2022 marks one of the most successful years for the SDG Regional Incentives Program, with $320,000 being invested in local businesses and tourism amenities.
This year’s success was marked at a ribbon-cutting for Whitteker Storage Inc. which completed a $408,000 renovation at its Brinston (South Dundas) location this year. Whitteker Storage accessed $12,500 in RIP funding to help with the project that saw space for four new businesses created, including the 26-unit storage facility.
The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry annually invests $250,000 in RIP. This year SDG Counties invested an additional $70,000 in the project. The additional investment was created due to unspent funds from previous unfinished RIP projects.
Tara Kirkpatrick, SDG Counties Manager of Economic Development, said RIP has become a staple of local business improvement projects, in communities both large and small.
“This was our first project in Brinston, and we’re seeing more and more businesses in these smaller communities accessing funding to help with their projects,” said Kirkpatrick. “This tells us that the local economy is growing in communities in SDG, regardless of their population numbers. We’re expecting more of the same in 2024.”
Whitteker Storage owner Curtis Whitteker said the addition of RIP funding was integral to his renovation project. “The Regional Incentives Program is designed for projects just like mine,” said Whitteker, who’s family has owned the property at Whitteker Storage for more than 60 years. His great grandfather Pringle Murphy purchased the property in the 1960s and operated an agriculture sales and service dealership. “I’m the fourth generation of our
family to operate a business at this location, and we’re looking forward to great success serving the residents of South Dundas and SDG.”
POLICE UPDATE: Thanks to a $15,000 investment from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, SDG OPP officers will be equipped with new defibrillators that could aid in life-saving efforts by local police.
Today the OPP and SDG Counties celebrated their continued efforts to ensure defibrillators remain an integral piece of equipment that officers have at their disposal while responding to calls for service. SDG is the only OPP detachment in Ontario that operates with defibrillators as part of the standard equipment officers bring with them on the road.
The SDG OPP detachment has included defibrillators in their cruisers for 20 years. As the equipment ages the defibrillators are replaced with new models. This year 10 new defibrillators were purchased by SDG Counties for use by the local detachment. There are 22 units currently on the SDG OPP roster.
