Office of Economic Development (2015)

Transcription

Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury
Economic Development Strategy
Draft Final Report
October 2015
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .......................................................................................................................................... IV
LIST OF ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................................... V
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................................................I
1
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................2
1.1
1.2
1.3
2
WHY THIS NEEDS TO BE A LIVING DOCUMENT
METHODOLOGY
REPORT STRUCTURE
2
3
4
WHERE ARE WE NOW? ....................................................................................................................................6
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
PROVINCIAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK AND LOCAL CONTEXT FOR
DEVELOPMENT
DEMOGRAPHICS
LABOUR FORCE PROFILE
BUSINESS COMPOSITION
EMPLOYMENT LAND OVERVIEW AND COMPETITIVENESS
6
7
9
13
16
3
CONSULTATION SUMMARY ...........................................................................................................................31
4
PRIORITIZING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES ...............................................................................................40
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
SWOT
MAJOR SWOT THEMES
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
INVESTMENT ATTRACTION OPPORTUNITIES
LOCAL BUSINESS GROWTH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
40
41
42
43
56
5 FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – THE CRITICAL
PATH ...................................................................................................................................................................60
5.1
6
61
ACTION PLANS ................................................................................................................................................71
6.1
6.2
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CRITICAL PATH STEPS FOR BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY
INTERPRETING THE ACTION PLANS
ACTION PLANS
MDB Insight: Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury – Economic Development Strategy
71
72
APPENDIX MATERIALS .........................................................................................................................................82
APPENDIX A: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY GROUP - TERMS OF
REFERENCE
APPENDIX B: BACKGROUND REVIEW
APPENDIX C: DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE
APPENDIX D: LABOUR FORCE PROFILE
APPENDIX E: INDUSTRY PROFILE
APPENDIX F: VICINITY JOBS HIRING DEMAND FINDINGS
APPENDIX G: INVESTMENT READINESS CHECKLIST
APPENDIX H: INVESTMENT READINESS TOOLKIT COMPENDIUM
82
86
87
93
98
102
108
115
List of Figures
FIGURE 1: STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS ...................................................................................................... 3
FIGURE 2: POPULATION AGE PYRAMIDS FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2011........................................... 8
FIGURE 3: HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, 2011 .................................................................. 9
FIGURE 4: TOTAL LABOUR FORCE BY OCCUPATIONAL COMPOSTIION (NOC) FOR BRADFORD
WEST GWILLIMBURY, 2011 ................................................................................................................................... 10
FIGURE 5: JOB STATISTICS FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2010 AND 2015 .............................................. 12
FIGURE 6: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY TOP 10 JOB GROWTH SECTORS BY 3 DIGIT
INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION, 2010 - 2015 ........................................................................................................... 12
FIGURE 7: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY CANADIAN BUSINESS PATTERNS TOP 10 INDUSTRY
BREAKDWON, JUNE 2014...................................................................................................................................... 14
FIGURE 8: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY CANADIAN BUSINESS PATTERNS INDUSTRY
BREAKDOWN, ABSOLUTE CHANGE JUNE 2010 TO JUNE 2014 ....................................................................... 15
FIGURE 9: INVENTORY OF ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE ARTESIAN INDUSTRIAL PARK ................................. 17
FIGURE 10: LAND AREA AND VACANY IN THE ARTESIAN INDUSTRIAL PARK............................................... 18
FIGURE 11: INVENTORY OF ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE REAGENS INDUSTRIAL PARK ............................... 19
FIGURE 12: LAND AREA AND VACANY IN THE REAGENS INDUSTRIAL PARK ............................................... 19
FIGURE 13: MAP DELINEATING THE LOCATION, BOUNDARY OF AND SPECIFIC AREAS WITHIN
THE BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY STRATEGIC SETTLEMENT EMPLOYMENT AREA: .......................... 20
FIGURE 14: HALTON, PEEL, YORK, DURHAM REGIONS AND SIMCOE COUNTY PROJECTED
EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY GROWTH 2011 TO 2021 ..................................................................................... 21
FIGURE 15: SIMCOE COUNTY PROJECTED EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY GROWTH 2011 TO 2021 .......... 22
EMPLOYMENT BY MANUFACTURING SUB-SECTOR GROWTH 2011 TO 2021 ............................................... 23
FIGURE 17: SIMCOE COUNTY PROJECTED EMPLOYMENT BY MANUFACTURING SUB-SECTOR
GROWTH 2011 TO 2021 ......................................................................................................................................... 24
FIGURE 18: EMPLOYMENT AREA CHARACTERISTICS ...................................................................................... 25
FIGURE 19: TAX RATES, 2015 ............................................................................................................................... 26
FIGURE 20: DEVELOPMENT CHARGES AND PERMIT FEES, 2015 ................................................................... 27
FIGURE 21: WATER AND WASTEWATER SERVICING COSTS, 2014 ................................................................ 28
FIGURE 22: VACANT EMPLOYMENT LAND SUPPLY, 2014 ................................................................................ 29
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FIGURE 23: GENERAL AGRI-BUSINESS VALUE CHAIN WITH NAIC CODES ................................................... 44
FIGURE 24: NEW ROLES REQUIRED OF TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE-RELATED INDUSTRIES ................ 45
FIGURE 25: MATERIALS MANUFACTURING VALUE CHAIN WITH NAIC CODES ............................................. 49
FIGURE 26: TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS, AND WAREHOUSING SECTOR INVOLVEMENT IN
INDUSTRY VALUE CHAINS .................................................................................................................................... 53
FIGURE 27: TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS, AND WAREHOUSING SECTOR COMPOSITION WITH
NAIC CODES ........................................................................................................................................................... 54
FIGURE 28: TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS AND WAREHOUSING VALUE CHAIN ........................................ 55
FIGURE 29: POPULATION AGE PYRAMIDS FOR SELECTED ONTARTIO GEOGRAPHIES, 2011 ................... 87
FIGURE 30: POPULATION BY GENERATION STATUS ........................................................................................ 88
FIGURE 31: HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, 2011 .............................................................. 89
FIGURE 32: PROPORTIONAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME LEVELS FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES,
2010 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 90
FIGURE 33: HOUSEHOLD MEDIAN INCOME LEVELS FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2010 ...................... 91
