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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.  

New Innisfil Community Improvement Program (CIP)

Downtown Cookstown streetscape pictured in the fall featuring local businesses.

The Town is preparing a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) to provide financial incentives to attract new investment, create jobs, and revitalize main streets within Innisfil.  CIPs are action-oriented tools that encourage landowners and businesses to undertake different types of projects that contribute to community revitalization and economic development.  

The Town’s new CIP is anticipated to include incentive programs that aim to attract new businesses, grow existing businesses, and attract investment into strategic areas of the Town, such as Downtown Alcona and Innisfil Heights, for example. 

Your input is important to ensure the CIP is responsive to the needs of the community and that it is aligned with the Town’s revitalization and broader economic development goals. Visit getinvolvedinnisfil.ca/CIP to learn more about the program and take the community engagement survey by February 17 to share your thoughts and help steer the development of this new CIP. 

Take the survey

There’s still time to apply to the Winter 2026 intake of the DMZ Innisfil Startup Incubator and Business Accelerator programs 

Group of DMZ Innisfil program graduates during the recent graduation event.

Are you ready to focus on growing your business this winter and spring? The DMZ Innisfil programs are designed to help entrepreneurs achieve their growth goals through coaching, 1:1 mentorship, workshops, and a community of like-minded local founders.   

The Winter 2026 cohort will run from March 3 until June 15. The deadline to submit your application to join the program closes in just a few days on Wednesday, February 4 at 5 p.m. 

To learn more and apply, visit innisfil.ca/DMZ.  

Submit your application

Innisfil Tourism Strategy 

Musicians pictured on stage at the Gussapalooza music festival in Cookstown.

The Town of Innisfil is preparing a five-year Tourism Strategy that will shape our approach to tourism development and set the stage for long-term growth. With Simcoe County drawing over 9 million visitors annually and generating roughly $1.3 billion in visitor spending, Innisfil is poised to capture new opportunities. This strategy will help attract more visitors to our town, support local entrepreneurs, and strengthen our community’s economic future. 

We want to hear directly from the residents who live here and the businesses who make up our vibrant community. Whether you are directly related to the tourism industry or not, the visitor economy has impacts on our community and your perspective matters. Your insights will help identify where the Town should focus its efforts, and what kinds of support would help ensure that tourism development benefits the greater community. 

  • Survey for community members: Share your feedback before February 8 through an online survey. We want to know what’s working well, what your pain points are, and what opportunities you see ahead to help ensure that our Tourism Strategy reflects our community's real experiences, challenges, and possibilities. 

  • Survey for businesses: Share your feedback by February 6 and tell us what's working well for you, what's getting in your way, and what opportunities you see ahead. These insights will help us identify where the Town should focus its efforts and what kinds of support would benefit local businesses the most. 

Visit getinvolvedinnisfil.ca/Tourism to learn more about Innisfil’s new five-year Tourism Strategy.  

Ask an Ag-xpert: Registration is open! 

The County of Simcoe’s next Ask an Ag-xpert webinar is taking place on March 4 and registration to attend this event is now open. This session features an expert from Farmers’ Markets Ontario and will teach farmers and agri-businesses how to interact with customers and display their products to boost sales. As always, participants will have the opportunity to ask their questions about being a vendor at a Farmers’ Market to get expert answers. To learn more and register to attend, visit the County’s event website. 

2026 AgKnowledge Forum 

The 2026 AgKnowledge Forum hosted by Nottawasaga Futures is taking place on Thursday, February 27, 2026. Join industry leaders and experts as they share their insights on critical topics affecting the agricultural sector today. Hear directly from local farmers sharing their experiences, network with the local agricultural community, and have the chance to shop and sample local goods at the public Vendors Market following the forum. Please visit Simcoe County’s event page to learn more. 

Funding opportunities 

Below are a few recent funding announcements that we would like to share with the Innisfil business community: 

It was recently announced that the Governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $20 million through the new Market Diversification and Trade Resiliency Initiative to help farmers, food processors, and agribusinesses sell more Ontario-grown products around the world. The Market Diversification and Trade Resiliency Initiative will open for applications on February 17, 2026 to help Ontario farmers and agribusinesses expand domestic and international sales, and strengthen production capacity through three funding streams. To learn more about the initiative and the different funding streams, please visit the Government of Ontario page or read the news release. 

Furthermore, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) recently shared that it is geared up to deliver new cost-share opportunities for Ontario farmers under the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF). A new OFCAF intake opens Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 9 a.m. for three categories: Nitrogen Management, Cover Cropping, and Rotational Grazing Systems. For more details, please visit the OSCIA page. Please note that several information webinars are being offered, which the County of Simcoe has shared on their EDO Events Page. 

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.