By Paul Morden, from www.theobserver.ca The Observer
The potential for mining creative industries and social enterprise for new businesses and jobs will be explored in Sarnia-Lambton, thanks to $248,450 in provincial funding announced Tuesday.
The 18-month project by the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership will work to identify opportunities in creative industries, such as information technology and the performing arts, and attempt to match them with entrepreneurs and funding.
It will also look at using the social enterprise co-operative model to help create new businesses.
“If you look at the numbers, 60 or 70% of job creation comes from within your own community,” said Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley, chairperson of the economic partnership.
The provincial funding will help the agency responsible for economic development in Sarnia-Lambton work on its strategy of growing the community’s creative sector, Bradley said.
“With manufacturing decreasing, the creative sector has become a key growth factor in the economy in Ontario.”
Bradley added the sector has also already played an important role in helping rejuvenate Sarnia’s downtown.
Project leader Ted Zatylny said the first approximately 11 months will be spent on research to determine what creative industries and social enterprise already exists in Sarnia-Lambton.
Lambton County is providing $30,000 to help catalogue creative industries in the community.
The second part of the project will work to come up with new business ideas, attempt to join them with entrepreneurs and funding sources, “and make them into a real business,” Zatylny said.
Once the 18-month project is complete, it’s expected that a steering committee will be in place to continue working to seek out funding and business ideas, and connect them with entrepreneurs, he said.
The type of creative industries expected to be explored also include engineering technology, graphic design and content creation, according to a press release.
It added the project is expected to engage the local business and entrepreneurial community to help create a better understanding of alternative business structures, such as co-ops.
Bradley said the project is also expected to help develop opportunities in smaller communities around Lambton.
“There are many opportunities to start up in small places, but you need support,” he said.
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