Cobourg could become new mixed martial arts filmmaking centre
The Eastern Ontario town of Cobourg may be poised to become a new centre for mixed martial arts filmmaking.
After spending almost a decade working in the Californiafilm industry, James Hergott has returned home to Cobourg to shoot a movie based on a manuscript he's written. He also plans to open a mixed martial arts (MMA) film studio in Cobourg.
Hergott, owner of Owned Entertainment (Canada) Inc., says his hometown is an ideal location to shoot a movie about what is arguably the fastest growing sport in the world.
"This geographic area has one of the strongest fan bases in North America and is a perfect location to work on my future projects," says Hergott.
Government funding encourages filmmakers to shoot in rural locations and Hergott can receive up to 40 percent in savings on his $1.5-million film for shooting in Cobourg and hiring Canadian actors, he says.
Cobourg has the settings that the film-OWN3D-needs, including a prison and a scenic beach, he says. It's also easier to move between locations and to get permission to shut down city streets compared to big centres such as Toronto, he says.
Hergott has already gathered the funding needed for the film and plans to start shooting next spring.
"You have to have a certain number of credits-it's kind of a Catch 22-to get access to this kind of funding from the government," he says.
Indeed, Hergott has plenty of credits to his name. In 2005, his film biography on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion Canadian Georges St.-Pierre was debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. It went on to be released throughout the U.S. and Canada at major retailers.
In 2009, Hergott wrote, directed and produced a season of TV episodes on an MMA TV show that aired on the HDNET cable network. The same year, Hergott also filmed the first MMA fights in an active war zone when he went to Iraq.
The action film Hergott plans to shoot in Cobourg is about two brothers: The older brother, a mixed martial artist, must use his fighting skills to save his younger brother, who gets in trouble selling steroids.
Hergott believes a MMA film industry in Cobourg could have a huge impact on the local economy. In April, a UFC fight at the Rogers Centre in Toronto generated an estimated $40 million in economic spinoffs for Toronto.
Rick Norlock, MP for Northumberland Quinte West, believes Hergott is on the right track and that he will strengthen the Cobourg community's creative sectors and help the local economy.
"All signs point to MMA and other entertainment being a current and future growth market," says Norlock. "This will bring new lifeblood to the community."
Target logistics centre to make Cornwall major Eastern Canadian logistics hub
With the announcement that American retail giant Target is building a massive distribution centre in Cornwall, the Eastern Ontario city has taken a big step toward becoming a major Eastern Canadian logistics hub.
Target is building a 1.3-million square-foot distribution centre on 169 acres in the Cornwall Business Park. It is expected to begin operating by 2013-in time to service the first Target stores as they open across Canada.
Bob Peters, Cornwall's senior economic development officer, says the "close-knit" nature of the logistics sector suggests other big corporations are thinking about setting up Eastern Canadian distribution centres in Cornwall.
"When companies such as Walmart, Target, and Shoppers Drug Mart make an investment in one particular area, other companies pay attention," Peters says.
Walmart has a 1.5-million square-foot facility in Cornwall and Shoppers has one that's 600,000 square feet.
Target has provided few details about its facility, but at 1.3 million square feet, it will be almost as large as the Walmart centre, which is so big that three Rogers Centre stadiums could fit inside it, says Peters.
Seeing as the Walmart facility employs about 800 people, the Target centre is expected to also employ hundreds.
The Target distribution centre will be operated by a third-party logistics provider, Peters says.
The expansion of Cornwall's logistics sector could provide spin-off benefits to the larger Eastern Ontario region because companies, such as manufacturers, that use the distribution centres may want to be closer to their logistics providers, Peters says.
Cornwall is an ideal location for logistics companies because the fully serviced Cornwall Business Park has direct access to rail, water, and national roadways. The park is situated next to Highway 401, is in on a Canadian National Railway line and is beside the St. Lawrence Seaway.
At more than 1,600 acres, the Cornwall Business Park is selling land at $20,000 per acre, making it one of the most affordable business parks in Ontario.
Cornwall does not have development charges, so the cost to develop a facility in the business park is an incentive to build.
Minnesota-based Target is moving into Canada by buying up Zellers department stores across the country.
Fresh meats producer boosts Ontario East agri-food industry with new facility
Ontario East will soon welcome another food-processing company as the area celebrates its steadily growing agri-food industry.
Calgary-based Vantage Foods says, by November, it will start producing retail-ready fresh meats from a new state-of-the-art facility in Belleville.
