In this episode of the Hyper Local EDCO Awards Series: A Deep Dive, host Mason Ainsworth is joined by Garrett Harvey (Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board), Luisa Sorrentino (City of Quinte West), and Victoria Watts (City of Belleville) to talk about the Work in Quinte Career Fair and WorkinQuinte.ca local jobs website that won them the EDCO Award for Workforce Development & Talent Attraction (Rural, under 100,000 population).

This collaborative initiative brings together municipalities and the regional marketing board to connect local employers with job seekers and make it easier to find and keep good jobs in the Bay of Quinte region. The conversation covers how the Career Fair and the redesigned local jobs website work together, the power of multi-community partnerships, what it takes to bring employers and employees together for the long term, and how other communities can adapt similar approaches.

Whether you work in economic development, workforce attraction, or community marketing, this episode offers practical insights from a winning rural talent strategy.

This series was made in partnership with the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO). Thank you to the incredible staff and the Board of Directors for making this series possible.

Thank you to our Series Sponsor:

A special thank you to Peacock Tariff Consulting for sponsoring the Hyper Local EDCO Awards Series. With deep expertise in tariff strategy, customs compliance, and international trade, Peacock Tariff Consulting helps businesses navigate complex global trade challenges with clarity and confidence. We’re grateful for their support of conversations that strengthen Ontario’s economic development community.

Learn more at peacocktariffconsulting.com.

Thank you to our Podcast Partner, Michelle Samson of Storied Places Media.

Storied Places Media specializes in producing audio and video podcasts for economic development organizations. It's long-form content that busy people will actually consume. They can support your vision or take care of the whole process: hosting, interviewing, editing, and distribution on all major streaming platforms. They also advise on strategy and promotion to help it reach as much of your audience as possible.

Learn more at storiedplaces.ca

#EDCO #EconomicDevelopment #EcDev #Ontario #HyperLocalPod

Welcome to the Hyperlocal podcast.

2

I am your host, Mason Ainsworth, and

I'm excited and humbled to let you know

3

that we are partnering with the Economic

Developers Council of Ontario to produce

4

the EDCO Award Winners: The Deep Dive,

a series of high-quality, in-depth

5

conversations featuring the 2025 Award

of Excellence and Bright Ideas winners.

6

We'll be highlighting their projects,

journeys, and their impact in

7

their community and across Ontario.

8

Speaker 2: In today's episode, we will

be talking about the Work in Quinte

9

Career Fair and Local Jobs website, which

won the EDCO Workforce Development and

10

Talent Attraction Award in the rural

category of under 100,000 population,

11

which included the Bay of Quinte

Regional Marketing Board, the City of

12

Belleville, and the City of Quinte West.

13

Joining me today is Garrett Harvey, the

content and creative manager for the Bay

14

of Quinte Regional Marketing Board, Luisa

Sorrento, the economic development officer

15

for the City of Quinte West, and Victoria

Watts, the business growth and retention

16

specialist in the economic development

department at the City of Belleville.

17

Now, let's get into it

18

mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

Hi folks, we have, three incredible

19

guests with us today, and we're gonna

be talking about some different things.

20

we've got Garrett, we've got

Victoria, and we've got to Louisa.

21

Uh, maybe folks, if you wanna take turns

introducing yourself a little bit, and

22

then we can hop right into questions

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luisa-sorrentino--she-her-_1_07-29-2026_110652:

Excellent.

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Thank you for having us.

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I'm Luisa Sorrentino.

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I'm the economic development

officer with the City of Quinte West

27

Victoria Watts: I'm Victoria Watts.

28

I'm the business growth and retention

specialist for the of Belleville

29

Economic Development Department

30

garrett-harvey--he-him-_1_07-29-2026_110651:

I'm Garrett Harvey.

31

I'm the uh, content and creative

manager for Bay of Quinte Regional

32

Marketing Board, and we manage the

Work in Quinte website and platform

33

mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

Amazing.

34

Amazing.

35

Well, thank you so much for

taking the time to join me.

36

Really appreciate it.

37

Uh, I know we've got a few

questions for you today.

38

the first thing for folks is

just more of a project overview.

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I was wondering if you could

give us a high-level overview of

40

the Work in Quinte initiative.

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You know, what are the two main

components to that, and what were the

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core objectives for both the career

fair as well as the, workinquinte.ca

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website that you folks created?

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Speaker: I think the first thing is that

the Work in Quinte website is really

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about connecting people to opportunity

and helping local employers access talent.

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workforce development is one of

the more, most major issues that

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we hear about from our employers.

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you know, in every sector,

whether it's manufacturing,

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healthcare, retail skilled trades.

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And the Work in, Quinte

initiative was really uh, designed

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to address that challenge.

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Like you mentioned, there

are two components to the

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Work in Quinte initiative.

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component is the Work in Quinte

Career Fair, which both Louisa

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and and I from Belleville Quinte

West have been working on for…

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Well, not both of us, but we

have been doing this for over

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20 years in our community.

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So um, it's it's very much

evolved over the years.

