By NICK STEWART
The way economic development is pursued in the Temiskaming Shores area is changing thanks to a drastic shift at city hall.
The economic development office, which had merged with the planning department early last year, has been eliminated. Instead, the work done by long-time staffer John Gauvreau will be overseen by the newly instituted Mayor’s Office of Economic Development (MED), which seeks to emulate a similar system seen at the City of North Bay.
“We were looking for something more effective than what had been in place,” Mayor Judy Pace said.
“In the previous set up, we had one staff person who basically had everything on their desk. I think with something like economic development, it’s too big for that. I think that you need to have much, much more input and I believe that the mayor of a municipality and the council have to share in the responsibility of economic development.”
Pace adds that her job as mayor already involves a great deal of meeting with prospective businesses, and that in her new role, she’s better able to steer interested parties through the proper channels to cut through the red tape.
While North Bay’s economic development wing features a manager and two economic development officers, Temiskaming Shores uses a different structure altogether, relying instead on existing local expertise without creating any new dedicated positions.
Aside from the mayor, the MED is being led by CAO Brian Carré, who had served as the city planner prior to his appointment in 2006. While the mayor serves as the key point of contact for the economic development arm for the city, Carré will serve in a more technical role by analyzing business proposals, directing initiatives to the staff.
The pair are assisted by three support staff, including Pat Cormier, executive assistant to the CAO and a policy advisor with the city; James Franks, tourism and special events coordinator for the city; and Ken Laffrenier, manager of Enterprise Temiskaming and president of the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce.
All six city councillors will also included as part of the MED, and will provide their input during council meetings.
This wide-ranging level of local input is crucial for involving all regions of Temiskaming Shores in the economic development processes.
“From the standpoint of the region, I think the opportunity to work on a broader scale, while still focusing in on community economic development is key,” Laffrenier says. “I think the model we had previously did exactly what it was required to do, but unfortunately, the direction tended to almost be reactionary. Now, with the MED, you have council and mayor taking the lead on that direction.”
Pace dismisses any concerns that her role as mayor would detract from the time she can dedicate to her new role, saying her major focus points for 2008 are infrastructure and economic development.
Instituted in mid-August, the MED had its first official day-long brainstorming meeting on Jan. 12, during which the participants attempted to determine a shortlist of key projects to pursue in 2008.
Emerging as the front-runners were the popular Business Retention and Expansion (BR+E) program, as well as the First Impressions Community Exchange Program, where similar communities work together to identify local strengths and weaknesses.
Pace said another major theme emerging from the meeting was that of recycling, which is “high on the radar in Temiskaming Shores” and a personal passion of the mayor’s.
Currently, the city does not have a blue box program in place, and Pace says this lack of environmental regard stands to harm the perception of the city as a an attractive place to live. This is particularly important for attracting younger generations who are strongly connected to this particular theme, Pace says.
“I think our environmental issues, our environmental responsibilities are part of our infrastructure, and our infrastructure is part of our economic development. It’s all tied together.”
City council’s appreciation of North Bay’s methods also extends to the North Bay Heritage Committee, which oversees the development and administration of the city’s waterfront. Temiskaming Shores hopes to promote and brand Lake Timiskaming to tourists and residents alike. In turn this will strengthen the tourism and local economy.
“We have to rethink how we approach the city. We have a lot of strengths we can play up, and it’s very exciting to have things moving forward.”
