Best Place To Invest
Norfolk County Best Place to Invest in Ontario 2010
Norfolk County was named the Best Place to Invest in Ontario at the annual Canadian Brownfields Conference organized jointly by the Canadian Urban Institute and the Canadian Brownfields Network.
Norfolk County was also named second Best Place to Invest in Canada behind Winnipeg, Manitoba. The first annual Canada’s Best Places to Invest competition is a joint initiative of ReNew Canada and REVITALIZ LLC.
“Innovation, dedication, commitment, perseverance and the entrepreneurial spirit of our citizens and Council are key,” said Dennis Travale, Mayor of Norfolk County. “Those are the attributes that placed Norfolk County as the Number One place to invest in Ontario and second in all of Canada. We will build on this national recognition and continue to work to position our community for greater success in the future. Spread the word, Norfolk County is open for business.”
The Canada’s Best Places to Invest competition took place this summer, with communities across Canada completing extensive surveys that were reviewed by a panel of top North American experts.
Norfolk County was recognized as having revitalization-friendly policies and regulations, a pro-development Council, an engaged community and numerous incentive programs. This renewal culture attracts and supports investors and redevelopers so they can operate efficiently and profitably while enhancing the community. Norfolk County promotes itself to external investors using several initiatives, including web sites at norfolkbusiness.ca, norfolktourism.ca and norfolkfarms.com.
“Redevelopers, employers and real estate investors aren’t interested in what happened yesterday: the success of their investment will be determined by what happens tomorrow,” said Storm Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer of REVITALIZ LLC and keynote speaker at the Canadian Brownfields Conference.
Christopher Baird, General Manager of Planning & Economic Development Services attended the award presentation. “The recognition of Norfolk County as one of the top two communities for investment across the nation is tremendously rewarding,” he said.
As part of the process, communities were asked a series of questions that measure their RQ or “Renewal Quotient”, a survey developed by Mr. Cunningham including 13 questions based on research he undertook for his 2008 book, reWealth, published by McGraw-Hill. According to Mr. Cunningham, one way of predicting what will happen in any given community tomorrow is by measuring its RQ. Much like knowing a person’s IQ (intelligence quotient) can provide some insight into how successful they might be, a community’s RQ gives some indication of how successful it will be.
The Application was the collective effort of individuals from Norfolk County who are committed to show Norfolk at its current best and is an example of how well private individuals and public officials can work together to “Stand Up and Stand Out” by promoting new visions and initiatives that will identify our community nationally and, eventually, internationally.
Collaboration internally and externally are hallmarks of Norfolk County’s ongoing success. It is an active participant in several regional and provincial alliances, including the South Central Ontario Region (SCOR) Economic Development Corporation and the transition network team for a regional tourism organization in the area. Norfolk County has also been recognized for its innovative agricultural marketing and development initiatives.
