Nouvelles

Community Futures Eastern Ontario (CFEO) brought together Loans Managers and Administrators from across Eastern Ontario for the 2026 Loans Managers & Administrators Conference, held September 14-15 at the Bonnie View Inn in Haliburton.

Hosted in partnership with Haliburton County Development Corporation (HCDC), the annual conference provided two days of professional development, peer learning and connection for the staff who support entrepreneurs and small businesses across our region.

Each year, the conference brings colleagues from across the Community Futures network together to exchange ideas, share experiences and learn from one another. This year's agenda reflected the practical challenges and opportunities facing Community Futures organizations today.

Participants heard from Claudia Canales, Workplace Mental Health Consultant, who led a session on Coping with Uncertain Times, offering practical tools to help navigate change and uncertainty. The agenda also included an introduction to CFEO's new SOFII SEED pilot lending stream and the “One NEW Thing” Show & Share, where offices shared new programs, processes, technologies and lessons learned.

Peer-to-peer learning continued through facilitated discussions on loan management, Community Economic Development, alternative financing, risk assessment, portfolio reporting, loan administration, client default and creating new lending opportunities.

Day two featured Emily Baillie, AI Adoption Strategist with Compass Content, who delivered A Practical Guide for CFDCs, focused on evaluating AI tools and using them strategically across organizations, including in lending and financial analysis. Participants also heard from Sara Joanu, Loans Manager with HCDC, during a session on HCDC Lending Insights.

The conference also gave participants an opportunity to experience Community Economic Development in action in Haliburton. The event concluded with a visit to the Haliburton Sculpture Forest, which has received more than $60,000 in support from HCDC and now features nearly 50 permanent sculptures.

A special thank you to Haliburton County Development Corporation for hosting this year's conference and for the incredible amount of work their team put into making the event a success. From helping shape the program and sharing local expertise to organizing activities, showcasing the community and creating a warm welcome for attendees, HCDC helped make the conference both valuable and memorable.

We are grateful to everyone who joined us in Haliburton, contributed to the conversations and shared their knowledge and experiences. The Loans Managers & Administrators Conference continues to be an important opportunity to strengthen relationships, build capacity and support collaboration across the Community Futures network in Eastern Ontario.

Thank you as well to the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) for its ongoing support of the Community Futures Program and the work of Community Futures organizations across rural Eastern Ontario.