JOIN A COMMITTEE
2026 EDCO Committee Member Application is now closed. Thank You to all that applied.
Thinking of joining an EDCO Committee? Please read through our EDCO Committee Terms of Reference for more information on committee members responsibilities and expectations. Committee Member application period opens in January of each year.
BRIGHT IDEAS COMMITTEE
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.
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 Regional Professional Development Events, Big City Event, Mentorship Program and Scholarship Program also fall under this committee.
EDCO Committee Structure
Composition: EDCO Committees will consist of a minimum of six (6) members to a maximum of thirteen (13) members, including up to two (2) Co-Chairpersons and members of the organization. In addition, EDCO Executive Director and EDCO Marketing & Project Coordinator will sit on each committee as ex-officio members without voting privileges.
Committee members ideally represent diverse backgrounds and areas of interest within the membership. Each EDCO Committee will strive to have a minimum of one representative from each geographic region of Ontario: Northern, Eastern, Central, Western, as well as representation from a rural community (under 25,000 population), medium population size community (25,000-100,000 population), and big city mayors of Ontario community (over 100,000 population).
Appointment: Members of EDCO Committees are volunteer based on an annual basis. EDCO relies heavily on volunteer participation for committee members. Recruitment will open on January 15 annually; EDCO general membership will receive notification through the weekly eBulletin to apply to join a committee. The application will be open for a minimum of two weeks to obtain interest. Committee members must be EDCO members in good standing to participate. Committee openings will be filled first on a geographic region and population size basis to ensure representation across the membership. Once those positions are filled, remaining vacancies will be filled on a first applied/first appointed basis. Previous Committee experience will be considered an asset.
Each EDCO Committee will require a minimum monthly time commitment estimated to be one (1) hour. Time commitment may vary based on the number of activities volunteers participate in.
EDCO is not able to provide any remuneration to volunteers due to limited resources in the form of reduced conference registrations, travel & hotel costs. It is anticipated that participation on committees will result in skills building, increased knowledge and expanded network.
EDCO will recognize members by identifying them at the annual conference. EDCO will also, upon request, send a letter of appreciation to the committee member or head of council for their contribution.
If you are interested in volunteering on a committee, please contact us!
