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Home My WebLink AboutDSD-2022-370 - Waterloo Region Small Business Centre-Three Municipalities Agreement Development Services Department www.kitchener.ca REPORT TO: Finance and Corporate Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: August 8, 2022 SUBMITTED BY: Chris Farrell, Manager Small Business, 519-741-2200 ext. 7294 PREPARED BY: Chris Farrell, Manager Small Business, 519-741-2200 ext. 7294 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: July 15, 2022 REPORT NO.: DSD-2022-370 SUBJECT: Waterloo Region Small Business Centre - Three Party Municipalities Agreement RECOMMENDATION: That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to sign an agreement between the City of Kitchener, City of Cambridge and City of Waterloo to collaborate on the delivery of the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre services and programs funded in part by the Province of Ontario, in accordance with report DSD-2022-370; said agreement to be to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor: and further, That the General Manager, Development Services be authorized to execute on behalf of the City of Kitchener any amendments pertaining to the agreement, services and programs provided by the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre, provided said amendment is to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor. REPORT HIGHLIGHTS: The purpose of this report is to form an agreement with the City of Kitchener Waterloo Region Small Business Centre and the two satellite offices at the City of Cambridge and City of Waterloo The financial implications are each City provides the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre with cash and in-kind contributions. This report supports the delivery of a Vibrant Economy. BACKGROUND: The Waterloo Region Small Business Centre (WRSBC) provides thousands of entrepreneurs with the training and support necessary to start and grow successful businesses. From concept, through start-up and early growth stages of business, the Centre(s) is a one-stop source for information, guidance and professional advice on starting and running a successful business. Servicing individuals of all ages, educational backgrounds, and businesses from all industry sectors. WRSBC is one of a network of 54 centres in Ontario supported by the province and municipalities. The Waterloo Region *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. Small Business Centre operates from three locations, with Kitchener having 4.5 employees and the Cambridge and Waterloo satellite offices each having one employee. The three municipalities have collaborated to deliver small business services since 1998 in Kitchener and Cambridge, and Waterloo since 2006. REPORT: WRSBC provides a range of entrepreneurial services and supports benefit main street and lifestyle businesses operated by self-employed individuals or companies with fewer than ten employees. In Ontario, 76% of businesses have fewer than ten employees. Services include: one-on-one business consultations; workshops and events; access to business professionals, industry experts and mentors; assistance with market research, business and marketing plans; online business registrations, navigating governmental departments, agencies and regulations; and, delivery of provincial programs and grants for youth, start-ups and growth companies. The services provided by the three offices help businesses to learn, start and grow businesses in the communities, create jobs and impact the local economy with the guidance of business advisors. Impact 2021-2022 Cambridge Waterloo Kitchener Total Inquiries 2,374 1,210 8,549 12,133 Business Started 72 39 91 202 Business Expanded 24 18 72 114 Jobs 92 41 234 367 One-on-one 427 261 975 1663 Consultations Workshops 22 7 159 188 Events Hosted & Co- 0 0 30 30 hosted Outreach Connections 7639 180 417 7042 Proposed Agreement The proposed agreement would generally mirror the previous agreement between the three municipalities. The agreement would be for a 4-year term from 2022 until 2026. The agreement would continue to see the City of Kitchener office acting as the WRSBC headquarters to: oversee the implementation of a wide range of entrepreneurial services and the establishment of initiatives and programs; develop and implement marketing and digital media strategies; liaison, communication, collaboration with funders, partners, sponsors, volunteers, coordinate schedules for workshops, events, staffing in Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo locations; ensure provincial programming is delivered along with collection and submission of statistical data reporting to the provincial government; and, responsible for funding agreements, budgets and reports. The three-party agreement between Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo ensures the shared commitment to work together to help entrepreneurs will continue. STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT: This report supports A Vibrant Economy by undertaking industry business cases. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The three-party funding agreement between Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo outlines a monetary contribution from the partners based on a per capita model, indexed annually at 1.5%, based on the most current Statistics Canada Census Population Profile (2021). In addition to the cash contribution, the municipalities support the WRSBC by providing in- kind contributions such as: one (1) dedicated employee; service location, utilities, equipment, maintenance; marketing, training; and, administrative support services, IT, HR, accounting, legal. ЋЉЋЋ ЋЉЋЋ ЋЉЋЋ /ğƭŷ LƓΏƉźƓķ /ƚƓƷƩźĬǒƷźƚƓƭ /ğƒĬƩźķŭĻ ğƷĻƩƌƚƚ YźƷĭŷĻƓĻƩ ƚ w{./ /ğƭŷ DƩğƓƷ Ʒƚ w{./Ϋ ЊЍͲЉЎЍ ЊЋͲЌЋЏ ЊЊЏͲБЍЎ LƓΏƉźƓķ ĭƚƓƷƩźĬǒƷźƚƓƭ ЊЏЏͲЉЉЉ ЊЊЉͲЉЉЉ ЋЌЉͲЉЉЉ ƚƷğƌ /ğƭŷ ğƓķ LƓΏƉźƓķ ЊБЉͲЉЎЍ ЊЋЋͲЌЋЏ ЌЍЏͲБЍЎ *Note: Cambridge and Waterloo grant is the equivalent of the per capita contribution. The -kind contribution. At the same time, the Kitchener grant is the equivalent of the per capita contribution and one full-time salary. Operating Budget The recommendation has no impact on the Operating Budget. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: CONSULT: The Waterloo Region Small Business Centre conducts over ten surveys annually with small businesses to get feedback and suggestions for service and program improvements. COLLABORATE Waterloo Region Small Business Centre communicates, consults, and collaborates with a broad range of community groups, organizations, agencies, secondary and post-secondary institutes, and municipal, regional, and provincial governments to ensure the entrepreneurial services and programs address the needs of small businesses in the community. The Small Business Advisory Committee volunteers represent twelve industry sectors across the region. INFORM the council/committee meeting. APPROVED BY: Justin Readman, General Manager DSD WRSBC WRSBC WRSBC Municipal Projected Projected Projected Contributions OPERATING202220232024 REVENUESIn-kind MEDJCT 456,552456,552502,207 CITY OF CAMBRIDGE (2016 pop 129,920) 14,20614,26414478 166,000 CITY OF KITCHENER (2016 pop 233,222) 116,845118,598120377 230,000 CITY OF WATERLOO (2016 pop 104,986) 12,32612,51112698 110,000 REGION OF WATERLOO 50,00050,00050000 SEOW -REGION OF WATERLOO30,00030,00015,000 DIGITAL SERVICE SQUAD198,000240,00060,000 SPONSORSHIPS5,0005,0005,000 Total Revenue 882,929926,925779,760 EXPENSES TOTAL WAGES AND BENEFITS589,394633,389523,134 OPERATIONS Administrative 42,16842,16842,168 Marketing16,95716,9575,048 Special Events7,7507,7507,750 Professional Services35,66035,66010,660 Grants 191,000191,000191,000 TOTAL EXPENSES 882,929 926,924 779,760 SURPLUS /(DEFICIT)000 OPENING SURPLUS/(DEFICIT)124,227124,227124,227 ENDING SURPLUS/(DEFICIT)124,227124,227124,227