HomeMy WebLinkAboutEDAC - 2014-06-25ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES
June 25, 2014 City of Kitchener
The Economic Development Advisory Committee met this date, chaired by
Councillor Paul Singh with the following members present, Philip Jones, Cory
Ernst, Johanna Classon- Romero, Councillor Bil loannidis, Councillor Scott
Davey, Mark Bingeman, Rebecca Short, Mark Derro, Darrin Snider, Mark
Hopkins
The following people were absent, Jamie Yantzi, Rebecca Short, Adrian Conrad
Staff in attendance: Laurie Majcher, Cory Bluhm, Brian Bennett, Tracey Murray,
Janette MacDonald, Valerie Bradford, Emily Robson and Silvia Di Donato
The committee started the meeting with a group tour of 305 King Street West.
Craig Beattie, Perimeter Developments. Mr. Beattie provided an update on the
investment his company is making in Kitchener.
1. Music, Media and Film Update
Silvia Di Donato and Emily Robson provided the committee with a presentation
on the current status of the music, media and film cluster development.
They informed the committee that the cluster development has been going well
with planning for workshops related to the music industry and past participation in
workshops with larger cities, such as Toronto and Austin.
Work on building arts and culture as a quality of life is underway and showing
signs of success. They provided an update on the OMDC tour, an arm of tourism
and culture interactive digital media, with a very successful day of touring
industry leaders showcasing the region.
Ongoing collaboration with non -tech artists is being focused on to ensure a
diverse involvement.
2. Your Kitchener, Your Say
Laurie Majcher provided background on the Your Kitchener Your Say initiative
and the connection to the strategic plan for the City. She advised that she is
looking for input from the community and EDAC members. She asked the
committee members the following questions:
1) What does a healthy economy mean to you?
a. Diversity
b. Awareness and understanding with consistent messaging and
branding.
c. Earned media
d. Clear focus
e. Strong tourism
2) What services should be focused on:
a. Parking
b. Greenspace / softspace / pedestrian friendly
c. Streamlining process (red tape issues)
3) What is the most important thing the city does:
a. Holistic approach to growth and development
b. Small business is under supported, there is an imbalance to what
the big tech companies get in terms of funding and grants
On motion the meeting adjourned at 1:00 pm.