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This event is held two times a year,

and it brings together employers and job

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seekers, as well as employment supports

together for face-to-face interactions.

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So interactions that you wouldn't

otherwise have if you were going online

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or through an application process.

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this event over the years has

really become a marquee event.

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We attract over 500 job seekers

pretty much consistently, and

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obviously that has gone up and down

over the years, but around that.

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And we have over 50 job employers

or employment support partners

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that come out to support the event.

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The second in- initiative, and I'll

just quickly do a, a high level

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on this it is the Work in Quinte

uh, website, which is managed by

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the Bay of Quinte Marketing Board.

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And this is a free platform.

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Um, We like to say it's like

Indeed, but it's free and local.

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And it really complements the career

fair that we offer in our community

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by making that online connection

between the employers and job seekers

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mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

I love that.

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That's that's super interesting, and

especially what you said there, I think,

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about that face-to-face component.

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I think now, especially with, you

know, the quote-unquote, "The rise

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of AI" and people doing a lot more

stuff online and, and this real

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push to, you know, people applying

not so much in person, but online.

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Even some places you walk into

and they say, "Hey, yeah, sorry,

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I can't take your application.

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You've gotta submit it online."

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So I think these types of events and

programs that you're doing are so crucial

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because it gives you that opportunity

to have that face-to-face connection.

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And as you folks know, you know quite

well from the work that you're doing,

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those relationships, they're just not

the same when you're doing them through

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an online platform as opposed to meeting

somebody in person, you know, being

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able to shake their hand you know,

have a, a candid conversation with them

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as opposed to, you know, a structured

dialogue through, you know, a text message

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or an email or something like that.

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So I just wanted to say I think that's

really crucial, especially for uh,

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younger folks that are getting involved.

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Speaker: Mm-hmm.

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mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

So folks, hopping into our next one.

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You know, talked about

a lot of stuff there.

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I'm curious, you know, what went well?

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What were some of the key

successes that you had?

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And what aspects of the career fair

and the website redesign went well?

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Were there any standout results or

specific moments or stories that stand

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out in your mind that really demonstrate

the impact of the work that you're doing?

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luisa-sorrentino--she-her-_1_07-29-2026_110652:

Yeah, I'll take that one for sure.

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I um, like, uh, Victoria mentioned

earlier, so the career fair in particular

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has been-- I'll talk more to the career

fair been around for twenty years.

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So, it was there before us.

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Our um, managers and, and the people that

have worked through the city of Quinte

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West and the city of Belleville have

historically initiated this career fair.

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And there used to be a platform where,

like, they had a website where job

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seekers provided their resumes and

to the city of Belleville economic

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department, and then they categorized

it and had a system where they would

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match employers with job seekers.

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so that was the his-historical, how it

all started the Working Queen T website

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and platform is an evolution and a

progression, and a wonderful one at that

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that helps support the businesses that

we have and the industry that we have

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in our region with their recruitment.

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So honestly, I mean, I think

that both projects are you twins.

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And I think for me, like what makes me

the proudest is we've taken something that

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was already good, that existed, and we've

made it better, and so now it's a much

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smoother experience for everyone involved.

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So say for instance, for-- with the

latest career fair, we've noticed that

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the energy on the floor was amazing.

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The feedback that we got from

the employers was stellar.

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they kept mentioning how high was

the quality of the job seekers

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and how engaged they were.

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We've streamlined the

registration process, which has

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also helped with that success.

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And you know, I think that streamlining

the navigation overalling and

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making a better mobile experience

as well, making the registration

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faster too has also helped.

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I think that for me, one of the great

moment I had at the latest edition

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of the um, career fair was to a

mature job seeker that said You know,

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I usually skip this kind of events

because it's kind of confusing.

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But now with the ability to go to the

website and also see what employers are

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coming, it just made it very easy for me

to prepare for that specific face-to-face

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encounter with that employer."

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It-- so it's basically

what we said before.

137

You know, you said that too, Mayse, and

like having the ability to have that

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face-to-face interaction too that's

where there is real impact as well.

139

And, and, perhaps may wanna add

something on the website as well

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garrett-harvey--he-him-_1_07-29-2026_110651:

Yeah.

141

So as Louisa mentioned, the website

did exist before the Bay of Quinte

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Regional Marketing Board took it over.

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that was before my time

with Bay of Quinte.

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But since we have taken it over,

you know, we've redesigned it.

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We've worked with our

web developer, Snap 360.

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They're a local web developer.

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They've done all of our websites

and they've done an amazing job.

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We've had fantastic feedback from

both employers and job seekers

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about how user-friendly it is

how simple the features are.

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And just kinda the fact that people

are using the website so strongly

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after it's only been in the market

for just a little over a year,

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kinda speaks volumes to the success.

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We are able to say that over 20% of

the jobs posted on Work in Quinte have

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been filled through Work in Quinte.

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A lot of times, you know,

they're being cross-posted.

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You don't just post your job to

one platform, Indeed is kind of

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our biggest competitor obviously.

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They're kind of a global known job board.

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so to say that Work in Quinte is effective

in that regard is, pretty strong.

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We have 214 employers on the website.

