Discover Abitibi
Kirkland Lake is part of a regional partnership to
coordinate and direct an integrated geoscientific investigation
of the Abitibi Greenstone belt of Northeastern Ontario. Through
the project, aggressive and comprehensive aerial surveys are conducted
that will result in the creation of a world class database which
in turn will facilitate the discovery of new mineral wealth and
a resulting increase in mineral investment in the Discover Abitibi
region. For more information, please visit: http://www.discoverabitibi.com/index.html
The Regional Economic Development Initiative
(REDI)
REDI was an informal partnership between the Town
of Kirkland Lake, and the Townships of Gauthier, Larder Lake and
McGarry. The REDI66 Committee aimed to identify potential economic
development and tourism projects that the communities could work
together on. With the financial support of FedNor and the Ontario
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, the group commissioned
a strategic plan for the region. A synopsis of the plan is available
at: www.redi66.ca
Retail Renewal Strategy
Kirkland Lake cannot reach its full economic potential
without a strong, vibrant retail sector. Recognizing this fact,
Town Council, through the EDD, supports a Retail Renewal Strategy,
headed by the Kirkland Lake and District Chamber of Commerce. The
Strategy is designed to diversify the local business community,
attract new businesses and better market the town to district as
well as out of district shoppers. For more information on the project,
please contact the Kirkland Lake and District Chamber of Commerce
at (705) 567-5444.
Information and Communications Technologies
Kirkland Lake town council is committed to ensuring
that Kirkland Laker’s have access to the best telecommunications
infrastructure and services possible, and investments made in this
sector contribute to the community’s overall economic development.
To deliver on this mandate, the Town participates in regional activities,
as well as pursuing unilateral developments.
Kirkland Lake is a member of a regional a non-profit organization,
the North Eastern Ontario Network (NEOnet). NEOnet was created to
address IT issues with a regional impact. Through NEOnet, the north
has secured expanded cellular coverage, increased IT education and
training and progressive infrastructure investments needed to support
call center operations, 911 service, etc. For more information,
visit: www.neonet.on.ca.
The town also pursues unilateral initiatives designed to improve
local information and communication capabilities. These include
access issues as well as public education issues. For example, the
town runs public Internet access sites at its various sites around
town. The town also installed a wireless network that serves as
the Corporation’s communications backbone, as well as a complementary
service for companies like Kirkland Gold Inc, whose place of operations
is outside of the commercial ADSL footprint. The EDD recently commissioned
a study on leveraging the wireless system to create a true community
network. The study showed that Kirkland Lake is the best-positioned
community in Northeastern Ontario to build such a network at minimal
costs. Research is now underway on the willingness of private and
public institutions to participate in such a network and share Internet
access costs. For more information on the town’s ICT initiatives,
please contact Wilfred Hass.
Hockey Heritage North
The Town of Kirkland Lake is a proud supporter of this community lead initiative to build an 18,000 square foot interactive museum that will tell the story of hockey northeastern Ontario, the region that produced some of the best players in the world and who made the National Hockey League what it is today. With its completion, KL will join the emerging circuit of key tourism attractions in the north. See: www.hockeyheritagenorth.ca.
Event Development and Support
Over the past 5 years, the Town sponsored or participated in the development of some of the most unique and successful events in northeastern Ontario; the Days of Thunder drag race event, and the annual dog sled races. These events gave the local industry a chance to grow and helped ensure that Kirkland Lake was known as a choice seasonal tourist destination. The Town’s experiences were compiled into a study that any new group could use to host its own tourism events.
Today, community groups like The Festivals Committee and Northern Ontario Sled Dog Club have taken the lead in event based tourism. Their success speaks for itself. Kirkland Lake is now home to one of the most successful winter carnivals, annual summer festivals, etc. See: http://www.klfestivals.com/
Tourism Marketing Strategy
Kirkland Lake, in cooperation with other communities in the district and the
Kirkland District Community Development Corporation (KDCDC), has
launched an aggressive tourism marketing strategy. A coordinator
will be placed at KDCDC and charged with responsibility of creating
a district brand, identifying assets and opportunities, organizing
local industry players, and creating marketing strategies to raise
the profile of the district amongst key regional, provincial and
greater audiences.
One Visit, Two Cultures
Kirkland Lake and the Quebec city of Rouyn Noranda are partners
in "One Visit, Two Cultures". Both communities currently
play to different audiences: KL is popular among people from southern
Ontario and the US, while Rouyn’s visitors are predominantly from
southern Quebec and Europe. Through coordinating their marketing
and packaging strategies, the two communities hope to encourage
their respective audiences to treat the corridor between the two
towns as their destination, thus staying longer and seeing more.
Contacts
For any information on these or other EDD activities, please contact:
Wilfred Hass
Project Manager
Economic Development Division
Department of Corporate Services
3 Kirkland Street
Kirkland Lake, Ontario P2N 3P4
Tel: (705) 567 9361; Fax: (705) 567 3535
Email: Wilfred Hass
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