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Engage with Us

There are many ways to get involved with EDCO and to contribute to the overall success of the council. All members are encouraged to take an active role in the future of the economic development profession by becoming more engaged. 

Join a Committee

EDCO has a number of active committees that welcome the participation of members. 

Awards Committee: Oversees the EDCO Awards of Excellence program. This committee works closely with EDCO staff to ensure awards categories are maintained and current with the profession. The online entry and judging system is operated by an independent firm . Also under this committee falls the Influencer Awards (Young Influencer, Community Influencer, Digital Influencer). Ordering of winners awards and creation of Honourable Mention Certificates as well as creation of the multimedia presentation also are part of the program. The committee ramps up early spring and finishes after the conference.

Bright Ideas: The Bright Ideas Competition is an annual idea competition for economic development practitioners of all experience levels.  It is designed to give economic developers from across Ontario the opportunity to develop a modern response to proposed topics, have the work evaluated and receive professional certification points towards Ec.D. The bright ideas committee oversees the competition providing mentorship and guidance to the teams, while monitoring their progress. The committee selects three to five specific topics for each year’s competition, they compose the teams from applicants, create timeline expectations, and promote the Bright Ideas Competition.

Conference Committee: The Conference Committee oversees the creation of the EDCO Annual Conference and Showcase. Working closely with the Conference Coordinators and EDCO staff, the conference theme and program is developed during the year. This is a year round commitment with monthly teleconference meetings that are frequent during the last month prior to the conference. This committee is also involved in fundraising for the event, promotion of the event, recruiting presenter and speakers.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: This Committee supports EDCO’s vision, priorities and objectives by providing a diversity, equity and inclusion lens to all actions, strategies, and efforts. The committee supports EDCO by identifying and maintaining effective communication and working relationships for the purpose of promoting DEI. This committee actively foster greater inclusion of under-represented groups within EDCO. This includes and not limited to women, people of colour, LGBTQ2S+, age, disability, indigeneity, and religious beliefs. The Committee meets on a monthly basis.

Emerging Professionals Network: The Emerging Professionals committee is responsible for creating programming to support new economic development professionals. The EDCO Mentorship program is executed through the EPN as well. The committee meetings are held monthly.

Membership: The EDCO Membership Committee’s mandate is to expand the membership of the association by executing the Member Recruitment Strategy. The committee also creates opportunities for its members through programming. Committee members meet on a monthly basis and work on activities that result from implementing workplan if available. 

Professional Development Committee: The Professional Development Committee works throughout the year to develop relevant training programs for members, in most cases with partners. The EDCO Spring Symposium and Fall Webinar Series also falls under this committee.

Stakeholder Relations Committee: New to EDCO, the Stakeholder Relations Committee will work to create strategic partnerships to move the organization forward. Now encompasses the former Membership Committee, responsible for members recruitment and retention through the development of programs that address both areas.

Young Professionals Network Committee: Another new committee that aims to engage young and emerging professionals through networking, learning and mentoring opportunities like the EDCO-YPN Mentorship Program.  The YPN is a platform to share experiences and ask about career growth and development.

If you are interested in volunteering on a committee, please contact us!

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