FIGURE 34: COMMUTER PATTERNS FOR BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY, 2011 ..................................... 92
FIGURE 35: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY TOP 10 IN-FLOW CONTRIBUTORS AND OUT-FLOW
DESTINATIONS ....................................................................................................................................................... 92
FIGURE 36: OCCUPATIONAL COMPOSTIION FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2011 ................................... 93
FIGURE 37: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY OCCUPATIONAL COMPOSITION BY NOC
OCCUPATIONAL GROUPING AND SKILL LEVEL, 2011 ....................................................................................... 94
FIGURE 38 JOB STATISTICS FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2010 AND 2015 ............................................. 95
FIGURE 39: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY TOTAL JOBS BY INDUSTRY AND % CHANGE JOBS
BY INDUSTRY 2010-2015 FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES ............................................................................... 96
FIGURE 40 TOTAL JOB COUNT LQS FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2015 (AGAINST CANADA) .............. 97
FIGURE 41: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY CANADIAN BUSINESS PATTERNS TOP 10
INDUSTRY BREAKDWON, JUNE 2014 .................................................................................................................. 98
BREAKDOWN, JUNE 2014...................................................................................................................................... 99
BREAKDOWN, ABSOLUTE CHANGE JUNE 2010 TO JUNE 2014 ..................................................................... 100
FIGURE 44: CANADIAN BUSINESS PATTERNS INDUSTRY BREAKDOWN, FOR SELECTED
GEOGRAPHIES, PERCENTAGE CHANGE JUNE 2010 – 2014 .......................................................................... 101
FIGURE 48 JOB POSTINGS BY INDUSTRY ........................................................................................................ 103
FIGURE 49: JOB POSTINGS BY EMPLOYER – TOP 25 EMPLOYERS ............................................................. 104
FIGURE 50: JOB POSTINGS BY OCCUPATION CATEGORY (1-DIGIT NOC) ................................................... 105
FIGURE 51: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY TOP 20 OCCUPATIONS, 2014 .............................................. 106
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This report has been supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs by
providing access to the EMSI Analyst tool. Nevertheless, the views expressed in this
report are the views of MDB INSIGHT and do not necessarily reflect those of the
Ministry.
PHOTO CREDITS
All photos contained in this report have been provided by the Town of Bradford West
Gwillimbury.
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List of Acronyms
BWG – Bradford West Gwillimbury
CD – Census Division
CSD – Census Subdivision
EDAG – Economic Development Advisory Group
EMSI – Economic Modeling Specialists Intl.
GTA – Greater Toronto Area
LMI – Labour Market Information
NAICS – North American Industry Classification System
NHS – National Household Survey
NOC – National Occupational Classification
NOC-S - National Occupational Classification for Statistics
PSTS - Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
R&D – Research and Development
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Executive Summary
The goal of this Strategy is to optimize Bradford West Gwillimbury’s economic development capacity over
the next five years. To this end, this Strategy serves to prioritize the Town’s economic development
opportunities and support them with clear action plans. Each action item presented in this Strategy has
specific timelines so they can be prioritized and resourced appropriately.
The Strategy represents the culmination of several months of work by staff and an external Project Team
from the consulting firm of MDB Insight. The methodology used to develop this Strategy combined
research and analysis of the current context in Bradford West Gwillimbury, and the province, with a
comprehensive consultation and engagement process. The voices of local and regional community and
business leaders provided strong guidance during the planning process.
There is a sense of optimism when considering the town’s future. The town’s financial position,
community assets and demographics are favourable in the context of its municipal neighbours. The
Holland Marsh provides for agricultural and food processing opportunities. The town’s population growth
continues to outpace the province and is benefiting from an influx of new Canadians. Moreover, the
town’s largest industrial sectors are poised to benefit from external macro-economic forces more than at
any time in the past 10 years.
The Province has also designated a new 500 hectare employment area in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Located along the Highway 400, this employment area is expected to accommodate a significant share of
the Town’s future employment growth. It will be supported by full municipal servicing and will have direct
access to the Highway 400. This is Simcoe County’s most significant goods movement corridor. By all
accounts, this employment area is well positioned to attract significant private investment toward
development. Over the long term this employment area is expected to re-shape the town’s economic
composition by adding a series of large scale employers.
At present the Town’s Economic Development Department is focused on retaining and expanding local
businesses. This has been a central mandate of the Department since its inception. It is recommended
that this mandate continue over the next five years. Although, as the Town shifts towards accommodating
and facilitating a new wave of commercial and industrial development, there will be a need for increased
economic development capacity.
During the consultation process and community assessment, the Project Team identified a series of shortcomings related to the Town’s economic development capacity and state of investment readiness. With its
existing staff, the Town’s Economic Development Department struggles to balance the demands of
supporting the town’s existing businesses with pro-active investment attraction activities. In the near term,
with the guidance of a newly formed Economic Development Advisory Group, the Town’s Economic
Development Department will focus its efforts in those areas with the greatest return on investment. A full
description and terms of reference for the Economic Development Advisory Group is outlined in the
Strategy, but in short this Group will advise the Economic Development Department on strategic issues,
programs, and policies from a local perspective. It will further assist in business outreach as members will
leverage their contacts. The intent is for this Group to streamline the Economic Development
Department’s activities by prioritizing certain functions over others.
Importantly, as the 400 Highway employment lands become marketable with servicing in place, it will be
crucial for Bradford West Gwillimbury to move towards the “Gold Standard of Investment Readiness”.
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Maintaining this standard will require additional staff time and resources. This Strategy’s action plans also
identify the need for increased budgets associated with marketing and communications.
With this in mind, investments in these areas should be carefully considered in the context of Simcoe
County’s economic development mandate, functions, and capacity. The County of Simcoe has a level of
economic development capacity and sophistication not present in Bradford West Gwillimbury. Simcoe
County’s economic development function is regional in scope. It has a research, marketing, and technical
services mandate. Accordingly, the pooling of resources for marketing and investment attraction offers
efficiencies from economies of scale. In the context of its existing strengths and competitive value
proposition Bradford West Gwillimbury should work with the County to attract investment in the following
industries:



