16 - Southpoint Sun
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Caldwell First Nation has first grape harvest LEAMINGTON — Caldwell First Nation has recently announced the first-ever harvest of the Nation’s grapes as part of the development of one of Canada’s few, and Ontario’s first Indigenous-owned winery. The winery was identified in the Nation’s Economic Development Plan (voted on in January 2020) after the Nation discovered that one of its purchased properties contained approximately 2 acres of grapes. The Director of Operations, Nikki van Oirschot identified an opportunity for Economic Development and with support from Tecumseh Community Development Corporation, secured funding to conduct a feasibility study. Market research showed a gap in Indigenous-owned and operated wineries, which made the de-
cision one worth exploring for Caldwell Council and Administration. The Economic Development Officer, Kyra Cole, and Culinary Advisor, Chef Billy Alexander from Caldwell, teamed up with renowned wine experts, Peter Gamble and Ann Sperling, and in conjunction with a relationship with Cooper’s Hawk Vineyard, conducted the feasibility study and the first harvest of Caldwell grapes in fall 2020. Subsequent years will involve planting a larger vineyard, licensing, and developing the wine production facility and winery infrastructure. This year’s harvest will produce two rare and trendy varieties- the naturally fermented and sparkling pét-net, and an orange wine, which despite what the name suggests, does
not contain the citrus fruit, but is rather a process by which white wine grapes are processed with the skins on. The Nation will also produce a Riesling under its Three Fires brand. “We are thrilled at the opportunity of Caldwell being the first Indigenous community in Ontario to own a winery.” stated Caldwell Council. In fact, the winery will be one of only two fully Indigenous owned and operated wineries in Canada. “We know that this development will go a long way towards not only enhancing the wine scene in the EPIC wine region, but will also progress our goal of becoming a national gold standard in Indigenous tourism. This opens many doors for future partnerships, tourism, and creating jobs for Caldwell members and the
Tourism mentorship program launched, seeking applicants WINDSOR-ESSEX – incorporate sustainability, After a successful pilot connect with technology, in 2018, a second round and showcase our diverse of the Ontario Tourism communities, history and Innovation Lab’s ‘Spark’ people. Mentorship & Grants ProApplications are being gram has been launched accepted until November in Windsor-Essex to en- 30 at tourisminnovation. courage individuals, small businesses and non-profit organizations to create new tourism ideas for the region. The ‘Spark’ P ro g r a m matches selected applicants with a mentor and provides a $3,000 grant to help take Graphic courtesy of visitwindsoressex.com their tourism initiatives to the next level of develop- ca/WindsorEssex. ment. Following a review proThe goal is to find, fos- cess, top applicants will ter and support new tour- be invited to a Finalists’ ism ideas, experiences, Pitch Session, where three and partnerships that will winners will be selected. enhance current offerInnovation in the tourings, address gaps, moti- ism industry is critical vate travel and increase for the region to respond, visits year-round. adapt and recover from Organizers are especial- the significant impacts of ly interested in ideas that the evolving travel land-
scape as the result of the COVID-19 health and economic crises. “During this pandemic, bringing the Spark Program back to WindsorEssex, acts as a catalyst for causing trailblazers within the industry to come together,” says Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island CEO Gordon Orr. “The end result will be the generation of new ideas and experiences which will shed light on the versatility and opportunities that can be had for visitors and locals alike.” The Windsor-Essex ‘Spark’ Program is a partnership between the Ontario Tourism Innovation Lab and founding partners Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island, Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport Tourism & Culture Industries, Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation, and Libro Credit Union.
Leamington community.” While the winery is in development, Caldwell’s wine will be exclusively sold at Three Fires: An Indigenous Tourism Ex-
perience, the Caldwell-owned restaurant led by Chef Billy Alexander. Three Fires is set to open in early summer 2021.
Nicholls outlines budget highlights C H AT H A M - K E N T- L E A M I N G TON — The Ontario government has appproved $180.5 million to connect workers in the tourism and hospitality sector and others most affected by the pandemic to training and jobs. Part of Ontario’s Investment Action Plan: Protect, Support, Recover, includes a skilled trades strategy, an additional $100 million of dedicated investments through Employment Ontario for skills training, a redesigned Second Career program, and $59.5 million to acquire in-demand skills. “COVID-19 has impacted us all, especially when it comes to employment opportunities. Our government is investing in the future of skills training that will support workers and em-
ployers alike.” said MPP Rick Nicholls of Chatham-Kent-Leamington. “This will be extremely beneficial to the long-standing gaps in skills training, which will only help our economy recover faster.” While there has been a strong recovery in jobs, employment in October remained 287,400 jobs below its pre COVID-19 level and unemployment remained at 9.6 per cent. “Now is the time to invest in retraining our workers, so they are ready to contribute to the recovery of our province,” said Rod Phillips, Minister of Finance. “Ontario’s Action Plan: Protect, Support, Recover will help job seekers, particularly those hardest hit by COVID-19, to get the skills they need.”
Nature Fresh releases video about COVID summer LEAMINGTON – Nature Fresh Farms has released a 22-minute documentary offering an inside look at their operations during the COVID-19 outbreak. The film focuses on the guest workers that have come to Canada for the opportunity to work and provide for their families. The documentary captures the personalities and perspectives of several guest workers, giving them a platform to share their experiences over the past summer, but also speak about their overall time at Nature Fresh Farms. “People are going to get a lot out of this documentary — no matter how familiar they are with agriculture,” explained John Ketler, Vice President. “Even if you’re familiar with guest workers and how valuable they are to our food sys-
tem, it’s not often that you get to hear from them directly about their experiences and dreams, or their perspectives on the program they’re an integral part of. Their voices deserve to be heard.” “Transparency is one of our company’s key pillars. Whether we are talking about how we grow our tomatoes, or how we treat our team, we’ve always been an open book,” shared Founder and President, Peter Quiring. “We hope this documentary will help us continue to be fully transparent about who we are and what we stand for, as well as help us share the details of what happened at our farm this summer.” Visit naturefresh.ca to view the video and gather other information.
