I'm sitting in Union Station waiting for a train home from one of the more relevant conferences I attend each year. The Economic Developers Council of Ontario's (EDCO) annual conference brings together economic development professionals, many of my workforce development colleagues and various government ministries to discuss how to continuously improve the economies of communities all across Ontario

Without a strong and relevant workforce, economic growth can't happen and that's why we see such a strong connection between these two activities and the organizations that make it happen.

There were a number of important workshops and keynote speakers talking about such diverse topics as how to start an e-business, how Glasgow's economy and population was revitalized and how Niagara's workforce development plan has been modeled on Pittsburgh's experiences. It's pretty obvious that when we come together, we all learn from each other's differing experiences and approaches to tackling employment and economic issues in our local areas.

I was thrilled to see that the MIN itself was recognized as a winning strategy by the EDCO board and CTT accepted an award for this initiative. I was also happy to see that several of the smaller rural communities that WPB serves were also presented with awards for innovation in tourism and marketing initiatives. We're quite the innovative bunch across Waterloo Wellington and Dufferin.

Whether we're economic or workforce developers, we're all going back home enthused and energized to take what we've learned and apply it in our own constituencies. Congrats again to the MIN!

If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact me at carol@workforceplanningboard.com