Back to Search
Group of local founders at the recent Innisfil Tourism Summit event working together to brainstorm ideas of new tourism experiences in the area.

Welcome to the Innisfil Economic Development newsletter!  

This month, we're excited to share the latest updates on economic growth and upcoming events in our community. From innovative startups to thriving local businesses, there’s always something to celebrate in Innisfil. The Town of Innisfil’s Economic Development team is here to support you—reach out anytime at business@innisfil.ca for general inquiries or business assistance.  

DMZ Innisfil supporting regional businesses through the power of partnership

Monika Fermoni, owner of local business Marco & Sports, pictured at a local marina she has partnered with to expand her business.

The Town of Innisfil is helping entrepreneurs across the region access business support programs to grow their ventures through the DMZ Innisfil start-up and business accelerator programs.  

This year, the Economic Development team was able to support two local businesses by helping them form a partnership to further accelerate the growth of their businesses. Monika Fermoni, Founder & CEO of Marco and Sports, a textile-solutions company based in Innisfil, joined the DMZ Innisfil Business Accelerator program in January of 2024. During her time working with the Innisfil Economic Development team, she identified a gap in the market and sought new partners through which to scale her business across the region. That’s when staff introduced Monika to Jan Holland, owner of Marina Del Rey located along the north east shores of Lake Simcoe in the Township of Ramara. 

Read the full success story here

Thank you for attending the Innsfil Tourism Summit & Innisfil Business Support Showcase events

Founders networking and learning about regional supports available to them at the recent Innisfil Business Support Showcase event.

The Innisfil Economic Development team wants to extend a big thank you to everyone who joined us at last month’s Innisfil Tourism Summit and Innisfil Business Support Showcase events. It was a wonderful afternoon and evening of sharing updates from our team, gathering engagement for the Innisfil Tourism Strategy & Asset Map, learning from industry experts, and networking with our local entrepreneurs.  

DMZ Innisfil All Access January Workshop – Save the Date! 

The next DMZ Innisfil All Access workshop will take place on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm and will be held virtually. This workshop, Grant Writing for Entrepreneurs: Turning Ideas into Funded Projects, focuses on helping business owners effectively understand how to apply for grants to fund their projects. The registration link and event details will be released in the coming weeks. For now, be sure to save the date and follow us on social media to be the first to know when registration opens up! 

Register your Business with Experience Simcoe County 

If you haven’t yet registered your tourism business on the new Whereabouts platform Experience Simcoe County is using, please do so through their website as soon as possible. Whereabouts allows you to create your business listing and update it anytime you want so that information remains relevant. The Experience Simcoe County team then utilizes the information on Whereabouts to update their website to show your business, create itineraries to businesses listed on their website, and allows you to easily submit events to be featured on their events calendar which is their most viewed webpage. 

Register your business listing today 

2026 Recycling Collection Changes for Businesses & Institutions 

Digital poster informing local businesses of the upcoming recycling changes to businesses and instituations across Simcoe County.

What is changing? The Provincial Government has passed legislation making producers of recyclable materials (e.g., paper and plastic packaging) fully responsible for the costs of managing those materials. Starting January 1, 2026, a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) will oversee a new province-wide residential recycling system. However, recycling collection will no longer be provided to Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (IC&I) locations, including: 

  • Small businesses 

  • Churches and places of worship 

  • Municipal buildings 

  • Food banks 

  • Most not-for-profits  

The County will continue collecting garbage and organics from small IC&I locations, but recycling will not be collected curbside. Please note: This change is not a decision made by the County or your local municipality. Local officials had hoped these properties would remain included in the curbside program. 

Visit simcoe.ca/recyclingchange to learn more. 

Resources in Response to U.S. Tariff Concerns 

The Town of Innisfil is actively engaged in discussions with a number of partners regarding the impending tariffs. In particular, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, is leading the charge on behalf of Canadian municipalities as it pertains to a number of tariff related impacts, which may include, but are not limited to municipal law enforcement, import and export of goods and services, impacts to municipal procurement and infrastructure projects, and potential impacts on small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s). Mayor Dollin, Council, and Economic Development staff are participating in these conversations and sharing the feedback of local business stakeholders.   

In the meantime, the County of Simcoe Economic Development Office has created a dedicated webpage with comprehensive Tariff Resources to help businesses navigate potential changes. Also found on the site is a short tariff impact assessment created in collaboration with the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus.