2012 Warden's Luncheon Speech - Chamber of Commerce

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Page 3 year, during Top 7 events, the important role the private sector must play in the Essex Windsor Intelligent Community ecosystem. Through meaningful collaboration, ideas can be exchanged and nurtured, norms can be challenged and success can be attained. In Tecumseh, a number of parties were involved in the development and negotiation of a bulk water rate for high volume users, allowing a local company to maintain competitive costs and, ultimately, win renewal of a contract with a long time customer. The growth of the greenhouse sector in Leamington and Kingsville remains nothing short of remarkable. You cannot believe the innovation and technological advancement resident in these facilities. For example, sophisticated tracking systems are now in place that can identify the date, time, location and employees involved in the processing of an individual pepper, tomato or cucumber. Thousands of jobs will be created as this industry expands, spanning the spectrum from construction to management to technical positions to labourer positions. A global online supplier of printed and promotional material and marketing services has located its North American headquarters in Lakeshore's industrial park. This company has increased employment from about 60 in 2005 to well over 700 at present, becoming the Town's largest employer. The Town of LaSalle has worked closely with the owners of a major retail centre to assist them to successfully manage a difficult transition period while the new Windsor -Essex Parkway is being built at their front door. Beginning this May, the Town is relocating their Town Hall and Library for a two year period to existing empty store fronts located at the facility. This relocation will help bring additional traffic and customers to this shopping centre while highway construction is taking place next door, thereby helping to maintain existing jobs at this important regional retail centre. Who is not aware of our award winning wine industry? Our local wineries, located throughout Amherstburg, Essex and Kingsville continue to grow in leaps and bounds. New facilities, new products and new partnerships have all contributed to enhance the prominence and reputation of our Essex County vintners. The wine industry has a multi- faceted impact upon our region - it is capital- intensive, it is labour- intensive and it generates tourism, not only to the wineries themselves but across the entire region. In 2007, KPMG estimated that each litre of VQA wine sold in Ontario contributes an additional $12.29 in added economic value, in addition to taxes and markup flowing directly to the Province. With the significant