In much of Eastern Ontario this year, the summer solstice was aptly followed by a few relatively hot days.  To beat the heat, but also to join it, I went out on my road bike, exploring the side roads and villages surrounding the City of Kingston. 

Eastern Ontario is becoming known for its burgeoning Creative Food Economy, which has the potential to be not only a viable economic development and tourism strategy, but also a means to contribute to sustainable development and better community health.  There are several shining examples in the region of how local food has been successfully ‘cultivated’ for economic development, including the impressive, integrated strategy adopted in Prince Edward County. 

Over the past months, we’ve heard increasingly depressing news about economic crises, first in the U.S. and then spreading around the world, bankrupting once-invulnerable financial institutions and industries upon which our economies have relied and thrived for years.  In some instances, notably Iceland, the downturn has not only hit industries, but even entire nations.  In response, we’ve also heard attempts by federal, state and provincial governments to jump-start sluggish or eroding economies, boost industries, create jobs, and stop the leakages before they become floods.  We also hear about solutions: interest rates are lowered, big industries are offered incentives and funding appears for infrastructure projects, always a favourite instrument in the government’s economic recovery tool belt. 

It was standing room only on January 25th at a Monieson Centre seminar on The Creative Economy given by Dr. Betsy Donald, Queen’s Geography.  With about 60 attendees, plus two remote sites linked in by videoconference, it was abundantly clear this is an enduringly hot topic.  In fact, the subject proved attractive not only to professors and grad students from planning, business and geography, but also to municipal economic developers, consultants, provincial and federal government officials, CFDCs and sustainability activists.