Charleville — Today, Gord Brown, Member of Parliament for Leeds–Grenville, joined Heather Lawless, Executive Director of the Grenville Community Futures Development Corporation (GCFDC), to present the United Counties of Leeds & Grenville (UCLG) with an investment of $11,597 towards total project costs of $60,516. The Counties will invest the balance. The investment was made through the Local Initiatives Program of GCFDC’s Eastern Ontario Development Program (EODP).

The objective of the Local Initiatives Program is to support incremental and local community-based projects that enhance economic development and diversification in Grenville County. The funding supports three initiatives undertaken by the UCLG Economic Development Department: an available land and buildings web application, the Leeds & Grenville Leadership Forum held in February 2011, and the Leeds & Grenville Future Directions Summit held in September 2010.

“GCFDC promotes active collaboration of entrepreneurs, residents and economic development agencies to ensure our communities’ growth strategies are realized.  These initiatives of the United Counties of Leeds & Grenville’s Economic Development Department represent the community engagement that EODP and Community Futures programming are designed to support”, stated Heather Lawless, Executive Director, Grenville Community Futures Development Corporation. 

“I am pleased to see the role community stakeholders in Leeds – Grenville are playing in setting the direction for the future development of the regional economy”, stated Mr. Brown.  “The EODP program, delivered through the Community Futures Development Corporations, ensures local initiatives such as these get the support that they need”.

GCFDC is a community-based, non-profit corporation funded by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, for the purposes of delivering community economic development assistance, business financing and business counselling services to new and existing businesses and organizations in Grenville County. The Eastern Ontario Development Program promotes socio-economic development in Eastern Ontario by creating, building and developing the necessary conditions to increase business and employment opportunities in the area. EODP assists economic renewal in five priority areas: business and community development; skills development; access to capital; retention and attraction of youth; and technological enhancements. Funding and support of the EODP is provided by the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario and delivered via Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) located throughout Eastern Ontario.

For information on GCFDC and EODP, visit www.grenvillecfdc.com. For information on The United Counties of Leeds & Grenville visit www.leedsgrenville.com