Sometimes, even the best-laid plans can leave council unimpressed.
Committee of the whole recommended council adopt the BWG Economic Development Strategy (2023-26) following a report from Michael Disano, the town’s manager of economic development, and a presentation from Catherine Oosterbaan from Oosterbaan Strategy, during its meeting Nov. 7.
The plan aims to guide economic activity in town to the year 2026 and address the “rapid growth and change” the town has been experiencing in recent years as residents and businesses move north from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) by balancing the residential and industrial commercial tax base, creating more local jobs, increasing opportunities for more residents to live and work in Bradford, and lowering vacancy rates.
Oosterbaan said she had been working with the economic development team since March to consult with the community, stakeholders, businesses and councillors “to make sure we pick the best path forwards.”
The plan identified 14 themes, including labour, housing, public transportation, tourism, revitalizing the downtown, and more, with Oosterbaan emphasizing growth.
“Growth is coming regardless, so just be cautious where you are more permissive with development,” she said.
From there, the plan presented three main goals, each with their own objectives:
-
Bradford is prepared and well-positioned to welcome complementary, sustainable and impactful investment opportunities that build on the strength of the town’s central location
-
The town has the entrepreneurial resources, supports and ecosystem to enable businesses to start, grow, and innovate.
-
Bradford offers a livable community with a high quality of life and destination amenities
Still, some councillors felt the plan was too vague and were left wanting more specifics, after seeing objectives such as “establish a vision to revitalize the downtown,” or “enable local entrepreneurs to access the resources, support, and connections they need.”
“When I was watching your presentation, the first thing that came to my mind was ‘no kidding,’” said Ward 4 Coun. Joseph Giordano, who suggested the plan should include more “how-to” information.
Disano explained that many of the items suggested in the plan would result in individual plans of their own, such as the tourism plan and land strategy.
While he praised the work done so far, Ward 3 Coun. Ben Verkaik worried that with an economic development department of only two people, the goals would be difficult to accomplish. But Disano said the current three-year mandate was actually scaled down in comparison to the previous two-year pandemic plan, plus the department is planning to take on one new staff in 2025.
While he appreciated the plan’s ambition, Ward 6 Coun. Nickolas Harper agreed that implementation would require more direct goals, metrics and timelines to guide and demonstrate progress.
“I’m not really satisfied in any capacity about this,” he said. “We already know about this stuff ... we’re a little bit behind the eight ball.”
Ward 2 Coun. Jonathan Scott agreed that much of the report seemed familiar, but saw that as reinforcing council’s strategic priorities.
“This is the umpteenth report — the Downtown Revitalization Strategy, the COVID Resiliency Strategy, the Transportation Master Plan, the Trails Master Plan, the Leisure Services Master Plan, I could go on and on — that’s telling us to do the same things: revitalize the downtown, connect ourselves to the canals as a tourism anchor, deal with our labour shortages, emphasize our industrial, emphasize our agriculture and build an entrepreneurial hub. The problem is: we actually have to do it,” he said.
While Scott felt the town was “very unlikely” to ever have a college or university, he hoped they could still attract a labour training facility.
Recommendations from committee of the whole are considered for approval at the next regular council meeting.
