The Durham Economic Prosperity Committee released its final report on April 15, 2011 on the 3^rd Durham Economic Prosperity Conference (DEPC) held on November 5^th, 2010 at the Ajax Conference Centre in Ajax, Ontario. Durham Region continues to experience unparalleled economic growth, but with this growth comes many obstacles and challenges. In an effort to maximize the Region’s economic opportunities, community leaders came together to discuss the current economic situation and to develop an economic strategic direction. The Committee’s report, “Moving Forward Together—A Community Driven Plan to Bring Durham to Economic Prosperity” identified the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities where economic cooperation can pay greater dividends, assessed the challenges to a regional approach, and outlined the next steps to ensure a regional approach succeeds.

The Conference had a line-up of distinguished and accomplished speakers and among the attendees were CEOs from many of the most influential companies in the Region, government leaders, university and college presidents, forward-thinking entrepreneurs, labour leaders and non-profit executives who all shared a common goal—moving Durham’s economy forward.

The first Durham Economic Prosperity Conference for the Region was held in October 2006 and was designed to maximize economic development opportunities in Durham Region. It brought together community leaders from business, labour, government and academia to identify potential solutions for fueling growth and creating long-term wealth for the Region’s municipalities.

The 2008 Conference goals were to discuss and evaluate the current and future economic climate of the Region, to learn the progress of initiatives following the inaugural Conference in 2006, and use this information to build a coherent strategy for future growth. With input from major stakeholders, the aim was to assess which potential avenues for future success the Region should target, and what concrete steps could be taken to realize a prosperous future for the Region’s municipalities.

The 2010 Conference, building on the 2008 Conference, looked at the challenges and opportunities for Durham Region. Through the candid exchange of ideas it gave attendees some sense of where Durham Region stands in the global economy and a greater insight of the challenges business leaders need to deal with, the opportunities they need to seize and the threats that they need to come to grips with.

As with the previous two reports, it is intended that this report will encourage dialogue among community leaders and lay the groundwork for future economic initiatives in Durham Region, and serve as a model for other municipalities and regions that want to build a strong vision for their business future.

For a copy of the report, and a complete transcript of the 2010 Durham Economic Prosperity Conference presentations, including power point presentations, panel discussions, the question and answer session, speaker’s videos and the 2008 and 2006 Conference reports, please visit, www.durhamprosperity.org.