Ministry of Agriculture and Food Ministry of Rural Affairs

1. Ministry of Agriculture and FoodMinistry of Rural Affairs Regional Economic Development Programs & Services EDCO 2013 Fall Summits – Northern Ontario (Timmins and Thunder Bay) Brent Kennedy, Director Regional Economic Development Branch “Drivers' of Innovation and Growth for a Thriving Rural Ontario”

2. Who we are… • The Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and the Ministry of Rural Affairs, Regional Economic Development Branch provides leadership to the development and delivery of resources for: • Economic Development: Through the coordination of resources, tools, programs and information to our clients • Regional Service Delivery: Through the delivery of services, resources and information across Ontario’s rural communities • Administrative Services: Through administrative services delivered to clients on resources, tools and programs, and through supporting the delivery of other Ministries programs • Our Clients: • Innovative agricultural producers and agri-business • Rural businesses (food focused) • Regional stakeholder groups / local committees • Other Ministries • Regional Economic Development • Groups • Rural Municipalities • Chambers of Commerce • Business Improvement Area • Associations

3. Economic Development Services“program development and community support”in Northern Ontario Agriculture Development Advisors support economic development through: Regional advisory services to agriculture, aquaculture and food organizations and businesses Integrated delivery of agriculture and rural economic development resources and programs Coaching, training and stakeholder facilitation services Program implementation to a number of government resources Networking to build regional economic development collaboration and best practices New program and product development and research on emerging programs Connecting clients to OPS resources that enable economic growth We partner with the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines (MNDM) on the delivery of economic development resources in Northern Ontario.

4. OMAF and MRA Developed Programs • OMAF and MRA Delivery Lead • Exploring Value Added Opportunities • Economic Development Analysis Resources (Analyst) • Performance Measurement Resources • Leadership and Organizational Development • Funding Programs • Growing Forward 2 • Local Food Fund • Rural Economic Development • MNDM Delivery Lead • Community Economic Development 101 • First Impressions Community Exchange • Business Retention and Expansion • Community Immigrant Retention in Rural Ontario • Downtown Revitalization

5. Exploring Value Added Opportunities • A one-day workshop for business owners interested in adding a value- • added product or service to their operation • The workshop consists of four modules – Generating Ideas, Selecting • your Best Idea, Assessing Your Idea’s Business Potential and Next • Steps. • Benefits to Participants: • New ideas, inspiration and best practices for successful value-added businesses • Understanding motivation and risk tolerance • Assessing what it takes to turn an idea into reality by considering production, marketing, finance and human resource requirements • Resources for developing a comprehensive business plan

6. Analyst is a web-based tool that provides data on regional economies and human capital and then makes it easy to use. Helps you better understand your region so you can make good decisions about how to build strong regional economies. Analyst

7. What You Can Do with Analyst • Understand Regional Strengths: Define the strengths of your region, identify the right target industries, and know what sets your region apart from others and what makes it competitive. This type of data is useful to build economic development plans • Conduct Workforce Analysis: Provides insight on staffing patterns to see who is getting hired by local industries • Conduct Cluster Analysis: Provides information on clusters in your region and how well they are doing • Business Attraction: With Analyst's industry and occupation data, you are well equipped to quickly and professionally respond to site selectors • Regional Comparison / Competitive Analysis: Able to access data on multiple regions, provinces and Canada to know which regions you compete with and how regions with similar economies are doing

8. Steps to Access Analyst Complete and submit the online request form: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/rural/edr/index.html Upon submitting the request form you will be emailed the Terms and Conditions Agreement for use of Analyst Read, sign and return the agreement to the Ministry by email to edar@ontario.ca or by fax to (519)-846-8178 no later than five business days prior to the end of the month. Analyst is provided for one month at a time and begins the first working day of each month Extend your access for additional months by sending an email request to edar@ontario.cano later than five business days prior to the end of the month

9. This resource supports Economic Development Officers to develop strategies based on well identified outcomes to track, measure, and communicate achievements. Performance Measurement for Economic Development • Resources include: • Guidebook on performance measurement for economic development practitioners, “Measuring Up” • Training Manual with a one-day workshop training content Benefits/Outcomes: • Measures the effectiveness of your strategy • Demonstrates evidence or results for money invested in economic development

10. Leadership and Organizational Development • Client focused training and resources that assists with the development • of leaders and succession planning within organizations • Building Capacity for Non-Profit Organizations • e-Learning modules (board governance, volunteer management, policies and procedures and conflict resolution) • Strategic Planning Tool Kit (under development) • Organizational Development Train-the-Trainer • Organizational Development Factsheets

11. CED 101 - Fundamentals of Economic Development Workshops • Provides elected officials with a model of how to understand basic economic activity in their community • Increases the understanding of the potential scope of economic • development activity • Identifies potential roles for the municipality in economic • development • Provides practical tools that assist in economic development efforts

12. First Impressions Community Exchange (FICE) • A low cost, highly effective process that reveals the first impressions a community conveys to visitors, potential investors and new residents • Identifies opportunities and challenges so a community can begin developing an economic development strategy • Identifies community strengths and weaknesses in critical areas • Benefits/Outcomes: • Creates a shared sense of priorities among local leaders • Increases community engagement • Assists in setting priorities for local action in: • tourism development • community revitalization efforts • business attraction and retention strategies • New in 2013 • First Impressions Program for Agricultural Societies