Doug Paddock, chief operating officer of Vantage Foods Canada, says the company will initially hire 150 people for the operation, which will supply meat to 115 Food Basics (Metro) retail stores.
"The Belleville service centre will be state-of-the-art, incorporating the most advanced food processing technology and a dedicated team of case-ready professionals to ensure production and distribution of fresh meats under superior food safety protocols," says Paddock.
The Belleville facility will be Vantage's third in Canada. In Canada, Vantage supplies retailers such as Canadian Safeway Ltd. and Metro Inc. The company has another operation in Lenoir, North Carolina, where there is a shipping and distribution centre and food science laboratory.
Gary Haley, president and chief executive officer of Vantage Foods, says Belleville was an "optimal" location for serving Eastern Canadian customers due to the city's location alongside Highway 401.
""Belleville provides an excellent food distribution point for supply within Ontario and cost-effective access to markets in Québec and the Maritimes," says Haley, adding that Ontario and the city have been helpful.
"We are highly motivated to make the facility operational and we're excited about building a future in eastern Ontario. That's why we selected a 13-acre site that has room for expansion," he says.
Vantage Foods has been delivering quality, case-ready fresh meats since 1995.
Ontario East agri-food hub expands-again
Eastern Ontario's agri-food industry is about to grow a little bigger.
Global food supplier Bakkavor Foods Canada has announced it will add another 50 employees to the 15-person workforce at its Cobourg plant when an expansion is complete.
Bakkavor Foods Canada, a subsidiary of Bakkavor USA, opened its first Canadian production facility in Canada in April. With $1.1 million from the provincial government, it is expanding to meet the needs of Canadian food retailers with a fresh food manufacturing centre.
Lou Rinaldi, MPP for Northumberland-Quinte West, says the investment will make a big difference in the region.
"Forward-thinking companies like Bakkavor are key partners in the development of Ontario's provincial and regional economies," says Rinaldi.
Bakkavor Foods Canada plans to deliver upwards of 70 new products to market, including items such as Italian, traditional and Asian meals, as well as vegetable side dishes, soups, sauces and salad meals.
The company chose Cobourg after learning about the benefits of doing business in Eastern Ontario from members of the Ontario East Economic Development Commission marketing team.
"I was provided with a package highlighting potential sites to locate a food company and Cobourg was on the list," Dutton says.
Bakkavor is a growing global food company based in the UK with 57 operations in 10 countries and employing more than 19,000 people. It supplies more than 6,000 products in 18 fresh prepared food categories and a variety of fresh produce categories that are sold predominantly under customers' own brands, supplying many of the world's top grocery retailers.
Deadline to nominate region's top economic developer almost up
The deadline to nominate Ontario East's Economic Developer of the Year Award is swiftly approaching.
Ontario East Economic Development Commission will accept nominations for the award, which will be presented at the September 14-16 Ontario East Municipal Conference in Kingston, only until Aug. 26.
The award will go to one Ontario East member who has made a significant contribution in one of the following areas of economic development:
Contribution to the profession's professional development
Development and implementation of a new economic program, project, or strategy or media promotion that benefits the profession in the region
Demonstrated or organized an activity or program or public education event highlighting or enhancing the role of economic development in the region
For more information contact, Jackie St. Pierre, Executive Director, Ontario East Economic Development at stpierre@ontarioeast.ca or by calling 613.634.8569.
Business information service and incubator form powerful partnership
Two of Port Hope's most innovative entrepreneurship services have teamed up to give fledgling businesses a bigger boost than ever before.
The Business Advisory Centre Northumberland (BACN), which provides information, support and development services to local businesses and entrepreneurs, has opened a satellite office at downtown business incubator IDEAHUB.
A release from the Municipality of Port Hope suggested the partnership is a natural one because the Business Advisory Centre Northumberland already works closely with potential and existing IDEAHUB tenants.
"This new arrangement will make BACN easily accessible not only to existing IDEAHUB tenants but to anyone in Port Hope who is looking for mentorship and guidance for business and entrepreneurial initiatives," says the release.
Deputy Mayor Jeff Gilmer says he is looking forward to the new BACN satellite location.
"This new partnership will enhance the complement of services we already offer through the IDEAHUB and will strengthen the presence of both organizations in the greater community," Gilmer says.
The BACN satellite office will operate on part-time hours and by appointment at IDEAHUB at 260 Peter Street in Port Hope. For more information visit IDEAHUB