WECAR; WECF; Athena Scholarship; The Chantones; CapsCanada & Amherstburg’s WayFinding Signs
The Windsor-Essex County Association of REALTORS aka WECAR has a new Board of Directors for the year 2023! In the accompanying photo (courtesy of Mychailo Photography) from left (Back Row) are Directors: Damon Winney, Broker of Record, Jump Realty Inc.; Alyssa Ismail, Salesperson, Century 21 Erie Shores Realty Inc.; Brian A. Price, Salesperson, Real Broker Ontario Ltd. and Julianna Biondo, REALTOR, Buckingham Realty (Windsor) Ltd. (Front Row): Elica Berry, Salesperson, Jump Realty Inc. (Past President); Maggie Chen, Broker of Record, LC Platinum Realty Inc. (President-Elect); Mark Lalovich, Broker, RE/MAX Preferred Realty Ltd. (President); and Krista Gionet, CAE, CRAE, WECAR (Executive Officer).
In early January, the federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, together with the Canadian Red Cross, Community Foundations of Canada, and United Way Centraide Canada, announced that the application process for the Community Services Recovery Fund (CSRF) is now open. Community foundations, including the WindsorEssex Community Foundation (WECF.ca), are managing the application process alongside the Canadian Red Cross and local United Ways to reach a broad and diverse range of community service organizations, such as charities, non-profits and Indigenous governing bodies. The CSRF is a historic one-time investment of $400 million that will help community service organizations to adapt, to modernize and to be better equipped to improve the efficacy, accessibility and sustainability of the community services that they provide, so they can continue to support communities across Canada through the pandemic recovery and beyond. “The Community Services Recovery Fund will support charities, non-profits and Indigenous governing bodies in Windsor and Essex County,” notes Lisa Kolody, Executive Director, WindsorEssex Community Foundation. “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, these organizations have stood up for and supported our community. We will be forever grateful for their efforts. Now, through this Fund, the WindsorEssex Community Foundation will support projects at charities, non-profits and Indigenous governing bodies that invest in their internal systems and processes, making them more resilient for the future.” Applications for funding can be submitted until February 21, 2023. Organizations are encouraged to complete the interactive quiz to determine where and how to apply. Additional information and resources, including an applicant guide, can be found online.
The ATHENA Scholarship Fund (Windsor) is proud to announce that applications are now being received for its 2023 ATHENA Scholarship Program. Application forms are also available online. Applicants must meet the following criteria: (1) Be between the ages of 18 and 30 years as of January 1, 2023; (2) Be currently enrolled full-time (attending primarily during the day) in a college or university and (3) Have spent a significant and substantial period of time (at least 16 months as of April 28, 2023) in Windsor/Essex County. Students of any gender must demonstrate academic excellence, community involvement and be engaged in leadership activities. Most importantly, they must have increased the leadership opportunities for women by mentoring, role-modelling and leading activities to help women reach their full potential. Four scholarships of $5,000 each will be awarded as follows: one to a St. Clair College student; one to a University of Windsor student; one to a student who is attending any college or university provided he/she has spent a significant period of time in Windsor/Essex County (see above); and one to a University of Windsor Faculty of Law Student. The submission deadline is Friday, April 28, 2023, 4 p.m. The 2023 ATHENA Scholarship Luncheon will be held on Friday, November 10, 2023 at St. Clair College Centre for the Arts.
Brentunes Publishing has recently released the first of three booklets on The Chantones, a Windsor, Ontario based group that had success as a quartet and trio from 1954 to 1976. They were well known as backup vocalists to singer Jack Scott on 18 of his charted singles between 1958 and 1961. The booklet has been developed in consultation with The Chantones’ members Jim Nantais and Jack Grenier. Part 1 covers the period of the band’s early years from 1954 until the release of their hit record, Ann Marie at the end of 1957. The 44 page booklet is available in paperback format from Amazon worldwide. Future booklets will be Part 2: The History of The Chantones — Jack Scott and more success — 1958-61. The final booklet will be Part 3 The History of The Chantones — The folk trio years 1962-76. For more information on these books or others by Paul Langan, you can reach the author through his website.
On January 16, 2023 the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, along with Irek Kusmierczyk, Member of Parliament for Windsor – Tecumseh, announced $5 million for CapsCanada Corporation (CapsCanada), through the Community Economic Development and Diversification stream, to automate production and meet the growing demand for its made-in-Canada products. Located in Lakeshore, Ontario, CapsCanada produces high-quality capsules used for dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals. This investment will support CapsCanada in growing its facility by 14,100 square feet and will also allow the company to purchase the equipment needed to produce a wider variety of capsule sizes. Supporting CapsCanada as it rises to meet growing demand for its Canadian made capsules, is why investments like this are so important. Our government states that it will continue investing in the potential of strong businesses so they can contribute to our growing economy. As a major employer in the region, with nearly 170 staff, the company will create an additional 50 highly skilled jobs in the manufacturing sector through this project. “This funding support from FedDev Ontario will help CapsCanada Corporation continue to grow our capacity and increase our product offering in our efforts to bolster our market share and service the growing demand in both Canada and the U.S. for HPMC capsules,” states Tom Breshamer, General Manager, CapsCanada Corporation. Founded in 2001 with a global clientele, CapsCanada is the only manufacturer in Canada — and one of only three manufacturers in North America — with the capabilities to produce two-pieced, hard-shell capsules. Its popular HPMC capsules are a vegetarian alternative to gelatin capsules, and also certified by The Vegan Society, which are widely used in the nutrition and pharmaceutical industries.
Earlier this year, the Town of Amherstburg received a non-repayable contribution of $100,000 from Ontario’s Southwest Regional Tourism Organization (RTO1) to create directional wayfinding signs that will drive visitation into Amherstburg from major corridors and rural areas. In addition, Indigenous storyboards will be installed shortly and will provide unique cultural information. This is part of the Government of Canada’s Tourism Relief Fund, delivered by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). RTO1 received nearly $11 million from FedDev Ontario to help local tourism organizations and businesses safely welcome back visitors, recover from the impacts of the pandemic and prepare for future growth. “We are grateful for this investment provided by FedDev Ontario and Ontario’s Southwest Regional Tourism Organization,” expresses Mayor Michael Prue, for the Town of Amherstburg. “Tourism is important to the health of our economy, and this investment shows needed support for rural small businesses. With these funds, our town now has essential wayfinding to assist visitors with fresh, updated signs, in line with the Town’s branding. We are also proud of this opportunity to highlight important indigenous oral stories throughout our community.” The Town’s Tourism Department worked closely with a member and knowledge keeper of the local Indigenous community, resulting in the new storyboards that will promote history and information about the significance of the location where a visitor may be standing. QR codes will be accessible by smartphone for audio messages regarding each storyboard. The new signs and storyboards are bright, bold, informative and consistent and will identify Amherstburg as a thoughtful community with deep cultural, ecological and Indigenous roots. As one of southwestern Ontario’s oldest towns, Amherstburg offers unique attractions and programs that draw on its authentic history as a War of 1812 community.
