Business View Magazine | January 2020

233 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JANUARY 2020 Ontario Wardens Caucus (EOWC), and one big project on their agenda involves improving cell phone coverage. Right now, when you’re driving through rural areas, the cell phone signal often gets dropped, and some rural residents have no cell phone coverage at all. So, the Caucus has embarked on a major $231 million project to get cell phone coverage through the entire Eastern Ontario region right to the Quebec border. “The first part of the project was done by the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN),” says Sayeau. “They installed a fiber optic backbone through the United Counties and those linkages and terminal points will become the basis of this broadband network that will bring fiber optic to the home in the third phase of the project. The provincial government committed its $71 million quite early in the process. And the federal commitment is good for an equal amount. Once we have an agreement signed, the EORN staff will go out to the private sector for in-kind contributions of $61 million – there are cell towers to be built, cable to be laid, fiber to be connected – and the EOWC has already contributed $10 million.” In other infrastructure news, a $36 million upgrade of the wharves was completed at the Port of Johnstown – over $250,000 of that cost was for environmental studies and ensuring the work was done in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner. That “green” awareness and focus overrides every project the United Counties undertakes in its municipalities. A variety of local businesses are among Canada’s Best Managed Companies: Wills Transfer Ltd. joined the Gold Standard List and Burnbrae Farms Ltd., Canarm Ltd., Greenfield Global, Kriska Transportation Group, and Newterra Ltd. are on the Platinum list. The region is also becoming known for its craft breweries, distilleries, and wineries, including Scheuermann Vineyard and Winery, Green Gables Vines, King’s Lock Craft Distillery, Windmill Brewery, BUSL Cider Co., and Westport Brewing Company. UNI TED COUNT I ES OF LEEDS AND GRENV I LLE