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We have just over 2,000 job

seekers, and we see those numbers

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growing basically month over month.

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So that's really strong to see

that, you know, people in our

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communities are using the platform

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mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

That's amazing.

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Maybe uh, Victoria, if you want to hop in?

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Speaker: I think to the, whole

rebranding of the Work in Quinni

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just the whole initiative in and

of itself was really significant.

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Before it was the Belleville

and Quinni West Career Fair.

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and then by working with the Bay of

Quinni Marketing Board to rebrand

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it, I think it just makes it such a

stronger initiative for our entire region.

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and there's so much more that I

think can be done now under that

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kind of Work in Quinni brand.

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So that was one of our major changes,

I guess, over the past two years

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since Louise and I came on, was

bringing our career fair under that,

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that branding of Work in Quinni.

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you know, I think both sides of

it really just make for a stronger

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workforce development ecosystem.

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And you know, as we continue to

promote it, I think it's going

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to make just a stronger mark in?

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our region, right?

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It just looks professional.

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we're really quite proud of

just how it is rolling out

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mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

I think that's uh, fantastic.

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And, and I know you mentioned

a bit earlier the evolution

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and the progression of it.

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I, I'm seeing that as a, a bit more of

a trend now of folks coming together,

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especially with everything going on in

the world, and how can we work better

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as regions or in our counties or things

like that, where before I found a

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lot of municipalities were constantly

fighting against each other, especially

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when it came to you know, investment

of new business or even workforce.

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But having that idea of, hey, you know,

we can all work together, and as long

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as we get people into these jobs in the

area, it's beneficial for everybody.

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So I think you folks have done that

extremely well, and really excited

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to see the, the future impact.

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And obviously you've been doing it for

a bit, but you've also challenged the

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process and said, "Hey, how can we take

this thing that's went pretty well and

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make it even better for the future?"

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Which I think is really powerful.

200

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mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

So folks, I know we've talked about the

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successes and just flipping to the other

side of the coin a bit uh, looking at

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the barriers and how they were overcome.

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I'm curious, you know, what were some

of the main challenges or maybe some

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of those specific barriers that you've

encountered in delivering the career

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fair or building out the uh, local

jobs website, and how did your team

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or the partners involved with the team

work to overcome some of these things?

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luisa-sorrentino--she-her-_1_07-29-2026_110652:

Yeah.

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So I mean, a challenge that is not

specific to us but is actually a

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provincial challenge in Ontario is the

workforce attraction and retention.

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So and how do we solve it?

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We just talked about that.

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Our secret sauce is always partnership.

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we have a great conduit to help

train and attract skilled workers

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that we need for our employers.

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so we partner, we partner with

the school boards, Meta Employment

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Services, Career Edge, Center for

Workforce Development, Loyalist College.

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We're so lucky to have them in our region.

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We partner with Skilled Trade Ontario.

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We all work together to improve

the quality of the candidates the

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fit with the employers that we do

have in our communities in the Bay

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of Quinte and for the job market.

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So in the past, you know, we have

advertised even the career fair outside

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of the region because in the past the

labor force was limited regionally.

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But now we're told over and over every

time we go to the career fair, we're

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told over and over by the employers

that now the quality of the candidates

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is the best we've ever had locally.

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You know, of course we-- like any

initiative that you do, you have

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barriers, you have challenges again.

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But we, we have the secret sauce

around here in the Bay of Quinte.

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That is how we partner together.

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And again, you know, because of few

minds getting together and thinking

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about solutions, we continue to

introduce improvement and betterment

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of our processes to, to help us solve

this little bottlenecks here and there.

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Like for instance we used to have

1,000 participants or attendees

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to the job fairs like last year.

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We are noticing that through even um,

streamlining the registration with

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the QR code and, and things like that.

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And for the attendees to even have

the ability to prepare through the

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path to the career fair that we have.

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Like, we have these um, workshops

with Meta Employment Services, Career

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Edge and, and, and others where as

an attendee, you can prepare.

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You can prepare your resume, you

can prepare your interviewing

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skills and, and whatnot.

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So, again, it just really helps you

have a great experience when you go

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and have that face-to-face interaction.

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I don't know if anyone else wants

to add anything else for that too.

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garrett-harvey--he-him-_1_07-29-2026_110651:

Yeah, just to touch on the check-in

259

process that Louisa mentioned.

260

Um, the first iteration of the Work

in Quinte Career Fair went very well.

261

It was before my time, but the

second time came around last fall,

262

and we wanted to find a way to

streamline that check-in process.

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And you know, we had looked at some

services that allowed job seekers to

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register and check in at the door, it

also let the employers have a virtual

265

booth, if you will, so they could collect

resumes, they could see the applications

266

on the spot, and go through all of that.

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We looked at some of those and,

you know, they're just out of

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budget for something like us.

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So we took a look, and Work in

Quinte could solve all of those

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problems internally on the website.

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So we went to our web

developers with this problem.

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They kinda came back at

us with a great solution.

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Obviously some road bumps, you know,

when we first integrated that system.

