The provincial government says it is stepping up to help keep local businesses afloat in the face of ongoing trade tariffs. On Friday, Doug Downey, MPP for Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte and Andrea Khanjin, MPP for Barrie-Innisfil announced an investment of $180,000 for Barrie. The investment comes to the city as part of the Trade-Impacted Communities Program (TICP), a $40 million initiative launched by the provincial government to “protect good-paying jobs and build resilient, self-reliant communities across the province.” “This is how we protect Ontario: by helping our small businesses strengthen their operations, diversify their markets, and boost their competitive advantage to create good, local jobs here in Barrie,” Khanjin said in a joint statement. The city has been tasked with working with Invest Barrie to create a two year initiative, which the money will fund, aimed at proving local businesses access to export training, market development resources and “specialized expertise to help them navigate an evolving global business environment.” “Ensuring our communities become and remain more self-reliant will help create a more stable local economy and continue to boost Ontario made products across the province and our nation at large,” said Downey. Later this year, the province’s Trade Accelerator Program will launch a collaborative effort with the Toronto Region Board of Trade, the City of Orillia and the County of Simcoe. The province says the goal of the collaboration is to strengthen the ”export readiness” of businesses across Barrie, Orillia and Simcoe County. This is a developing story. Check back later for more up-to-date information.