Food processing
Materials manufacturing
Transportation, logistics and warehousing
Besides supporting investment attraction, this Strategy emphasizes the importance of local business
growth and entrepreneurship. At present, there is insufficient focus on promoting new and successful high
growth firms. Importantly, these are the firms which offer the greatest potential for creating local jobs.
Moving forward, Bradford West Gwillimbury needs to enhance its existing programs and coordinate their
transition toward a more sophisticated structure for nurturing and expanding knowledge-based
entrepreneurs. Moving forward, it will be important to survey the existing regional and provincial programs
to understand what explicit role the Town has to play. One such role is the provision of local incubation
facilities for entrepreneurs.
In a similar vein, it is important to recognize the Town’s most pressing aspirational objective. Recognizing
the challenges with local youth out-migration and levels of education attainment, the Town would like to
secure a local post-secondary bricks and mortar presence. Over the longer term, and beyond the scope
of this Economic Development Strategy, this objective may be achieved. Over the next five years,
however, this objective is considered unrealistic in light of the provincial government’s move to scale back
funding for new post-secondary developments and satellite campuses. While the Town waits for a new
provincial mandate, it should continue to support the Bradford Learning Centre and explore partnership
opportunities with local education service providers. As part of the Official Plan review, the Town may
consider reserving a major parcel of land for the longer term development of a post-secondary institution.
Finally, one source of frustration for local residents and business owners is the current state of the
Downtown. Bradford West Gwillimbury’s Downtown plays a central role in shaping the life of its residents
and is a reflection of the town’s traditions and aspirations. Bradford West Gwillimbury’s Downtown, and
associated quality of place, is the cornerstone of its value proposition to attract new residents and
businesses alike. Accordingly, there must be a commitment to enhancing the standards of new
developments and revitalizing those areas which have fallen behind. Over the next three years a series of
critical actions will be taken to execute the Downtown Bradford Revitalization Strategy. These activities
are reflected as part of the Economic Development Strategy to reinforce their urgency and importance. To
this end, the immediacy of these actions should be broadly conveyed to the business community as they
may be unaware of the impending improvements to the community.
To support effective engagement with these issues – and a range of others raised during the research
process – the strategy provides a series of guiding contextual considerations for economic development
in Bradford West Gwillimbury. It presents a series of critical steps required to advance a progressive and
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effective economic development agenda, and outlines a detailed rationale for each step and supporting
sequence of activities.
This work culminates in a detailed Action Plan which will focus efforts to implement the Economic
Development Strategy for Bradford West Gwillimbury. This Plan divides the recommended actions under
the five steps along a “critical path,” as illustrated below. In total, the Strategy suggests 54 action items to
be pursued by the Economic Development Office in collaboration with a series of partners, including other
Town departments and regional organizations.
From a technical perspective, this Strategy is also supported by a range of appendices. Of particular note
is Appendix A, which provides a preliminary Terms of Reference for a new Economic Development
Advisory Group. Appendix G and H outline specific avenues designed to improve the Town’s state of
“investment readiness,” including an Investment Readiness Checklist and Toolkit Compendium.
Ultimately, the Strategy provides Bradford West Gwillimbury with a clear vision of economic development
objectives, a strong rationale for activity that links objectives to outcomes, and a series of tools and
resources that will assist the community in achieving its economic development goals.
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1
1 Introduction
Bradford West Gwillimbury is forecasted to grow from an estimated 22,500 people in
2011 to 50,500 people by 2031. By this time, the town is expected to support 18,000
local jobs. There are a number of considerations for the Town in managing this growth,
not the least of which is how it will leverage an expanding regional economy for its
growing population while also creating high-value, knowledge-intensive jobs and
activities within the Town itself.
The Town’s Strategic Plan and forthcoming Official Plan will have been drafted to
guide the trajectory of this growth. The Economic Development Strategy provides a
necessary addition to this planning framework by addressing the challenge of
achieving balanced growth, providing a roadmap for the Town to proactively shape an
economy that effectively mixes residential growth with new job-creating investments in
a range of industrial and commercial sectors. As such, the approach to economic
development for Bradford West Gwillimbury is central to achieving the goal of a
‘complete community’ that builds upon the Town’s agricultural traditions, community
heritage and industrial success.
In this sense, this project is a means to optimizing Bradford West Gwillimbury’s
economic development capacity by prioritizing economic opportunities and supporting
them with clear action plans. To maximize effectiveness, the Town must prioritize
those with the greatest return on investment and marshal resources accordingly.
Recognizing that the nature of economic development in North America is changing,
this is not a straight forward exercise. Today, economic development has moved well
beyond business attraction towards activities that build economies from within.
Increasing emphasis is placed on innovation, knowledge, creativity, talent, and
fostering entrepreneurial skills. This shift from the “production of goods and
commodities” to less tangible knowledge and creative-based economies has
contributed to a diversity of economic development practices which fall under the
umbrella of “economic gardening” and “business retention and expansion”. In this light,
this Economic Development Strategy gives due consideration to investment attraction,
but also promotes a range of activities designed to bolster the town’s economy and
ensure long term economic prosperity.
1.1 Why this needs to be a Living Document
This Economic Development Strategy is a foundation on which to continue to develop
a prosperous local economy. The activities included in the action plans all have a time
line so that they can be prioritized and resources allocated appropriately. That being
said, it is important to recognize that the Strategy should not be treated as a static
document. The findings in this report should continually be re-assessed as the context
of Bradford West Gwillimbury changes, including changes in the economy,
demographics, and provincial and regional developments. By treating the Strategy as a
living document, the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury and its Economic
2
Development Office can ensure that the findings remain relevant and contribute
towards the overall objectives of supporting the continued economic prosperity of the
town.
1.2 Methodology
The methodology used to develop this Strategy combined research and analysis of the
current context in Bradford West Gwillimbury, and the province, with a comprehensive
consultation and engagement process with business and community leaders and
regional organizations. These efforts provided a foundation for informed strategic
directions for Bradford West Gwillimbury, and actions to implement those directions.
The detailed components of the methodology include:

Project Launch - Project initiation, work plan, outreach consultation plan and
confirmed report outline

Research and Engagement - Background review, economic base analysis, local
asset inventory, visioning session with Town Council and Steering Committee, and
key informant interviews

Strategic Directions & Action Planning - SWOT analysis, competitive
advantages and disadvantages, competitiveness assessment, selection of future
directions and opportunities, action planning, and draft final report to the Town

Project Conclusion - Finalizing the Economic Development Strategic Plan and
final presentation to Town Council
FIGURE 1: STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS
Competitiveness
Assessment
Economic Base
Analysis
Background
Review
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Stakeholder
Consultation
Economic
Development
Strategic
Plan
SWOT
Assessment
1.3 Report Structure
The Economic Development Strategy is organized into seven sections:
Section 2 provides an overview of the local and regional economy and how Bradford
West Gwillimbury is situated within that economy. The town’s demographic, economic,
and labour force profile is also presented. The complete base analysis is provided in
the Appendix.
Section 3 outlines the results of the consultation activities conducted as part of this
study. Common themes among interviews and workshops are presented in summary
form.
Section 4 identifies the town’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The
discussion details the town’s competitive position and profiles investment attraction
and community development opportunities.
Section 5 introduces the guiding contextual considerations for economic development
in Bradford West Gwillimbury. It then presents the critical path steps required to
advance a progressive economic development agenda.
Section 6 provides distinct actions plans to support each of the critical path steps
outlined in section 5.
A number of Appendices are also included with additional information that expands on
the sections presented in the main body of the report
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5
2 Where Are We Now?
2.1 Provincial Economic Outlook and Local
Context for Development
The provincial economy stands to benefit from external forces more than at any time in
the past 10 years. Looking ahead, the combination of higher U.S. growth, the lower
Canadian dollar, and cost savings by consumers and businesses, from lower oil prices,
notably in transportation, is expected to drive Ontario’s real GDP by nearly 3% in 2016
1
and 2017. This compares to an estimated 1.9% in 2014 and 1.3% in 2013.
It is expected that cost savings from the drop in oil prices and the competitive
advantage gained from the lower Canadian dollar, along with more demand from the
U.S., will work in favour of southern Ontario manufacturers. Across the GTA, however,
manufacturers are expected to face crosscurrents. On the positive side, automakers
are continuing to invest in domestic operations which will support existing supply
chains. On the negative side, the scheduled plant closures in Oakville and Brampton
signals ongoing instability in the sector. Moreover, the oil price drop is less demand for
machinery and equipment from energy companies in Alberta and other oil-producing
provinces.
Aside from manufacturing, business investment expenditures in GTA are forecast to
remain on a strong growth trend over the next two years. Although government
investment spending will remain low as the senior governments restrain expenditures
to achieve balanced budgets.
In the near term immigration in the GTA is expected to drive labour force growth, but it
will be dampened by net out-migration to other places in Ontario and Canada. These
gains will also be offset by a declining participation rate due to retiring baby boomers
2
and range bound employment of younger people and those with obsolete skills.
Non-residential building permits in the Toronto economic region are forecast to
increase 7.3% in 2015 and 5.3% in 2016 following a slight rise in 2014. The broader
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Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is expected to mirror these gains.
Across the GTA, the cost of land, lack of serviceable lots and land use policies have
restricted the supply of single detached homes which has led to a tight resale market.
This has focused new housing developments in communities like Bradford West
Gwillimbury which have been open to such development. In this context, Bradford
West Gwillimbury, like many communities across the GTA, is struggling to retain its
traditions and small town charm in spite of tremendous residential growth.
1 Ontario Chamber of Commerce. 2015. Toronto Regional Economic Outlook.
2 Ontario Chamber of Commerce. 2015. Regional Economic Outlook Summary of Ontario.
3 Ontario Chamber of Commerce. 2015. Toronto Regional Economic Outlook.
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Downtown Bradford West Gwillimbury is subject to “growing pains” as traffic issues
and the need for infrastructural upgrades currently limits its attractiveness. In response
to these challenges Town Council has adopted a plan to “spur the revitalization of the
downtown core and restore it to its rightful place as the heart of Bradford West
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Gwillimbury”. To continue to support this revitalization, along with investments in
community amenities and infrastructure, the Town will look to build on its traditional
economic drivers. The local economy is inextricably linked to the manufacturing sector
while also benefiting from local and regional agricultural strengths. With huge tracts of
local employment lands scheduled to be serviced in the coming years, the Town has
the potential to re-balance its tax assessment ratio and move towards a more complete
community with quality jobs for local people.
2.2 Demographics
As of 2011, the demographic structure of Bradford West Gwillimbury was considerably
different from the overall structure of Ontario and its regional counterparts. The
population pyramids in Figure 2 illustrate these differences. For this study, Bradford
West Gwillimbury was consistently compared with New Tecumseth, Innisfil, Simcoe
County and York Region. The complete results of these comparisons can be found in
the Appendix. Several key indicators suggest:

Bradford West Gwillimbury population is growing quickly and is projected to grow
substantially over the next two decades. The pace of population growth has
exceeded the provincial average for the last three census periods. Between 2006
and 2011 the population grew by 16.8%.

