The Northern Ontario mining industry will be some significant virtual exposure in March.
Today, Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, better known as FedNor, announced an investment of $500,000 to allow the city of Temiskaming Shores to host the seventh annual Northern Ontario Mining Showcase pavilion at the 2021 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada International Convention, which is considered to be one of the world’s leading mineral and exploration conferences and trade shows.
The event will take place from March 8 to 11 on the virtual stage.
A total of 62 northern Ontario businesses have already signed up for a virtual booth at the pavilion. PDAC 2021 is expected to reach a broader global audience, support a more targeted approach to exhibiting and help connect potential buyers or investors with new business opportunities during COVID-19 shutdowns.
“The Northern Ontario Pavilion at PDAC helps unleash the economic potential of the mining supply and service sectors here in Nipissing-Timiskaming and across Northern Ontario," stated Anthony Rota, Nipissing-Timiskaming MP in a release.
"The global opportunities this virtual conference will generate for participating businesses is immeasurable. In 2020 alone the FedNor-funded pavilion helped exhibitors increase sales by more than $12.7 million, while creating more than 90 jobs in the region.”
This initiative will help up to 65 businesses and organizations from Northern Ontario communities and First Nations improve their online presence for the event.
It is hoped the event will give the businesses an opportunity to access new markets, increase exports, network with potential buyers and partners and increase sales.
“We’re thrilled that we are able to move the Northern Ontario Mining Showcase to PDAC’s online platform to ensure participating businesses derive maximum benefits from the 2021 virtual convention," stated Carman Kidd, Mayor of Temiskaming Shores.
"We’re currently working with exhibitors to enhance their online presence so they can showcase their products and services to potential clients from around the world when our pavilion and the PDAC conference go live on March 8.”
Since its inception in 2015, NOMS has helped participating businesses generate sales of nearly $80 million, while creating 690 jobs across Northern Ontario.
The funding announced today is provided through FedNor’s Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) program, which supports the growth of Canadian businesses, their expansion into new markets as well as their adoption of new technologies and processes.
