York Region Economic Development’s monthly e-newsletter shares highlights and news from the business community, small business supports, events, economic data, and more.
IN THIS ISSUE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY & INVESTMENT NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
- York Region Economic Development’s 2021 Year in Review
- Astera Labs Oens New R&D Design Center in Markham
- Own a Business? Take the York Region Employment Survey
- Skinopathy is Local Healthcare Success Story for Aurora’s Keith Loo
- Take the 2022 York Region Innovation Survey for a Chance to Win
SMALL BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Small Business Success Story: The Little Red Bake Shop
- New Online Resources for Businesses
- Experience York Region Launches New Series on Local Farms
YORK REGION ECONOMIC DATA
COVID-19 BUSINESS SUPPORT
BUSINESS COMMUNITY & INVESTMENT NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
York Region Economic Development’s 2021 Year in Review Approved by York Regional Council
From fostering innovation through collaborative partnerships to business expansions in York Region and much more, 2021 was an impactful year for our business community. Get caught up on the year in our 2021 Year in Review, which was recently approved by York Regional Council.
Astera Labs Opens New R&D Design Center in Markham to Accelerate Product Development by Tapping into Greater Toronto’s Rich Engineering Talent Base
Astera Labs selected York Region – Canada’s second largest technology hub – to tap into one of the fastest growing tech talent markets in North America. Astera Labs has already hired more than 10 employees for the Toronto design center and is actively hiring across multiple engineering disciplines to support end-to-end product development at the site.
Own a Business? Take the York Region Employment Survey
York Region’s Employment Survey is back this year. Our summer students are hitting the road beginning Monday, May 9, 2022 and coming to your business. As a business owner, please take five minutes to speak to our York Region representatives. Participating in the employment survey will give your business a free listing in the largest York Region Business Directory!
Skinopathy is Local Healthcare Success Story for Aurora’s Keith Loo
The local success story of Mr. Loo and Dr. Hong was the focus of the inaugural Emerging Aurora event, an initiative of the Aurora’s Economic Development Board. Mr. Loo, in partnership with Dr. Colin Hong, launched Skinopathy in August of 2020 with plans to develop artificial technology to help people screen for skin cancers not only from the comfort of their own home, but from the convenience of their phone as well.
Take the 2022 York Region Innovation Survey for a Chance to Win
Even before COVID-19, explosive technological changes were reshaping the economy. The 2022 York Region Innovation Survey will help York Region develop an Economic Action Plan relevant to the needs of its innovative community. Please complete this survey by May 20, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
All participants will be entered into a random draw to win one of two $25 Tim Horton’s e-Gift Cards to express our appreciation for completing the survey.
SMALL BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Small Business Success Story: The Little Red Bake Shop
Based in Newmarket, The Little Red Bake Shop specializes in custom gourmet baked goods and offers customers a cookie subscription box. Owner Michelle Sundborg started her business right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but with the right support from the York Small Business Enterprise Centre, she was able to successfully launch her business and grow.
“I would recommend the York Small Business Enterprise Centre to anybody who is thinking of starting a business or wanting their business to grow,” said Michelle. “They have helped me right from the very beginning to not only plan my business, but to help my business succeed right from day one.”
Want more small business news? Subscribe to the Small Business E-Newsletter
New Online Resources for Businesses
Looking for resources for your small business? We’ve updated our online business resources to help you find the right information with a new easy-to-use collection of links on business licensing, taxes, market research and more. The page also includes information on community assets within York Region. From makerspaces helping create product prototypes, to business incubators providing support and guidance, we’ve compiled them all here in one quick and easy to use guide.
Experience York Region Launches New Series on Local Farms
Despite the fact that more than 1.2 million people call York Region home, the area remains an important agricultural centre. While many farms across the region participate in weekly farmers’ markets, some are opening up their properties to showcase ‘grown local’ and ‘shop local’ initiatives and solutions. Over the next few weeks, experienceyorkregion.com is going to introduce you to some of the folks who are taking agri-tourism to the next level.
Want more agri-food news? Subscribe to York Region’s Agri-Food E-Newsletter
YORK REGION ECONOMIC DATA
Unemployment Rates (%)*
*Statistics Canada, Labour Force Characteristics, 3-month moving average, unadjusted for seasonality
CMA – Census Metropolitan Area
COVID-19 BUSINESS SUPPORT
COVID-19 Business Resources & Funding Programs Overview
To help you make sense of all the available funding programs and resources, we continue to update our COVID-19 Business Resource page. This page contains information on supports announced by the federal, provincial, and municipal governments, as well as, events, and other pertinent information to impacted businesses. You can find information on all programs such as the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, Canada Recovery Hiring Program, and more, over on our dedicated COVID-19 support page.
Subscribe to our other monthly e-newsletters on these topics:
YORK REGION BUSINESS UPDATE / AGRI-FOOD / SMALL BUSINESS
York Link | York Region Economic Development
The York Link team are here to help and are committed to supporting local businesses. We are still providing business advisory and consultation services, information on business resources, support for startups, and more in a virtual capacity at this time.