The town has a relatively low number of elderly dependants, but still sizable in
absolute terms. At the same time, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s proportion of young
dependants is consistent with regional and provincial trends (with the exception of
the 15-19 age cohort which is elevated).

Bradford West Gwillimbury’s working age population is concentrated in the 45 to
54 age cohort. The town’s working age population is smallest for those age cohorts
between 25 and 39 years of age. This may be a result of consistent youth out
migration.

The median age of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s population is 37.2. This is the
youngest median age amongst the comparator communities and well below the
provincial average of 40.4.

The town is attracting a relatively large proportion of new Canadians. As of 2011,
over 20% of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s population was composed of first
generation Canadians. This is nearly double the rate in Simcoe County (12%), but
well behind the levels in York Region (46%).
4 Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury. Downtown Bradford Revitalization Strategy. 2011.
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These population trends play a significant role in the public policy and infrastructure
development needs of Bradford West Gwillimbury. With a growing population there will
be an increased demand for a greater range of services and local employment
opportunities. The impact of an ageing population will require consideration of the
needs and demands that will allow them to age in place (e.g. housing, health care,
personal services, etc.). Further, if the town is to attract or retain younger families,
consideration will need to be given to the nature of the local housing stock, as well the
availability of recreational facilities and amenities.
FIGURE 2: POPULATION AGE PYRAMIDS FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2011
Source: Statistics Canada; 2011 Census of Population. Adapted by MDB Insight. 2015.
In terms of education, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s population has low rates of
university degrees in relation to York Region and Ontario. Figure 3 shows the relative
educational attainment of the local population against neighbouring jurisdictions. When
compared with Simcoe County communities, however, Bradford West Gwillimbury is
on par with respect to post-secondary degrees. Bradford West Gwillimbury and
neighbouring Simcoe County communities also tend to have higher rates of
apprenticeship or trades than found across Ontario or within York Region.
The town’s levels of education have a direct influence on business’ perception of the
quality of the local labour force, which affect investment opportunities. At present the
town is well suited to support trades based industries such as construction, agriculture,
and particular manufacturing subsectors, but it is not well equipped to compete for
higher order knowledge based industries, often tied to professional scientific and
technical services.
With that said, the town’s demonstrated capacity to attract new Canadians, who often
carry advanced degrees and a range of technical skills, is a positive sign. If leveraged,
these newcomers may drive local business growth in the increasingly pervasive
knowledge based economy.
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FIGURE 3: HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, 2011
Source: Statistics Canada; 2011 NHS Custom Data Table-99-012-X2011041. Adapted by MDB Insight. 2015.
2.3 Labour Force Profile
As of 2011, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s employed labour force aged 15 and over
totaled 15,150 people. Of that number, 13,475 were employed by a business while the
remaining 1,670 were self-employed. In terms of age composition, over a quarter of
the local workforce is in the 45 to 54 cohort which may present challenges long term if
younger workers are not present to assume the jobs of retiring workers.
In terms of commuting flows, Bradford West Gwillimbury is a net exporter of workers.
On any given day, for those workers with a fixed place of employment, approximately
8,950 workers leave town. Their top destinations for work include: Newmarket,
Toronto, Vaughan and Aurora. With the exception of Barrie, the town’s commuter flows
are generally tied to more southern communities in the GTA. Despite this outflow,
Bradford West Gwillimbury is home to approximately 2,900 local commuters. These
are people who live and work in town. In addition, on any given day, approximately
3,600 workers enter Bradford West Gwillimbury for work. These workers are primarily
drawn from Barrie, Innisfil, Newmarket and New Tecumseth. In sum, Bradford West
Gwillimbury is a net exporter of approximately 2,500 workers each day. Given the wellintegrated regional labour market across the GTA, these commuter patterns are to be
expected. These patterns present challenges in the form of retail leakage as people
tend to purchase goods and services where they work.
As defined by the National Occupational Classification system or NOC, the figure
below shows Bradford West Gwillimbury’s employment base is concentrated in ‘sales
and service’, ‘trades and transport’, and ‘business, finance and administrative’ related
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occupations. Collectively these occupational groupings account for nearly 60% of the
town’s resident labour force. Bradford West Gwillimbury’s occupational composition
generally mirrors the composition of Simcoe County and its neighbouring communities.
In contrast, York Region tends to have higher concentrations of occupations in
management, business, finance, and natural and applied sciences than found in
Bradford West Gwillimbury.
FIGURE 4: TOTAL LABOUR FORCE BY OCCUPATIONAL COMPOSTIION (NOC) FOR BRADFORD
WEST GWILLIMBURY, 2011
Source: Statistics Canada; 2011 NHS Custom Data Table-99-012-X2011034. Adapted by MDB Insight. 2015.
In terms of absolute employment numbers, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s top 20
occupations are closely tied to supporting the local population. Retail salespersons,