274

As you can imagine, you know, it

worked great when we were testing it

275

one-on-one, but when you have a dozen

people in line all needing to, you

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know, register on the spot, that's

where some bottlenecks came through.

277

So just again, a huge shout-out

to our web developers for

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working with us on this problem.

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We were able to get some of those

bugs figured out, and the next time we

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did it, it worked fairly seamlessly.

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I'm sure we can iron out

some more wrinkles later on.

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but now we have this great tool through

Work in Quinte that we're able to offer

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through those other regional career

fairs that we work with, like Louisa said

284

with like Career Edges, the Metas or the

different tech partner communities that

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uh, the Bay of Quinte works with as well.

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Speaker: Mm-hmm.

287

I think just Louisa had mentioned, and I

think it's worth mentioning too because

288

I, I, it's a, a great idea that we, if

I don't say so myself, but a great idea

289

we introduced, we do a Road to Career

Fair where we work with our employment

290

supports, and one of the problems

that we were seeing, or challenges

291

that we were seeing, is that a number

of candidates, this was in the past,

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were coming and they weren't prepared.

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we had a number of newcomers in our

community at the time, they just

294

didn't know what a career fair was.

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So this Road to the Career Fair happens

about a week or two before the career

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fair, where one of our employment supports

actually puts on these programs to support

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people and orient them to the career fair.

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We also have you know, a section of

our career fair that is totally about

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employment supports, and you can

actually meet with an employment support

300

worker if you, if you had questions.

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So, those are how as economic developers,

we were identifying some challenges

302

and had, those challenges had been

raised with us through employers.

303

And we were using the career fair

to you know, help ameliorate some of

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those challenges and, and be able to

get people to a place where they were

305

better matched with the employers there.

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mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

Amazing.

307

I like that the road to the career

fair, and it, it speaks to, I think,

308

some of the work that goes on ahead of

time and, and the matching of folks and

309

just making sure that everyone gets the

best use that they possibly can out of

310

the event and, and the site and such.

311

And just going back to a couple things.

312

I just, sorry, just

taking some notes here.

313

The secret sauce, I just-- I love that.

314

I think you folks are onto

something there which will bring

315

us to our next question a bit.

316

But I just wanted to highlight one line

you said that the, the employer said

317

that this was the best that they've ever

seen locally in regards to the improved

318

quality of the candidates and the fit

of those candidates for those roles.

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I think that's really outstanding and

definitely needs to be celebrated and,

320

and definitely want to share that message

with folks that that is possible to get to

321

that point, and which is why we're having

this conversation, to be able to help out

322

other communities so that they can take

some of that secret sauce or at least some

323

of those ingredients and bring those and

package them into their own community.

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So thank you so much for sharing that.

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I know we've chatted a bit about

collaboration and partnerships, and we,

326

we've highlighted that a little bit.

327

I was curious if you could dive a little

bit deeper into that for me about, you

328

know, how did this multi-organizational

approach, I know you've mentioned a few

329

different folks who were involved how

they, you know, really came together

330

and, and why those partnerships and

collaborations are so important for

331

the success of the work in Quinte?

332

Speaker: Yes, for sure.

333

So we're in a rural a

growing but rural area.

334

And as you know, like the reality is,

is that workforce challenges don't

335

stop at municipal borders, right?

336

So you'll have people, especially in

rural areas, we're quite close to Quinte

337

West and some of the, other areas.

338

So you'll have people who live in our

city in our municipality, but they

339

work, you know, they have multiple jobs.

340

They may work in other municipalities.

341

So this started many years ago, I mean,

that really was why it made sense that

342

Belleville and Quinte West, which were

the larger of the, two municipalities

343

in the region came together and

decided that, that we would be much

344

stronger if we worked in partnership.

345

you know, so our employers

draw from the same labor pool.

346

It just made sense, right?

347

That we would approach workforce

development in that way as a

348

partnership and a regional perspective.

349

I think what makes it really a great

initiative is that, you know, you

350

have Belleville and Quinte West

Economic Development who have the

351

relationships with the employers

and who are have a pulse on what's

352

happening in their community and

getting that employer engagement.

353

So, you know, it made sense for

us to be doing that type of work

354

We brought in the Bay of Quinte?

355

Marketing Board because they

have the expertise to bring in

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that second component, right?

357

Which is such a value to our entire

workforce development ecosystem, right?

358

So do the marketing around

it, they manage the website.

359

So I think- of the three major kind

of leads on this project, we bring

360

a lot of skills to the project,

and a lot of and expertise, right?

361

In making it, making it work.

362

The thing that I always I'm … And

especially over the past few times

363

I mean, I've done, I think, six of

them now in my time in my role here.

364

I really recognize the fact that

this, this is a community event.

365

Our communities and our, have

really embraced this event,

366

and they want it to succeed.

367

So, you know, employers will come

out because they, they wanna show

368

up and they wanna support us.

369

We have employment supports who are

there all the time, like want to

370

meet with job seekers and help out.

371

We have, you know, when we do

our promotions, we have our

372

local radio stations come out.

373

They all want this to be successful.

