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Home My WebLink AboutCAO-15-010 - KEDS Strategy Session Report REPORT TO: Committee of the whole DATE OF MEETING: February 9, 2015 SUBMITTED BY: Rod Regier, Executive Director, Economic Development, 519-741-2200 ext. 7506 PREPARED BY: Janette MacDonald, Analyst, Economic Development, 519-741-2200 ext. 7760 WARD (S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: February 4, 2015 REPORT NO.: CAO-15-010 SUBJECT:Kitchener Economic Development Strategy Update ___________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATION: For information. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The four-year-old Kitchener Economic Development Strategy (KEDS) has provided a flexible and relevant guide for policy work and programming by municipal staff. But during the last four years there has been significant development in the local economy, and an evolving macroeconomic climate. As well, the economic development division has grown through the addition of the ‘arts and culture’ and ‘special events’ teams. Finally, KEDS 2011 did not address financial investments as this need was fulfilled through the Economic Development Investment Fund (EDIF), which has now concluded. Through the corporate strategic planning process, the community has identified the economy as one of their top priorities for the next four years. Therefore, it is timely to refresh KEDS to better reflect advancements in the regional economy, and to ensure alignment with the direction of a new council and updated corporate structure. With the conclusion of EDIF, KEDS requires an update to provide direction on economic development reserve spending and replenishment. BACKGROUND: In 2011 economic development staff engaged in a comprehensive stakeholder consultation process to develop the Kitchener Economic Development Strategy (KEDS). The process culminated in the ‘150 Ideas’ symposium, which brought together stakeholders to generate ideas for the future of economic development in the city. The resulting KEDS publication identified five areas of focus for the 2011 to 2015 implementation period: Startup City, Leading- edge Cluster Building, Become a Talent Magnet, Dynamic Downtown, and Innovation District. *This information is available in accessible formats upon request. Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969- 9994 for assistance. The process for developing the strategy proved effective in energizing and aligning the stakeholder community to support KEDS-related initiatives. Since the implementation of KEDS 2011, there have been a number of changes that create a need to refresh the strategy, including:  The economic development division grew to include the Arts & Culture and Special Events teams.  The Economic Development Investment Fund (EDIF) concluded in 2014, shifting focus to the Economic Development Reserve Fund as the primary source of funds to support KEDS. As well, there are initiatives underway that will influence the economic development landscape in the coming four years, including:  Regional municipalities adopted the Waterloo Region Economic Development Strategy (WREDS), which requires strategic alignment between municipalities and the regional strategy.  A refresh of the Corporate Strategic Plan is in progress, which identified the economy as a community priority for the next four years.  A new term of council is underway. Finally, the ever-changing economic climate necessitates not only periodic assessment of the city’s strategic direction, but also the creation of a strategy that is flexible and responsive to economic change. REPORT: In the fall of 2014 staff began consultations with advisory committees and staff groups to assess the need to update KEDS, and to consider tactics for refreshing the strategy. Based on discussions with the Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) and Downtown Action and Advisory Committee (DAAC), there is support for continuing the direction of KEDS with a refreshed strategy. EDAC identified that “the five pillars are strong and might require refinement, but there is no need for a fundamental shift in direction/priorities.” The advisory committees suggested looking backward to review progress made since 2011, and looking forward to ensure strategic alignment with the Waterloo Region Economic Development Strategy. This will be combined with an environmental scan to create a discussion research paper to inform consultations and strategy development. With respect to the strategic planning process, community engagement is recognized as an important tool not just to support idea generation, but as a community builder that inspires and mobilizes stakeholders. Based on advisory committee and staff discussions, a balanced approach to stakeholder consultations should be employed, including both internal and external conversations. The consultation process itself should become part of a marketing strategy to reach new stakeholders and audiences. A targeted consultation strategy will be used as there has already been broad community consultation as part of the corporate strategic planning process and Waterloo Region Economic Development Strategy consultations. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: During consultations for the corporate strategy plan, the community identified the economy as one of the top priorities for the next four years. A refreshed KEDS will align with the corporate strategic plan currently under development. As well, alignment with the Waterloo Region Economic Development Strategy will be an important factor in updating KEDS. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Any disbursements will be funded through economic development budgets. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Community engagement is a significant component of the strategy development process. Consultations will take place using a variety of tactics including targeted conversations with partners and community groups as well as an open invitation for citizen-led conversations. The purpose of these consultations is primarily to consult with the stakeholder community, and to build relationships that support ongoing collaboration in the implementation of KEDS. EDAC/DAAC/ACAC discussions Ongoing discussions will be held during meetings. Each committee can workshop topics where appropriate. In addition, a subcommittee of advisory committee volunteers will be engaged during the strategy writing phase to provide an opportunity to get early feedback from committee members. Staff workshop Staff will hold an internal symposium using a similar format as external stakeholder consultations. This will challenge new divisions to search for alignment between their work and KEDS, and encourage long-term staff to rethink their work and its strategic value. 150 Conversations The model for 150 Conversations is based on the ‘1000 Dinners TO’ initiative, in which Torontonians were invited to host their own dinners to share their thoughts on how to make Toronto a better place. This model empowers citizens to lead their own conversations without direct involvement from staff. The results are still captured and delivered to staff for consideration (e.g., through a web form). But there is still a need for staff and councillors to engage in two-way conversations with certain stakeholders (e.g., neighbourhood groups, partners, academics, other staff, etc.). Therefore, the aim of 150 Conversations is to achieve a mix of citizen-led and staff/council-led discussions. This approach provides a mechanism to ensure that consultations are not exclusively led by staff, and opens up the process to reach new groups or cover topics that might fall outside the scope of the 150 Ideas symposium, as outlined below. 150 Ideas Symposium Staff will hold a symposium in a similar style to the previous 150 Ideas event, which was instrumental in the creation of KEDS 2011. A new group of stakeholders will be targeted to provide a fresh perspective, and staff will consider inviting people from outside the region to gain an outside view point from prospective partners. This approach brings together a wide variety of stakeholders for one event, rather than letting individuals self-segregate under 150 Conversations, as outlined above. The idea generation process benefits from the cross- pollination of perspectives made possible through the assembly of diverse stakeholders. Schedule for consultations and strategy development 1-Sep1-Oct31-Oct30-Nov30-Dec29-Jan28-Feb30-Mar29-Apr29-May28-Jun28-Jul27-Aug26-Sep26-Oct Advisory committee discussions Consultation model development Consultation logistics planning Prepare discussion paper CLT review of terms of reference Present process to council Staff workshop* 150 conversations 150 ideas symposium* Review consultation results Write/design KEDS Advisory committee review Council review Council adoption * Approximate date, scheduling TBD CONCLUSION: The emphasis in local economic development has shifted away from land development toward community development. This will be even more apparent with the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation taking a lead role in the region’s industrial land assets. The process of updating the Kitchener Economic Development Strategy is an important community development activity that provides value beyond the creation of a strategy itself. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Willmer, CAO