DMS Community Collaboration

 

“Providing businesses with the tools they need to adapt, recover and grow is a key part of our economic recovery plan throughout reopening and into the future. The Future Proof program offered through Digital Main Street is just one example of how Ontario’s recovery will be driven by innovation.”

— The Honourable Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

Community Collaboration Projects will take real-time challenges being faced by our main street businesses and pilot test workable solutions. The project is focused on bringing together community members to collaboratively identify and solve local main street challenges.

Haltech RIC hosted a Community Mixer and two workshops to identify and collaborate on solving some of the tough challenges facing our local main streets. Funding from $5,000 to $25,000 is available to pilot projects that address these challenges. Halton Region has a total budget of $50,000 available to be distributed for Community Collaboration projects.

On November 20th, 2020, Haltech and the Halton Small Business Centre announced their first Community Collaboration Project as part of the Digital Main Street Future Proof Program. Technology innovator TrustD.space was selected as the recipient of a $22,500 grant to help launch a digital networking platform to help small businesses in Halton.

Back to DMS Main Page

The workshops are intended to encourage the sharing of ideas and strengthening relationships between municipalities, business improvement areas (BIAs), chambers, small business enterprise centres (SBECs), entrepreneurs (from both main street and the innovation community), and other key community stakeholders across Halton region.

Funding from $5,000 to $25,000 is available to pilot projects that address these challenges. Halton Region has a total budget of $50,000 available to be distributed for Community Collaboration projects.

Business improvement areas and Chambers of Commerce are a key part of this initiative. Part of what makes the Community Collaboration Program unique is that it works with communities across the Halton region to transform common struggles into workable solutions.

No one has a better understanding of the challenges facing main street than the BIAs and Chambers that serve them. BIA and Chamber involvement is an important way to demonstrate continued commitment to their membership. Collaborating on a pilot project will allow main street businesses to discover new revenue streams and access new technologies.

Though the Community Collaboration Project pairs the innovation community to the main street community, pilot projects do not necessarily need to involve digital or technological solutions. Through mutual engagement, challenges can be addressed in whatever method offers the most impact to main street businesses.

Want to get involved? Click here to contact Lee St. James, Haltech’s program lead for Digital Main Street

Back to DMS Main Page