Economic Development Committee Strategic Plan May 2011

1. Economic Development Committee Strategic Plan May 2011

2. Purpose • The EDC recognized the need to move forward with a set of clearly defined economic development goals; • This Strategy is meant to give the EDC focus, define roles, and help them to move forward in a conscious manner; • The Strategy is a foundation document and is designed to shift with changing priorities.

3. Mandate The Economic Development Committee’s Mandate is: • To explore short- and long-term development strategies; • To focus on: • Business development, retention and expansion; • Tourism; • New employment opportunities; • Land use and development; • Service sector attraction; and • Competitiveness issues. • To address other issues as requested by the Council of the Township of Ear Falls.

4. Strategic Planning Process • Works through the creation of: • A Vision Statement • A Mission Statement • Obstacles • Strategic Directions • Action Plans • Designed to account for diverse opinions; • Involves a process of brainstorming, identifying common themes, creating categories, and naming each component.

5. VISION STATEMENT The Ear Falls Economic Development Committee is a community-based organization that will enhance the quality of life in Ear Falls and create a sustainable community.

6. MISSION STATEMENT The Ear Falls Economic Development Committee will support community development and explore diverse socio-economic opportunities in order to enhance quality of life and create sustainability for the community of Ear Falls and surrounding area.

7. OBSTACLES • When striving towards their vision for the community, the Ear Falls Economic Development Committee recognizes that… • The location of Ear Falls makes it difficult to attract economic development opportunities and workers; • Resistance to change and negative attitudes stalls progress; • A lack of Crown Lands available for waterfront development for businesses and residents prevents growth; • A lack of internal and external funding prevents long-term planning; and • Inadequate access to skilled workers and training/educational opportunities prevents business retention, attraction and expansion.

8. STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS • In order to move towards realizing their vision for Ear Falls, the Economic Development Committee plans to… • Support business retention and expansion; • Attract new business and investment; • Strive to retain current residents and encourage attraction; • Work to ensure adequate training and educational opportunities are available locally; • Keep the community informed and involved in all aspects of community development; • Continue to pursue waterfront development; • Ensure that serviced residential lots are available; • Make youth retention a priority; and • Build strong strategic partnerships with neighbouring communities.

9. ACTION PLANS

10. Strategy #1: Support business retention and expansion. • Desired Outcome #1: • Retain all existing business, expand existing business, where required, and increase sales. • Anticipated Results: • Increased influx and circulation of dollars. • Necessary Actions: • Promote “shop local” mentality, especially in retail; • Increase marketing efforts in promoting Ear Falls as a year-round tourism destination; • Advertise local businesses and service clubs. • Measure of Success: • Businesses will stay and grow.

11. Strategy #2: Attract new business and investment. • Desired Outcome #1: • Increase employment in Ear Falls. • Anticipated Results: • Ear Falls will have all of our objectives considered. • Necessary Actions: • Find ways to promote existing types of business and expand existing types of business opportunity to new entrepreneurs, including resource-based; • Have information that is current and easily available, for investors, as well as a knowledgeable contact available for more information; • Provide education and information, locally, regarding start-up, business development, home-based businesses, including funding, marketing, etc.; • Identify the needs of the community, the area, and globally; and • Look for economic development options, review studies and perhaps hire a consultant to ensure something tangible has been created. • Measure of Success: • Increased employment, short- and long-term.

12. Strategy #3: Strive to retain current residents and encourage attraction. • Desired Outcome #1: • Stable or increased population base. • Anticipated Results: • Slow growth of an established population; and • Increased interest in the community. • Necessary Actions: • Provide and encourage diverse recreation and community programs; look at short-term programming (swimming lessons, kids in the kitchen); • Develop residential lots; • Encourage rental accommodations; • Promote existing amenities to new residents; and • Enhance seniors services. • Measure of Success: • Analysis of census data; • Population measures; and • Residences occupied.