374

and I think for me, that's one of

the important parts about this is,

375

is that it's successful because

everyone in our community sees the

376

need and wants it to succeed you know?

377

So to get that buy-in, I

think is, is very important.

378

we really, couldn't have the success if

we didn't have all those different parts.

379

And it just, know, goes to show when

we talk as economic developers, and

380

especially I think in rural areas of

our province, that there are times where

381

we are stronger when we work together.

382

So yeah

383

mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

Amazing.

384

And I love what you said there

about workforce issues don't

385

stop at the municipal borders.

386

I think that's so crucial and something

especially at the political level

387

that sometimes we get away from or

people maybe don't think about going

388

back to what we said earlier about,

you know, competition and stuff.

389

And hey, competition is

great between places.

390

But also as you've talked about the

importance of partnerships the of that

391

community buy-in and working together

and people actually wanting things

392

to succeed, I think is uh, absolutely

crucial because as you mentioned,

393

like some people have multiple jobs

and work in different communities.

394

So why are we not, you know, embracing

that and trying to make it easier

395

and get those people fit into the

right spots where they can be most

396

effective, which helps them but

also helps the companies as well.

397

Makes a lot of sense.

398

I know we've talked about a few different

things in regards to the specifics of what

399

you folks have done within your community.

400

I'm curious for the folks who are

listening out there, what advice you

401

would give them whether they're from, you

know, a specific municipality or maybe

402

they work for a region or a county that

might wanna replicate or maybe adapt

403

something that they're already doing or

create, you know, some sort of a local

404

jobs website model in their own area.

405

where do they start?

406

What should they do?

407

I think, you know, listening to this

episode's probably a good start,

408

but if they wanna take it to the

next level what would you recommend?

409

garrett-harvey--he-him-_1_07-29-2026_110651:

Yeah, I think it's kind of the theme of

410

the episode right now is cooperation.

411

one thing that I've always kind

of said throughout my career

412

is the power of coopetition.

413

not competition, We've kind of

mentioned that we work with a lot

414

of different organizations, a lot

of different partners, especially

415

Work in Quinte, you know, we deal

with all of our member communities.

416

So we're all working towards the same

goal, especially in this case, we're

417

all trying to get people hired, right?

418

so how can we work with each

other to make that goal come true?

419

We all offer different things.

420

You know, I look at all of the employment

service agencies that we work with.

421

We're all doing the same thing, we all

have our different you know, traits.

422

We all work better in different roles.

423

Oftentimes, you know, people come to

us, Work in Quinte, and say, you know,

424

"I wanna do this, that, or the other."

425

Sometimes we can't help them due

to, you know, the nature of our

426

funding or, you know, regional

boundaries, things like this.

427

But I know, you know, a lot of different

people that might be able to help, so

428

I can point them in that direction, and

I know they're gonna be taken care of.

429

So I think that would be my biggest

piece of advice is, know, really find

430

out who is also working on similar

projects and just ask them, you know,

431

how, how things work in their sense.

432

What what struggles do they have?

433

What can they do better?

434

What can they improve on?

435

So not being afraid to, to reach out and,

you know, just make those relationships.

436

mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

Amazing.

437

I think that's uh, sage advice.

438

And I've noticed especially being,

you know, somebody newer-ish to

439

the economic development scene

that everyone seems pretty open

440

to share information and examples

and reports, which is really nice.

441

And, and you don't see that

everywhere, that's for sure.

442

Which brings it to the uh, co-op-etition.

443

I think that is a, a really cool

term, and that's something that will

444

for sure stick with me in the future.

445

So I know you folks have gotten your

award, which I think is incredible,

446

and you've delivered clearly, as you've

talked about during this conversation,

447

really strong results both for

the employers but also for the job

448

seekers in the Bay of Quinte region.

449

I'm curious, how has this work

impacted the local workforce

450

and the community so far?

451

And then also dovetailing with that

what has winning this EDCO award

452

meant to you, to your team, and to the

different partners who've been involved?

453

Speaker: So I'll speak

from the career fair.

454

I think we work very closely, both

Louisa and I, with our employers.

455

So we often know when hiring will

happen, so, so for some of our larger

456

industry partners, for example.

457

So we'll get a heads-up on those

things, and they'll come out.

458

and there'll be, you know, promotion

and advertising around that.

459

and they're really using the career

fair as, you know, a launchpad, right?

460

Like, as a way, as a platform for them

to be able to connect with people.

461

And we've had there's a number

of stories where employers have

462

actually hired on the spot.

463

we always have, you know, an interview

room um, that is available for

464

that kind of on-the-spot hiring.

465

I think that right there is great success.

466

and it also provides…

467

You know, there's a number of things

I wanted to talk around this 'cause

468

it also provides developers, like,

information about what's happening, right?

469

It gives us the ability to go out.

470

It strengthens relationship with

the employers that are there.

471

And you know, we're constantly milling

around the career fair and asking

472

the questions and finding out how

many jobs and what type of jobs.

473

So all of that feedback

also comes back, right?

474

And then we use that in our own work.

475

So it's an opportunity for us to

gather some intel you know, about

476

our own communities and workforce

development challenges or opportunities.

