown Renewal. He adds, “The scenarios—developed by staff using consultant recommendations and information gathered at public meetings in 2013—have the potential to fund existing and future parking needs.” In late 2012, the… Continue reading City develops four possible scenarios to fund downtown parking