Eastern Ontario speaks up about its future as TVO's The Agenda with Steve
Paikin broadcasts from Brockville tonight at 8 pm

Live broadcast from the Brockville Arts Centre

TORONTO, March 1 /CNW/ - Where does eastern Ontario's future belong? TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paikin is in Brockville tonight to broadcast the second of three shows in its 2010 On the Road tour looking at how the province is reinventing itself coming out of the recession.

The live broadcast at 8 pm at the Brockville Arts Centre follows a TVO-hosted, participant-led community forum called AgendaCamp held yesterday at St. Lawrence College in Brockville in which members of the public gathered with community leaders to brainstorm about issues affecting eastern Ontario. The discussions held at AgendaCamp will determine the content of tonight's program.

"There was a remarkable energy and spirit of community at AgendaCamp yesterday," says anchor and senior editor Steve Paikin. "Everyone who participated came ready to contribute with their ideas and to listen to what their neighbours had to share. Tonight you'll see the results of some really terrific work by the people of eastern Ontario and Brockville - their input and direction will shape what you will see on the program."

    
    Guests for tonight's program include:

    -   Bob Runciman, Conservative senator and former MPP for Leeds-Grenville

    -   David Henderson, Mayor of Brockville
    

Close to 60 participants at AgendaCamp held lively sessions on topics as wide-ranging as agriculture, the creative economy, recreation and diversity. From those sessions some trends emerged that TVO producers asked participants to expand on based on this statement: Be it resolved that in the next 25 years this region shall benefit most from its recreational potential, from its rural assets, and from being a retirement community.

"TVO is part of the social fabric of Ontario," says TVO's Chief Executive Officer Lisa de Wilde. "And our On the Road events are all about building cohesive communities by enabling a province-wide conversation on what we need to become a global leader for the 21st century. It's a great example of what makes public television in Ontario so unique: our goal is to make a positive difference in people's lives."

For more information about The Agenda with Steve Paikin On the Road tour and to follow some of the discussions begun at the Brockville AgendaCamp please visit tvo.org/agendacamp.

The final date for Agenda on the Road for the winter of 2010 is March 21 and 22 in Timmins.

About TVO

TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and stimulates curiosity and thought. TVO's vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. For more information, visit tvo.org.

Where to find TVO

Cable channel 2 (channel may vary in some areas), Bell TV channel 265, Shaw Direct channel 353.

For further information: Media contacts: Paul Ginis, TVO Communications, [phone] x 2445, [email protected]; Angela Garde, TVO Communications, [phone] x 2305, [email protected]