Photo Caption: L to R: Todd Kirkpatrick, President Your Solar Home, Aurora Councillor Al Wilson, Newmarket-Aurora MP Lois Brown, Minister Gary Goodyear


The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Secretary of State responsible for Science and Technology, was in Newmarket-Aurora recently for a firsthand look at Canada's Economic Action Plan results.  

Newmarket-Aurora MP Lois Brown invited Minister Goodyear, whose responsibilities include the Federal Economic Development Agency in Southern Ontario (FedDev), for a tour of three local projects receiving support from FedDev programs. 

Aurora-based Your Solar Home was the recipient of $132,250 in repayable loans through the second round of the Community Adjustment Fund. The company manufactures self contained and powered solar heating modules for residential and commercial use. Owner Todd Kirkpatrick provided Minister Goodyear and MP Brown with a tour of the 20,000 square foot facility including assembly and manufacturing areas. The funding will be used to acquire & install machinery and equipment for building the next generation solar thermal heating module.

A collaborative between the Newmarket Public Library, Newmarket Chamber of Commerce, Southlake Regional Health Centre, Town of Newmarket and Newmarket-Tay Power Distribution received $2.1 million in funding from the first round of the Community Adjustment Fund to support a Shared Digital Infrastructure (SDI) project.  Minster Goodyear and MP Brown received a briefing and tour of the various SDI components housed at the Newmarket Public Library.  The project, completed on time and under budget, allows for the digitization and sharing of various forms of current and stored media between the partners.Components include a digitization lab, video conferencing equipment, digital messaging screens and digitized checkout areas. The new digital infrastructure also allows for community education, professional development and training, potential to integrate library systems between various facilities and integrated community information systems. The Minister was presented with an honourary radio frequency identification (RFID) enhanced library card as a memento of his visit.
 
Newmarket-based Gum Products International (GPI) was the final stop of the tour. The company manufactures carrageenan, a complex carbohydrate obtained through extraction from red seaweeds, and provides solutions for the food industry using only natural ingredients. The company received repayable loans of $830,000 through the Southern Ontario Development Program's food and beverage industry support fund which allowed for the purchase and installation of new equipment and a facility expansion.

 "The Minister was most impressed by the progress we have made in Newmarket and Aurora," said MP Brown. "Each of these federal investments have translated into new jobs, increased demand for local goods and new partnerships within our community." MP Brown was acknowledged by Minister Goodyear as being a strong advocate amongst her Ottawa colleagues in support of Newmarket and Aurora projects.