"Who Cares About Economic Development" Pre-Conference Luncheon

"Who Cares About Economic Development"

This lunch and learn session will focus on the "care" element of economic development and what future skills are required to create a tool kit for practitioners to address the social side of community development and how it relates to community sustainability. Traditional economic development has included investment attraction, workforce development, BREI, tourism, main street etc. While still key activities, we are seeing more and more that community and social infrastructure are critical in today's race for talent attraction and retention. Communities who champion and win in the care economy, will also win as leading spaces and places in the years ahead. One aspect within the care economy that is experiencing transformation today is child care. Learn more about why child care is critical infrastructure for your community's entire workforce, how to champion childcare within your day to day economic development activities, and what initiatives are happening across Ontario to reposition care as a vital ingredient in economic development. This session sets the stage for our traditional economic development work; if we don't have care economy we don't have the traditional elements like land use, BR+E, labour, and more. Be part of the leading edge in your community about learning and leading!

Speakers:
Lauren Rooyakkers MA RP, Chair of the East Ferris Economic Development Committee and Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of East Ferris

Dr. Emis Akbari

Rachel Crane, Workforce Collective

Tonya Millsap, Manager, Early Learning and Child Care Children Services Department, County of Simcoe, Social and Community Services Division

Moderator:

Michelle Schurter, Founder, Millennial Strategist