New Ontario Brewing Co. is crafting big things in 2020.
A planned move this summer to the former Northern Honda building on Seymour Street will expand floor space tenfold compared to the brewery’s current location on Cassells Street.
New Ontario is also in the midst of applying for a “By the Glass,” licence, allowing the company to “serve their wine, beer or spirits directly at their manufacturing site in order to promote the product, as well as for tourism and educational purposes.”
Also known as a Manufacturer’s Limited Liquor Sales licence, an application to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario must be accompanied by a resolution of support by municipal officials, something North Bay City Council did unanimously at Tuesday’s regular meeting.
North Bay’s entrepreneurial-minded mayor campaigned on a growth platform and is a steadfast backer of local business. This council has thus far been in lockstep with Mayor Al McDonald. While endorsing New Ontario’s licence application amounts to a housekeeping item, the “open for business,” rhetoric has been more than lip service by a council occasionally divided by ideologies, but rarely when it comes to business growth in the city.
Deputy Mayor Tanya Vrebosch said following Tuesday’s endorsement of New Ontario’s licence application, “I think it’s a great expansion opportunity and investment in the city. This is something where, I think there is always an interest in expanding and sometimes red tape and bureaucracy gets in the way.”
Councillor Johanne Brousseau is a key member of the City of North Bay’s business retention and expansion program. She explained, city staff touches base with local business owners via a survey to bring to light any roadblocks they are facing. Inquiries are also made as to the readiness of the business to grow.
Brousseau said the program is not based on financial aid but rather on business networking such as introductions between proponents from like-minded businesses where synergies might exist.
The growth mandate of this council is “giving staff that latitude to still work within the rules but, ‘Let’s start making things happen in the city, let’s not make it so hard for businesses to be able to grow,'” said Vrebosch.
“Sometimes we’re just sending information their way,” said Brousseau. Others want to apply for a grant for new machinery, for example and are unsure how to proceed. The program will facilitate “which department or ministry to go to and they will assist with applying for the grant.”
“Our economic development department, we’ve been working with them and supporting them through our budget,” explained the deputy mayor. “This is something that we’re starting to see — businesses, local businesses, stay, grow, and that’s what we’re looking for. It’s not just always new businesses.”
Regarding the growth of New Ontario, Vrebosch said, “We’re very happy that they continued to work with us, and worked with our staff. This expansion is a long time coming.”