13. Strategy #4: Work to ensure adequate training and educational opportunities are available locally. • Desired Outcome #1: • Educated workforce for Ear Falls; • “Grow Your Own”; • Retention of residents (long-term). • Anticipated Results: • Increased level of education and training for the community; • More trained people. • Necessary Actions: • Increase communication about existing training and education opportunities (distance education, online course, flexible, low cost); • Ask employers what training is needed for employees; • Try to provide training locally (source information; potential funding opportunities; use existing resources). • Measure of Success: • Level of participation; • Level of educational attainment; • Employer feedback and evaluation process.

14. Strategy #5: Keep the community informed and involved in all aspects of community development. • Desired Outcome #1: • To improve community relations; knowledge and awareness. • Anticipated Results: • Friendly, happy community that has the input of its members. • Necessary Actions: • Develop community pride; create slogan; • Distribute newsletters monthly to keep communication accurate; • Drop-off Minutes in key locations; • Website, billboard, flyers, newspaper, quarterly town meetings; • “Jazz it Up”, call on people from the community for input and assistance; • Call on members of the community to partake in specific community projects, tasks and events; • Improve people skills for town employees and local businesses in the area, as part of orientation. • Measure of Success: • More people participating in community events; • Less Negativity.

15. Strategy #6: Continue to pursue waterfront development. • Desired Outcome #1: • 25 lots developed at Detector Lake. • Anticipated Results: • Larger tax base; • Increased community involvement and participation; • Increase in seasonal residents; • Increased spending locally. • Necessary Actions: • Feasibility study (boundaries); • MNR; • Increase Municipal boundaries; • Public consultations; • Advertising; • Impact on town resources. • Measure of Success: • Amount of lots developed; • MNR approval; • Sales of lots and dollar value; • Did it increase local business, spending and interaction?

16. Strategy #7: Ensure that serviced residential lots are available. • Desired Outcome #1: • Develop one large subdivision with plans for a second one later. • Anticipated Results: • More serviceable lots; • Increased tax base; • Additional skilled workers and trades people; • Business opportunities. • Necessary Actions: • Provincial approval, as necessary; • Land developers; • Cost projections; • Public consultation; • Determine if there is a need. • Measure of Success: • Number of lots developed and serviced; • Number of homes built and increased assessment.

17. Strategy #8: Make youth retention a priority. • Desired Outcome #1: • Youth have a positive experience growing up in Ear Falls. • Desired Outcome #2: • If the youth leave, they have the possibility to return to Ear Falls to raise their families or retire. • Anticipated Results: • Increased numbers of youth return to have families or retire; • Establish community pride and connection to Ear Falls; • Necessary Actions: • Keep involved in committees, events and activities; • Gain knowledge in regards to youth retention; • Develop a youth economic development committee; • Provide training opportunities that are locally based and encourage youth to return to Ear Falls to work; • Facilitate funding and grant ideas and assist in action to fruition. • Measure of Success: • More youth will return to live and work in the area; • Youth and families will get involved and create buy-in.

18. Strategy #9: Build strong strategic partnerships with neighbouring communities. • Desired Outcome #1: • Strong and productive working relationships with all surrounding communities, businesses and government agencies. • Anticipated Results: • New relationships built; • Larger scope for projects; • Increased communications and awareness of each others’ needs. • Necessary Actions: • Understand the needs of partners, have meaningful, face-to-face interactions; • Ongoing meetings and negotiations, develop trust; • Networking, information gathering, learning from others. • Measure of Success: • Partnerships built on trust; • Strong information network; • Additional resources available.

19. Implementation • The implementation of these action items will come as a result of the EDC… • Reviewing the Strategic Plan often; • Prioritizing and revising Action Items, as necessary; • Monitoring Progress; and • By being proactive and following through with commitments.

20. Conclusions • The Ear Falls Economic Development Committee has the drive to make Ear Falls flourish; • The Committee recognized early-on that a plan was needed in order to maintain focus and ensure follow-through; • The Committee plans to enhance the quality of life in Ear Falls and create a sustainable community through the pursuit of diverse socio-economic opportunities and by supporting community development whenever possible.

21. Comments? Questions?