The Corporation of the County of Prince Edward

Agenda

Community and Economic Development Commission

August 7, 2019 @ 9:00 a.m.

Huff Estates Boardroom, 2274 County Road #1

Bloomfield, Ontario

Page

1. CALL TO ORDER

1.1

A Community and Economic Development Commission meeting has been called for educational purposes for members of the Community Development Commission, pursuant to Section 239 (3.1) of the Municipal Act.

2. CONFIRMATION OF AGENDA

2.1

Motion to Confirm Agenda THAT the agenda for the Community Development Commission meeting of August 7, 2019 be confirmed.

3. DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST AND THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF

4. ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION

3 - 5

4.1

The following documentation is available electronically to assist Commission members:

Priority Feedback from Commission Members

July 2019 Business Leaders Forum Feedback to CEDC

4.2

The following links to documents are available to Commission members:

2018 Project Based Performance Indicators Dashboard

Downtown Revitalization Action Plans

Business Retention and Expansion Studies

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Prince Edward County Corporate Strategic Plan

Development Framework Report

Prince Edward County Vital Signs Report 2018

November 2018 Broad Economic Indicators Online Dashboard

2018 CEDC Priorities, Work Plan, KPI’s and Benchmarks

5. CLOSED SESSION

5.1

Move into Closed Session THAT this meeting now move into Closed Session for educational purposes for members of the Community Development Commission, pursuant to Section 239 (3.1) of the Municipal Act.

6. MOTIONS ARISING FROM CLOSED SESSION

6.1

Subject to closed session, a motion(s) may be forthcoming.

7. NEXT REGULAR MEETING DATE - AUGUST 26, 2019 AT 2:00 P.M.

8. ADJOURNMENT

8.1

Motion to Adjourn THAT this meeting now adjourn at _________ p.m.

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CEDC Priority Feedback from Members in January 2018

1. CEDC could work with The County Foundation’s (who created the 2018 Vital Signs Report) to

continuously monitor progress on addressing food insecurity, add our own perspectives and

advise Council accordingly.

2. CEDC plays an increasing role in public consultation resulting in formal policy recommendations

to council as it relates to CEDC priorities. This is reflected in the revised Terms of Reference.

3. Reliable high-speed broad-band internet services - a vital vehicle that enables entrepreneurial

talents to flourish and collaborate with talent anywhere in the world.

4. Work with organizations that have received municipal funding (Community Grants Program) to

track and report on outputs important to common, County-wide, long-term outcomes.

5. Evidence based decision making based off latest BR+E study.

6. Less focus on Visitor Services and Tourism marketing and more focus on our youth, young

entrepreneurs, attainable employment and housing in order to retain our youth.

7. Identify future job markets and work with our educational institutions to develop programs to

provide the necessary skills.

8. Review of all existing programs to evaluate where we should maintain, revise/change and

prioritize those programs where we will budget our dollars for the best return on investment.

9. The tech sector is a great place to focus. It requires office space and fast internet, and has the

ability to occupy lightly filled spaces in the downtown core.

10. Committed to making sure public schools in the county are able to function and grow with the

people that attend. Part of being able to provide feedback for council and offering suggestions

that can support school programs from arts, music to special needs .

11. Provide a voice to the conversation on growth and retention of young talent in the county and

working to find solutions for young professionals.

12. Working with local business and learning what they are looking for from the CEDC. If we are

supporting economic development it’s really important to learn what the entrepreneur

community wants and needs are in order to grow.

Youth Advisory Seat

13. Make youth programming and initiatives more relevant by actual engaging and taking into

account youth input. I feel that decisions are made for youth instead of being made by youth.

The current programming and structures within the County do not reach the intended youth

audience or are extremely outdated and irrelevant to the modern generations. I think it’s

important to break out of the traditional structures and address expectations of youth.

14. I would like the county to become a leader in addressing climate change. Whether looking at the

impacts of new houses, job opportunities, or new industries, I think that climate change should

be foremost in our mind if we truly wish to preserve PEC for future generations.

AGENDA ITEM #4.1

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Generally:

• More regional approach to addressing issues where appropriate. (ie. workforce development)

• Too many studies. Should be a cap on the number of studies. Internal audit to look into why so many studies are being done.

• Lack of public transportation has far reaching negative effects on our community, particularly for workforce, employee attraction and retention to rural businesses.

Visitor Services:

• Would like to see the promotion of different parts or The County, instead of the entire County. (just a note, please see: https://www.visitpec.ca/explore/

• Continue to support Visitor Services in the shoulder season.

Agriculture

• More support for farm laborers, specifically the Foreign Worker Program. Possible centralization effort to coordinate Ministry application process.

• Opening up fields to allow for farm business growth.

• Address how farm workers get to work (Public Transportation).

• Working collaboratively with farmers, producers and packagers to support year-round farming and growth in this sector.

• Ideas: financial support for developing cold storage so harvested and produced goods last.

• Promote unique and under-represented foods for each area of the County.

• Identify products, label with County seal. Can be a genuine souvenir, can be sold at provincial parks.

• Bring back the greenhouses. Agriculture is a year-round economy that should be supported in its growth -- for the shoulder seasons (and employment).

Affordable Housing

• Generally, on the right track.

• STA, on the right track.

• More flexible options for zoning to encourage development.

• Make it so developers have to provide certain number of affordable homes.

• Demographics are changing: younger families are looking to move out of rentals and into first time home buyers.

• Developer say there seems to be good interest in 2 story town houses vs. traditional bungalow subdivision. (new Curtis subdivision a good example)

Workforce + Attraction

• Job Fair closer to the end of the school year when students are thinking about employment.

• Basic job search training for students. (also how to fill out application)

AGENDA ITEM #4.1

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• Investigate government programs to help attract and retain workers.

• Housing for employees needed, businesses have been adapting by providing dorm style accommodation.

• More focus on Skilled Trades attraction. Possibly Career Edge focus on the trades.

• Help businesses with apprenticeships.

• HEAT program is great but it’s currently focused on tourism. Would be great to see it expanded to include Skilled Trades.

• Promote and celebrate the success of employers who create a great work environment, invest in employees, pay a living wage, benefits, career paths, etc.

• More quality careers are required. There are many jobs, to support / fill but affordable housing will ultimately attract (young) people here.

• Many vacant jobs, lack of skilled workforce, challenges faced by youth, young professionals and families. (Such as affordable child care, transportation and housing).

• It was suggested to promote the area through available work and professional skills/careers and needs as a new take on the “Build a New Life” campaign. (just a note, please see http://buildanewlife.ca/county-job-board/)

• Promoting available jobs to youth at the high school as resume / portfolio builders, and experience towards future career paths. [questions arising: *What is the youth unemployment rate in the County?]

• Additional ideas included: communal daycare to reduce costs, property tax break for young families, promotion of the region not just PEC (live anywhere, work here),

• Removing graduated-licensing so teens are able to get themselves to work in the area, reducing the burden on parents, who often have teens forgo employment because they struggle to get their teens to their jobs.

• Study – employment/unemployment rate in PEC, general and youth specific stats. New business vs insolvency stats for PEC.

AGENDA ITEM #4.1

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