477

the other thing is, is that it's also

a really great place where, like,

478

at the career fair, where the, the

employers themselves, and especially

479

at the last one um, a number of the

employers were saying um, that they

480

enjoyed just being able to network.

481

So actually bringing them together

so that they can also talk about

482

their industries or their challenges,

there's also that opportunity there.

483

Those are the types of impacts

that we're seeing, right?

484

And all these little pieces, I mean,

this is one major part of our workforce

485

devati- development strategy here.

486

but you know, it's only one piece, right?

487

But all of these pieces come

together to build a more

488

resilient workforce for our region

489

garrett-harvey--he-him-_1_07-29-2026_110651:

Yeah, and for us at Work in

490

Quinte, you know, winning this

award, it's a huge honor.

491

It feels very validating and legitimizes

our efforts both in the career fair and in

492

Work in Quin- like managing the website.

493

so yeah, to be recognized at a provincial

level like that is, is just a huge honor.

494

We were able to say right after, you

know, we're not just any job board,

495

we're an award-winning job board.

496

You know, we played that

pretty tongue-in-cheek with

497

the-- in our social media.

498

Especially for Work in Quinte, you

know, we're such a new website still.

499

We've only been live in this new

iteration for just over a year and

500

a half, I think, at this point.

501

So to say that it, it really

just legitimizes us and we can

502

take that to employers and to

job seekers and say, "This is why

503

you can trust Work in Quinte."

504

mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

Amazing.

505

And I think that's that, that speaks so

well to the importance of awards, not only

506

for, you know, recognition of the team

to say, "Hey, you know, keep things up.

507

We've done a great job."

508

But also spreading that word whether

it's to other municipalities or regions

509

who are looking at, hey, you know,

I'm looking for something to do or

510

to try something different, and then

they hear about this award where it's,

511

oh, hey, that's a fantastic idea.

512

Maybe that's something we

can try within our community.

513

So I think on top of that, as well as

it inspires others, and I always go

514

back to the story I heard, it was about

the Olympics, and I forget all the

515

details, so I probably should look it up.

516

But basically what happened is there

was a certain time that it took to

517

run the one-mile run, and nobody had

beaten the specific time ever before.

518

And then there was one person that

went and showed that it was possible.

519

I think it was, like, maybe the

two-minute mark or something.

520

And then after that person broke

through that barrier, then a whole

521

bunch of other people immediately

after started breaking through.

522

But it was because one person or one

group showed that it was possible.

523

And I just think for me, that is

the importance of awards because

524

it shows you, you know, what you

can do out there in your community.

525

'Cause as you folks know, and, you

know, being in that community economic

526

development field, sometimes some

of the days are pretty stressful.

527

So to look forward and see, hey,

there's hope out there, there's

528

other people who are doing this.

529

These are people who are saying,

"Hey, if you wanna reach out to

530

me, like, get in touch, I can help

you start setting this up in your

531

community or at least get you started."

532

So I just wanted to say thank you so

much for all being so open today and,

533

and sharing some of that information.

534

And also well-deserved with the award

when you look at, like, just over

535

a year and a bit, pretty amazing

that you've already got an award.

536

Speaker: Thank you

537

mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652: Yeah.

538

My, my pleasure.

539

Uh, So folks, I know that was a

bit motivational, so my apologies.

540

Sometimes it does happen.

541

You can ask my wife.

542

But looking towards the future, I'm

curious, you know, we've talked a

543

little bit about the last 20 years

and how the innovation has happened

544

and the progression since then.

545

What does that future look like

for Work in Quinte regarding, you

546

know, the two things we've talked

about today, which is the, the

547

career fair as well as the website?

548

Do you see any, you know, big

opportunities that are coming

549

down the pipe or next steps maybe

in the, the next few months?

550

I know that we're heading into

a municipal election cycle or

551

even looking at the years ahead.

552

W- what do you think's gonna happen?

553

luisa-sorrentino--she-her-_1_07-29-2026_110652:

Well, hey, Mason.

554

We're constantly working to

elevate everything we do.

555

We continue to work with the digital

platform, the internal processes.

556

We continue to support both the

candidates and the employers.

557

Again, we don't do it alone,

like we talked about extensively.

558

We're proud to partner with

key leaders in our region.

559

We stay authentic to our DNA of the place

and the people of the Bay of Quinte.

560

But, you know, we all bring in

something special, and we continue

561

to sit at those tables, come up with

new ideas come up with ways that

562

things can be better for everyone.

563

And together, like all

together, we continue to open

564

new doors where people like…

565

regardless of their age people

can start new careers uh,

566

right here in our community.

567

And I would have to mention that,

of course, you know, speaking of,

568

of opportunities mark your calendars

because soon we're gonna have the

569

date of the upcoming career fair,

which is gonna be in October.

570

So stay tuned and keep on

checking on workinquinte.ca

571

because we'll be releasing that

official date very, very soon, you guys

572

garrett-harvey--he-him-_1_07-29-2026_110651:

Yeah, for Work in Quinte like

573

I've mentioned a few times,

it is still relatively new.