cashiers, retail and wholesale trade managers, for example, account for the top three
local job categories. It is worth noting that this is common for communities in southern
Ontario. Also note the full table of these occupations is provided in the Appendix.
Occupations and Skill Level
This subsection describes the skill level requirements, for Bradford
West Gwillimbury’s 2011 labour force by occupation. This data is
derived from the 2011 National Household Survey and speaks to
Bradford West Gwillimbury’s resident labour force. The town’s top
20 occupations demand a range of skill sets and educational
backgrounds. As per Human Resources and Skills Development
Canada’s definition where (pie chart):
A = Occupations usually require university education
B = Occupations usually require college education or
apprenticeship training
C = Occupations usually require secondary school and/or
occupation specific training
D = On-the-job training is usually provided for occupations
10
Labour Force by Industry
As defined by the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS), Bradford
West Gwillimbury’s employment by industry is concentrated in the following sectors:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Retail trade – with 2,140 workers; 14% of total
Manufacturing – with 2,045 workers; 13 % of total
Construction – with 1,725 workers; 11% of total
Health care and social assistance – with 1,315 workers; 9% of total
Educational services – with 965 workers; 6% of total
Professional, scientific and technical services – with 795 workers; 5% of total
Amongst these sectors, there are notable concentrations of employment in: grocery
stores, materials product manufacturing, utility system construction, offices of dentists,
elementary and secondary schools, and legal services.
With respect to relative concentrations of employment, Bradford West Gwillimbury is
home to the greatest levels of construction and retail based employment in the area.
Aside from New Tecumseth, Bradford West Gwillimbury is also home to the highest
concentration of employment tied to manufacturing in the area. While professional
scientific and technical service related employment is high in absolute terms, this
sector is proportionally underrepresented in Bradford West Gwillimbury. Given the
movement of Ontario’s economy towards knowledge based employment, this may be
cause for concern. At present Bradford West Gwillimbury is not competitively
positioned to attract and retain these types of professionals. The lack of a major postsecondary presence serves to exacerbate and perpetuate this local short-coming.
Local Employment Trends
According to Ontario’s economic modelling and projections tool developed by
Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI), as of 2015 Bradford West Gwillimbury is
home to 8,341 jobs. This figure is distinct from the town’s labour force which is over
15,000 people, because the EMSI statistic reports on those jobs actually in Bradford
West Gwillimbury. In other words, the labour force information describes the type of
work Bradford West Gwillimbury’s residents are involved in while the EMSI statistic
points to local job activity regardless of where who is filling those jobs and where they
may be coming from.
As shown in Figure 5 this job growth is well above the growth experienced by Simcoe
County and Ontario. Amongst its regional counterparts, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s
rate of job growth is only behind East Gwillimbury. As shown in the figure below, since
2010 Bradford West Gwillimbury’s number of local jobs has increased by 14%.
11
FIGURE 5: JOB STATISTICS FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2010 AND 2015
Geography
2010
Jobs
2015 Jobs
Change
%
Change
2014 Average
Earnings
Bradford West Gwillimbury
7,304
8,341
1,037
14%
$40,117
157,707
168,338
10,631
7%
$40,930
Simcoe
East Gwillimbury
5,220
6,384
1,164
22%
$42,629
New Tecumseth
16,185
16,865
680
4%
$47,451
Innisfil
5,826
6,604
778
13%
$38,470
434,239
476,839
42,600
10%
$49,448
5,770,396
6,095,942
325,546
6%
$48,516
York
Ontario
Source: EMSI Q1 2015 Data Set. 2015.1 Employee Data Run. Adapted by MDB Insight. 2015.
During this five year period, those industrial sub sectors which exhibited the highest
levels of absolute job growth as shown in the figure below. Bradford West
Gwillimbury’s manufacturing sector led job growth with the top two leading industrial
subsectors. In fact Bradford West Gwillimbury’s broader manufacturing sector grew by
19%, which with the exception of manufacturing growth in East Gwillimbury, was
unmatched in Simcoe County and York Region.
Population supporting industries are well represented in terms of job growth with
educational services, food services, and repair and maintenance each on the top 10
list. In terms of job decline, over this period, farms experienced the most losses with an
estimated 19 jobs. Taken together, Bradford West Gwillimbury is primarily in a growth
mode.
FIGURE 6: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY TOP 10 JOB GROWTH SECTORS BY 3 DIGIT INDUSTRY
CLASSIFICATION, 2010 - 2015
NAICS
Code
Description
2010
Jobs
2015
Jobs
Change
%
Change
2014
Avg.
Earnings
Per Job
336
Transportation equipment
manufacturing
887
1,061
174
20%
$57,052
326
Plastics and rubber products
manufacturing
388
534
146
38%
$42,864
561
Administrative and support services
289
412
123
43%
$28,111
611
Educational services
430
540
110
26%
$56,564
238
Specialty trade contractors
489
598
109
22%
$45,743
722
Food services and drinking places
443
546
103
23%
$13,636
484
Truck transportation
97
141
44
45%
$47,552
623
Nursing and residential care facilities
337
372
35
10%
$31,731
811
Repair and maintenance
131
164
33
25%
$42,993
237
Heavy and civil engineering
construction
90
119
29
32%
$55,393
12
2.4 Business Composition
2.4.1 Business Patterns Assessment and Industry Breakdown
Statistics Canada’s Canadian Business Patterns Data provides a record of business
establishments by industry and size. This data is collected from the Canada Revenue
Agency (CRA). The business data collected for Bradford West Gwillimbury includes all
local businesses that meet at least one of the three following criteria:



Have an employee workforce for which they submit payroll remittances to CRA
Have a minimum of $30,000 in annual sales revenue
Are incorporated under a federal or provincial act and have filed a federal
corporate income tax form within the past three years.
The Canadian Business Patterns Data records business counts by “Total”,
“Indeterminate” and “Subtotal” categories. The establishments in the “Indeterminate”
category include the self-employed (i.e. those who do not maintain an employee
payroll, but may have a workforce consisting of contracted workers, family members or
business owners). It should be noted that the Canadian Business Patterns Data uses
the CRA as a primary resource in establishment counts; therefore, businesses without
a business number or indicating annual sales less than $30,000 are not included. The
population of these small, unincorporated businesses is thought to be in the range of
600,000 in all of Canada.
Bradford West Gwillimbury’s proportion of total business counts as defined by
industrial sector are presented in the Figure 7 (next page).
Bradford West Gwillimbury’s top industrial categories based on total business location
counts include:





Construction
Professional, scientific and technical services
Real estate and rental and leasing
Retail trade
Transportation and warehousing
With the exception of real estate and rental and leasing, these industries are supported
by a high level of employer based operations (as identified by the “Subtotal” heading in
Figure 8). Those industries with the highest number of business counts, with
employers include:





13
Construction
Retail trade
Other services (except public administration)
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
BREAKDWON, JUNE 2014
Source: Canadian Business Patterns, June 2014. Adapted by MDB Insight. 2015.
The manufacturing sector supports 73 total businesses, with 40 of those businesses
supporting employees. The manufacturing sector accounts for Bradford West
Gwillimbury’s single largest employers with three operations employing over 100
people. In fact, one manufacturer employs over 500 workers.
Professional, scientific, and technical services does not account for a large number of
employees, but it does account for a large number of local businesses. Nearly 70% of
these businesses have no employees. However, these businesses have the potential
to grow and take on staff. The majority of those firms with employees in this space
employ 1-4 staff. Typically, these firms also support “quality jobs”.
In terms of business trends, between 2010 and 2014, Bradford West Gwillimbury
added a total of 419 businesses. Approximately one third of these businesses have
employees. During this period, the town’s highest growth sectors as measured by
absolute change include:


14
Construction



Retail trade
In the same period, Bradford West Gwillimbury lost businesses in management of
companies and within wholesale trade. The loss of the wholesale trade related firms is
particularly notable, given the town’s relative positioning as a growing logistics and
transportation area. Refer to the Appendix for a description of which industrial
subsectors experienced the greatest decline.
BREAKDOWN, ABSOLUTE CHANGE JUNE 2010 TO JUNE 2014
NAICS
Code
Industry Description
Total
Ind
Sub
Total
1-4
59
1019
2049
5099
100199
200499
500
+
23
Construction
120
77
43
37
1
6
(1)
0
0
0
0
48-49
59
45
14
14
0
1
(2)
1
0
0
0
53
Real estate
57
45
12
11
1
1
(1)
0
0
0
0
44-45
Retail trade
49
23
26
19
1
4
(2)
2
2
0
0
54
Professional, scientific and
technical services
42
29
13
11
4
(2)
0
0
0
0
0
56
Administrative and support,
waste management and
remediation services
19
8
11
8
3
(1)
0
1
0
0
0
72
Accommodation and food
services
19
12
7
3
(1)
2
2
1
0
0
0
62
Health care and social
assistance
17
14
3
4
(2)
1
(1)
1
0
0
0
81
Other services (except public
administration)
15
18
(3)
(10)
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
11
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and
hunting
12
13
(1)
(3)
0
3
(2)
2
0
(1)
0
31-33
Manufacturing
7
(4)
11
11
(1)
(1)
(2)
5
(1)
(1)
1
61
6
2
4
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
71
Arts, entertainment and
recreation
6
2
4
3
1
(1)
0
0
1
0
0
52
Finance and insurance
5
6
(1)
0
0
(1)
0
0
0
0
0
51
Information and cultural
industries
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
22
Utilities
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
91
Public administration
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
21
Mining, quarrying, and oil and
gas extraction
(1)
(1)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
41
Wholesale trade
(6)
(2)
(4)
(2)
(4)
5
(3)
(1)
1
0
0
55
Management of companies and
enterprises
(12)
(12)
0
(1)
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
419
279
140
107
12
18
(11)
12
3
(2)
1
Total
Source: Canadian Business Patterns, June 2010 and June 2014. Adapted by MDB Insight. 2015.
15
Between 2010 and 2014, the town’s highest growth sectors as measured by
percentage change include:





Retail trade
Each of these industries grew by over 40%. The residential population growth of the
area accounts for the business growth in real estate, retail trade and educational
services. More important for wealth creation, however, is the sustained presence of
manufacturing and growth in professional service firms. This is a positive sign for
Bradford West Gwillimbury as these export based activities serve to inject new (rather
than recirculated) money into the local economy.
2.5 Employment Land Overview and
Competitiveness
With a strong existing employment base composed of manufacturing
businesses, and access to Highways 400, 27, and 11, Bradford West
Gwillimbury is expected to accommodate a notable share of the
Simcoe area’s employment growth over the longer term. Existing
employment land in the municipality is largely contained within the
fully-serviced Reagens Industrial Park, and the partially-serviced
Artesian Industrial Park. Based on supply constraints and growth
prospects, the Province also designated the Highway 400/88
Employment Area as a strategic employment area for the Simcoe
Area. The 500 hectare employment area is expected to accommodate
a significant share of the Town’s future employment growth offering full
municipal servicing and access to both Highway 400 and 404 (over
the longer term) in a more prestige setting.
2.5.1 Employment Land Overview
Artesian Industrial Park
Artesian is a 171.9 acre industrial park located in the north end of Bradford West
Gwillimbury. Individual lots were originally developed on private servicing (i.e. private
water well and septic systems) and later connected to full municipal services. Most of
the Park’s vacant land remains disconnected.
Artesian’s prime features include an adjacent railway line service and proximity to key
transit gateways in the region. Construction, other services (auto shops, personal
16
services) and manufacturing comprise over 50% of all current activity in the park.
Figure 9 illustrates an inventory of establishments within Artesian.
FIGURE 9: INVENTORY OF ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE ARTESIAN INDUSTRIAL PARK
Number of
Establishments
% of Total
Number of
Establishments
Construction
15
25.9%
10
17.2%
Manufacturing
9
15.5%
Wholesale trade
7
12.1%
5
8.6%
Retail trade
3
5.2%
2
3.4%
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services
2
3.4%
Utilities
1
1.7%
1
1.7%
Health care and social assistance
1
1.7%
Arts, entertainment and recreation
1
1.7%
Public Administration
1
1.7%
Type of Establishment (NAIC)
Total Number of Establishments
58
Total Vacant Lots
23
Source: Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Business Directory and Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury
Economic Development Office, August 2015
Noted in the development of the Community Improvement Plan and echoed in
stakeholder consultation were challenges as they relate to site development and
uptake within the Artesian Industrial Park.
Accessibility and visibility of the park remains an ongoing challenge for the Town.
While the recent construction of the Line 8/Dissette St. bypass has improved access
for employees, poor signage continues to make it difficult for transportation providers
to locate or access the park. Residential pressures have also added to road
restrictions for transportation providers. School zones and weight restrictions for
trucking have increased shipping times for establishments within the park.
Secondly, the challenge with the size and price of vacant lots in Artesian has limited
the uptake from potential developers. The Park has a total of 56 lots - with 46 lots
(82%) smaller than 5 acres. The estimated rate of vacancy in the Park is 41% (23
vacant lots), with 4 vacant lots between 3-5 acres and 17 vacant lots less than 3 acres.
Figure 10 illustrates a listing of all available industrial land in Artesian.
17
FIGURE 10: LAND AREA AND VACANY IN THE ARTESIAN INDUSTRIAL PARK
Total Land Area
Vacant Land
Acres
Hectares
Acres
Hectares
% Acreage
Vacant
171.94
69.58
117.2
47.43
68%
Location
Property Type
Shape Area (m.sq)
Acres
20 Artesian Ind Pky
Vacant Industrial Land
15856.2
3.9
40 Artesian Ind Pky
2055.1
0.5
80 Artesian Ind Pky
3961.8
1.0
90 Artesian Ind Pky
4132.6
1.0
130 Artesian Ind Pky
4323.9
1.1
6058.5
1.5
220 Artesian Industrial Pky
4090.8
1.0
4090.9
1.0
4090.8
1.0
5159.4
1.3
4171.2
1.0
5569.2
1.4
35 Artesian Ind Pky
62503.2
15.4
9286.1
2.3
9286.0
2.3
9285.8
2.3
12997.4
3.2
11217.5
2.8
9893.6
2.4
14123.9
3.5
20 Industrial Rd
18667.2
4.6
Industrial Rd
250827.6
62.0
Dissette St
2751.5
0.7
474400.2
117.2
Total
Source: Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Economic Development Office, August 2015
Reagens Industrial Park
Reagens is a 329.1 acre industrial park located in the west end of Bradford West
Gwillimbury. The Park was originally created by a severance in 1989 and at that time
was not on municipal services. The Park was later connected to full municipal services.
Reagens is the younger of the Town’s two industrial areas. The Park has several large
land parcels with a total of 7 vacant lots – with 4 lots smaller than 3 acres. The
businesses located with Reagens are predominantly manufacturing based (Figure 11).
18
FIGURE 11: INVENTORY OF ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE REAGENS INDUSTRIAL PARK
Number of
Establishments
% of Total
Number of
Establishments
Manufacturing
7
43.8%
Wholesale trade
2
12.5%
2
12.5%
Retail trade
1
6.3%
1
6.3%
1
6.3%
1
6.3%
1
6.3%
Type of Establishment (NAIC)
Total Number of Establishments
16
Total Vacant Lots
7
Source: Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Business Directory and Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury
Economic Development Office, August 2015
Stakeholder consultation noted challenges as they relate to site development and
uptake within the Reagens Industrial Park. Several business/property owners have
noted that the growing pressures of residential development and its encroachment
towards the industrial area have alerted potential developers from steering away from
the park. While noise disturbance has been remedied by green buffer zones,
businesses are preoccupied with the proximity of residential due to other factors
including smells and safe transportation/disposal of hazardous material.
While most of Reagens industrial lots are occupied, three large vacant lots to the north
of the industrial area present significant opportunities for the Town. With access to full
municipal services these large acre lots (Figure 11) provide prestige employment
opportunities for the Town.
FIGURE 12: LAND AREA AND VACANY IN THE REAGENS INDUSTRIAL PARK
Total Land Area
Vacant Land
Acres
Hectares
Acres
Hectares
% Acreage
Vacant
329.1
133.19
184.2
74.54
56%
Location
Property Type
Shape Area (m.sq)
Acres
70 Reagens Ind Crt
11070.1
2.7
Reagens Ind Crt
3685.2
0.9
80 Reagens Industrial Pky
3685.0
0.9
3100 10th Sideroad
Farm
394398.3
97.5
3111 10th Sideroad
116760.2
28.9
3004 Line 8
Farm
206745.6
51.1
566 Holland St W
9046.0
2.2
745390.4
184.2
Total
Source: Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Economic Development Office, August 2015
19
Highway 400 Strategic Settlement Employment Area
Highway 400 is Simcoe County’s most significant goods movement corridor and a key
link in the Greater Golden Horseshoe’s transportation network. Acknowledging this key
link, Amendment 1 to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (for the
Simcoe Sub-area) identified Bradford West Gwillimbury’s Hwy 400 corridor as a
strategic settlement employment area.
The Bradford West Gwillimbury Strategic Settlement Employment Area offers high
potential to support the creation of high quality jobs in the manufacturing and industrial
sectors. Divided into four distinct areas, the Strategic Settlement Employment Area will
permit uses for manufacturing, assembly, fabrication and processing of mechanical
equipment, warehousing, distribution centre, food processing, agricultural uses,
research and training, and office uses.
FIGURE 13: MAP DELINEATING THE LOCATION, BOUNDARY OF AND SPECIFIC AREAS WITHIN THE
BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY STRATEGIC SETTLEMENT EMPLOYMENT AREA:
20
2.5.2 Projected Employment Growth Trends
The projections presented in this section were prepared by Strategic Projections Inc. in
2015. They were developed to inform employment growth by industry for Simcoe
County and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). For the purposes of this report, the
Greater Toronto Area consists of the Regions of Halton, Peel, York and Durham. Note
the City of Toronto is not captured in these projections.
The projections begin in 2011 and look out to 2021. