Ampere’s economic impact in Kawartha Lakes measured at $20 million

In the past five years, Ampere has contributed $20 million to the Kawartha Lakes gross domestic product and isn’t slowing down any time soon.

At the April 7 committee of the whole meeting, Kawartha Lakes councillors heard from Ryan Oliver, CEO and founder of Ampere, about the organization’s economic impact in the region between 2021 and 2025.

The assessment, prepared by Nordicity, includes highlights such as Ampere’s contribution of $20 million in GDP, 239 full-time equivalent jobs, $16.6 million in labour income, and $6.7 million in tax revenues.

These impacts, as per the assessment, were generated through capital investment, operational spending and visitor spending associated with events and programs.

Additionally, Ampere administered more than $1.1 million in employment grants providing internship wage support to local businesses while providing upskilling opportunities to entrepreneurs.

“We are grateful to be part of Kawartha Lakes, to be able to contribute to this community we call home, and to have had the chance to speak to council today about the economic impact of our organization,” says Oliver.

“This municipality, and the community as a whole, have played a major role in helping us grow Ampere to what it is today. While numbers don’t tell the whole story, we hope seeing the economic impact presented in this report has been a welcome reminder to council about the value and importance of their investment in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM).”

As outlined in the assessment, Ampere supports digital skills development, strengthens the local talent pipeline, and helps foster innovation and economic opportunity in Kawartha Lakes, particularly for youth and Indigenous communities. Much of this work is done through collaboration with local businesses, organizations and educators who share the goal of supporting a community of hope and belonging.

The longer-term community outcomes are not fully captured in this form of report, which measures Ampere’s investment in the local economy, filtered into three main categories: capital expenditures, operations, and tourism.

From a capital expenditure perspective, it is estimated that Ampere contributed $2.3 million to Kawartha Lakes’ GDP, generated $1.6 million in labour income and supported 30 full-time equivalent jobs. These activities also produced nearly $700,000 in tax revues across federal and provincial levels of governments.

Operations accounted for the majority of Ampere’s contributions, including approximately $15.3 million towards the region’s GDP while supporting 181 full-time equivalent jobs and generating $13.6 million in labour income. These activities produced $4.9 million in tax revenues.

By attracting visitors to its programs, it’s estimated that Ampere’s events and workshops contributed approximately $2.5 million to the GDP through tourism. The visitor spending generated roughly $1.4 million in labour income and supported 28 full-time equivalent jobs. These activities produced just more than $1 million in tax revenues.

“Ampere’s presence in Kawartha Lakes demonstrates how a community-based organization can contribute to regional economic development through capital investment, ongoing operations and programming,” reads the assessment.

“Between 2021 and 2025, Ampere’s activities supported economic activity across these channels and generated significant economic benefits for both the Kawartha Lakes region and the broader Ontario economy.”

The full assessment, including Ampere’s economic impact at the provincial level, is available at amp.ca/our-economic-impact.