574

So I think our long-term goal,

short-term goal, they're kind of the same.

575

And it's mainly how do we stay relevant?

576

job boards aren't necessarily, you

know, the sexiest thing to market,

577

and our audience is pretty niche.

578

what we've been finding is, you

know, once they've found a job

579

or they filled a job, they're not

staying engaged with the platform.

580

And, know, why would they?

581

Because their needs have been met, right?

582

So how do we continue to stay relevant

and top of mind when, you know,

583

that cycle does come back around

and someone does need a new job or

584

they need to hire somebody else?

585

so we're working with our you know,

local stakeholders, our, you know,

586

economic development partners, our

chambers of commerce you know, the

587

various associations in our area to

really help get them on board and become

588

brand champions of Work in Quinte so

that someone does need to fill a job

589

or someone does need to find a new

career, Work in Quinte is kind of their,

590

their go-to first off in their mind.

591

Speaker: Mm-hmm.

592

And I think too from the career fair

perspective, I think, The theme has

593

been continuous improvement, and we're

always con- improving it for sure.

594

But things change.

595

Things change in our community constantly.

596

So some of the trends that we've been

seeing more recently, for example, is

597

that we're getting a lot more coming out

f- that are more professional as opposed

598

to skilled trades or in healthcare.

599

some of our demographics are over

the age of 50, was one of our l-

600

largest groups that are coming out.

601

So all of these things have

implications, right, in the community.

602

Um, We also, as a region, we're,

we're very much involved in engaging

603

our youth and getting them oriented

to the next stage of careers.

604

So, you know, we've had discussions

on how we can change and make

605

some, you know, evolve the career

fair to include jobs that are

606

relevant to all of these individuals

know, based on what we're seeing

607

mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

Amazing.

608

And I think that constant

evolution that we've touched on

609

a few times is, is so crucial.

610

I think about, you know, something

a little nerdy that my dad always

611

said, and he said, you know, "You

gotta think, you gotta adapt, and you

612

gotta overcome situations in life."

613

And I think workforce is a, a specific

area where that is constantly,

614

especially when technology's changing.

615

I know we mentioned AI a little bit

earlier and, you know, just the way

616

the world is going, it's, you know,

people need to be fast on their feet.

617

And they-- when they have programs like

this and they have those relationships

618

where, hey, you know, you might go one

day and to do this job, you need these

619

skills, and a few months later it might

be something completely different.

620

So having all those partners at

the table, showing up to the table,

621

being a part of those discussions,

having that constant communication,

622

and not just with yourselves and the

folks who are there doing the hiring

623

or, or the potential employees.

624

But I like what you said earlier about

how those folks who are doing the

625

hiring are also spending that time to

talk with each other and build those

626

relationships between companies and

employers and such, just so that you can

627

get as much of that data as you need to

be able to do your jobs more effectively.

628

And, and it's, it's very clear to me why

you folks got this award, because you're

629

doing an absolutely outstanding job.

630

So I just wanted to say

thank you so much for that.

631

I really appreciate the work

and you taking the time to share

632

that message with people as well.

633

And then I know we're getting

near the end so with traditional

634

hyperlocal fashion, I do have a

mystery question for all three of you.

635

I had one at the beginning, and I

decided to change it halfway because

636

we've really, pretty much through

every question, we've talked about the

637

importance of relationship building,

the importance of collaboration,

638

and the importance of partnerships.

639

So the question for each of you is

whether it be in your personal or your

640

professional life what is the best

method you've found to start building

641

a relationship with somebody, whether

that's, you know, a person or an

642

employer or somebody new in the area?

643

Whether you're doing that for, let's

say, you just moved to, you know,

644

Quinte as an example, maybe to attend

the event in October . Or if you've

645

started a new job and you don't really

know anybody in the industry or you're

646

just looking to get more involved,

what would you recommend for that

647

relationship or partnership building?

648

luisa-sorrentino--she-her-_1_07-29-2026_110652:

Okay, I'll go first.

649

I have first-hand experience of

moving from a different country.

650

So I wanna share that with you because

for me, that has made a huge difference.

651

Having moved from Italy to Canada,

not knowing anyone, I went to

652

the volunteer center and started

volunteering in the community.

653

So you have to have an opportunity to

get to know the people and to listen

654

to see what is it that they need.

655

How can I help?

656

I figure that success comes if

you're aligned with your purpose,

657

and I think that is valid also

as well in your relationships

658

mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

That's awesome.

659

I really like that.

660

I think that's that's really deep,

especially what you said there, you know,

661

"What do you need and how can I help?"

662

I think, uh, more people need to do that

in life, so thank you uh, for sharing that

663

garrett-harvey--he-him-_1_07-29-2026_110651:

We got a little standoff

664

between Victoria and I now.

665

Speaker: I'll just, I'll go.

666

I think certainly getting

involved in your community.

667

I mean, I'm, I'm gonna be thinking from

an economic development perspective.

668

If someone was moving here and wanted to

start a business we're really lucky that

669

we have a supportive business ecosystem.