13. Business Retention and Expansion (BR+E) • A systematic, local business consultation program that helps communities / regions identify actions to retain and create jobs. • Focuses on understanding the needs of local businesses • Supports the concept that job growth and investment comes from businesses already in a community • Addresses barriers to business through local action • Benefits/Outcomes: • Job creation/retention, increased tax base, increased investment • Creates positive business climate • Opportunity for local problems to get solved • Indicates early warnings of expansions and closures • Improves business community relationships • New 2011 – Local Food BR+E

14. Community Immigrant Retention in Rural Ontario (CIRRO) • CIRRO focuses on human capital and on effective approaches to attract and retain newcomers for future economic prosperity • 100 Ontario municipalities and not-for-profit organizations have downloaded and used the CIRRO Resources since 2012. • Over 220 participants at the ten training sessions have gained an understanding of newcomer attraction and retention with 90 per cent satisfaction. • By August 2013, 67 organizations are utilizing the CIRRO tool “Community Attractiveness Indicators for Newcomers” to assess their ability to attract and retain skills for economic development. Organizations reported 84 per cent satisfaction. • Benefits/Outcomes: • Jobs are created and retained – attraction & retention of skilled immigrants • Community awareness through workshops & media • Human capital forms part of a community’s economic strategy • Helps secure funding from Federal and Provincial sources

15. Downtown Revitalization (DR) Services • DR is an initiative to stimulate economic development leading to private and public sector reinvestment in traditional downtown commercial districts • Provides comprehensive resources including a detailed coordinator’s manual • Provides assistance with data analysis to help local decision makers • Provides advisory services to assist with project development • Benefits/Outcomes: • Job creation and retention • Business openings and recruitment of new business • Decreased commercial vacancy rate • Increases the competitiveness of existing businesses

16. OMAF and MRA Regional Advisor MapNorthern Ontario

17. OMAF & MRA Funding Programs to Support Economic Development Initiatives

18. Rural Economic Development (RED) Program • The RED Program provides up to $4.5 million funding per year to: • Help rural communities and regions build a foundation for economic growth and investment • Promote collaboration for economic growth • Program Goals: • Rural communities and regions have enhanced capacity to succeed • Rural communities are healthy and vibrant • Regions are economically competitive • RED has two streams • Planning Stream (capacity building): • Economic Development Plans and/or Strategies • Research and/or Analysis to Support Planning and Priority Setting • Implementation Stream: • Business/Sector Development and Diversification • Regional Marketing, Promotional and/or Branding Activities • Human Capital and Skills Development, Attraction and Retention

19. Rural Economic Development (RED) Program cont’d • Eligible Applicants • At a minimum, applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria: • Be a legal entity • Have the authority to enter into a legal agreement • Demonstrate how the project will benefit rural Ontario • Applicants can include municipalities, community or not-for-profit organizations, industry and economic development associations, regional organizations, businesses, corporations, First Nations, Metis, Inuit, and other broader public sector organizations • Businesses and organizations wishing to contract with the applicants for goods and services or provide donations to support the project, should not apply • Collaborations are encouraged but not mandatory. • Province provides up to 50 per cent of eligible costs • Examples of RED projects: Strategic Plans, Marketing Strategies, Business Accelerators, Labour Force Attraction, Leadership Development.

20. Local Food Fund • The Local Food Fund (LFF) provides up to $10 million per year for three years • supporting innovative local food projects that: • Reduce barriers to regional economic development • Result in sustainable regional development • Have a positive impact on the Ontario economy • Program Goals: • To increase the purchase of Ontario foods • To contribute to increased economic activity (investment, sales and jobs) • There are four project categories: • Regional and Local Food Networks • Enhanced Technology, Capacity or Minor Capital • Research and Best Practices • Marketing, Promotion and Education

21. Local Food Fund cont’d • Eligible applicants: • At a minimum, applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria: • Be a legal entity • Have the authority to enter into a legal agreement • Applicants can include corporations, community or not-for-profit organizations, primary producers, food processors, distributors, food service, retail, municipalities, industry associations, economic development associations, First Nations, Metis and Inuit, and broader public sector organizations • Businesses and organizations wishing to contract with the applicants for goods and services or provide donations to support the project, should not apply • Collaborations encouraged but not mandatory • Province provides up to 50 per cent of eligible costs • Examples of Local Food projects: Value Chains, Traceability Systems, Local Food Market Research, Promotion and Marketing Activities.

22. Growing Forward 2 (GF2) • Growing Forward 2 (GF2) is a five-year federal-provincial-territorial initiative designed to encourage innovation, competitiveness and market development of Canada’s agri-food and agri-products sector. • It provides flexible and practical programming options to help producers, processors, organizations and collaborations grow profits, expand markets and manage risk. • Focused on innovation, GF2 is designed to contribute to the economy, help the agri-food and agri-products industry be more competitive and enable them to reach their business goals.

23. Growing Forward 2 (GF2) • Areas of Focus: • Environment and Climate Change Adaptation • Animal and Plant Health • Market Development • Labour Productivity Enhancements • Assurance Systems (food safety, traceability, and animal welfare) • Business and Leadership Development • Eligible Participants: • Producer businesses – Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association • Processor businesses – Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food • Organizations – Agricultural Adaptation Council • Collaborations – Agricultural Adaptation Council

24. Thank - you Further Questions & Discussion