670

And really open and kind of taking

that step to reach out to some

671

of the, some of the organizations

that are in town, like taking that

672

time to find out what's available.

673

because once you're, you know, in

our department, once you're on our

674

radar, then we can, you know, make

the connections, to other resources.

675

So, um, our department often

gets you know, in contact or has

676

people call us about, you know,

"I'm a newcomer, where do I go?"

677

And your economic development

department has that information.

678

So here's a big plug for

economic development.

679

We're very, you know,

community and outdoor facing.

680

so we usually, we do often have

the pulse on what's happening.

681

So that's, that's what I, that's what

I always, you know, if it's, especially

682

if it's new businesses, newcomers

connect with your local organizations,

683

and they often have the information

684

mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

Amazing and uh, great advice

685

garrett-harvey--he-him-_1_07-29-2026_110651:

Yeah.

686

I think my advice as someone that's

still kind of relatively new in their

687

career I had a professor that once said,

you know, "Never say no to anything.

688

Always say yes to new opportunities."

689

And I can kind of track my career so far.

690

It's not been linear by any means.

691

I've kind of jumped around

different spots, but I can kind

692

of track where I am today on those

decisions, and it's, you know,

693

always being open to new experiences.

694

You don't really know in the moment

what that experience is gonna

695

be relevant to in the future.

696

you know, I can track the decision that

I made to uh, you know, quote-unquote,

697

restart my career, me to where I am today.

698

And it didn't feel relevant at the time,

but just be open to those new experiences.

699

Go into them, you know, with

your true, authentic self.

700

it's, that's how you're gonna meet people.

701

That's how you're gonna make connections.

702

you know, it's cliche, but it's not

what you know, it's who you know, so

703

you just don't know who you're gonna

meet and what's gonna be relevant,

704

three, five, 10 years down the line.

705

So that's kind of my advice, I guess.

706

Speaker: I absolutely agree.

707

I'm gonna add now, you

guys have given me ideas.

708

I mean, you know, moving to a

new town or any place if you're a

709

newcomer s- it takes bravery, right?

710

To go out and have to network.

711

But I think the thing is is that,

probably step one is, is exactly

712

going out and being open to these

experiences, and, hopefully, you

713

know, that does bring opportunities.

714

And have those conversations.

715

you never know where those

conversations are gonna lead.

716

so sharing yourself and sharing what

your story is and what your needs are,

717

know, I think that builds relationships

718

mason-ainsworth_8_07-29-2026_110652:

I l- I love that.

719

Those-- You all had such fantastic

answers, being open to opportunities

720

and saying yes to things is so crucial.

721

And, and what you said uh,

Victoria, about being authentic

722

as well, I think that is key.

723

You know, be yourself, and also go out

there with the idea of, hey, you know,

724

I'm just gonna see what's out there and

check out these opportunities, and not

725

with the intention of like, oh, it's

gonna get me X, Y, and Z, but with the

726

intention of, hey, you know, I wanna

do this 'cause I got invited out,

727

whether it's to a dinner or to maybe

a volunteer function or something like

728

that, and just be there and be present.

729

And hey, bonus, if something

comes of that, that's amazing.

730

But not doing that for your intention, but

doing it with the idea of, hey, you know,

731

I just wanna be open to opportunities.

732

And I think not to go too deep, but

on that mental side of us, if we're,

733

you know, looking for opportunities

in life and we're looking for things

734

that are gonna help our community,

I think we're gonna find them.

735

If you're looking for the problems and

you're looking for, you know, negativity,

736

that's exactly what you're gonna find.

737

And, you know, a, a story I heard,

and it was a guy speaking on stage

738

and he said, you know, "How many

of you saw a, a red truck today?"

739

And like nobody's hand goes up.

740

But it's if you're looking

for that specifically.

741

And I play this game with my family.

742

You know, not to overshare,

but sometimes I do.

743

And I used to have a Ford Flex, and

every time we saw a Ford Flex on

744

the road, we'd yell out, "Flex."

745

And it became a game kinda like

bingo, and you would see how

746

many you could get every time.

747

I don't have a Ford Flex anymore,

but I still see them all the time.

748

And I think that just shows that if

you're looking for these opportunities,

749

if you're looking for these positives,

if you're looking for stories like

750

yours of something that's working in

a community that's helping people,

751

you're going to find them, and that

will help you move other things forward.

752

So Thank you for joining

us on "Hyperlocal" today.

753

I really appreciate your time.

754

I know you've given me a lot to think

about, and hopefully the folks listening

755

have got a lot out of it as well

756

luisa-sorrentino--she-her-_1_07-29-2026_110652:

Thank you.

757

Thank you for having us

758

garrett-harvey--he-him-_1_07-29-2026_110651:

Thanks, Mason

759

Speaker 6: Thank you to our guests

for sharing their story today.

760

What a fantastic episode of the EDCO Award

Winners: The Deep Dive, a special series

761

from Hyperlocal in partnership with the

Economic Developers Council of Ontario.

762

If you found this valuable, follow

Hyperlocal wherever you get your podcasts

763

and stay tuned for more conversations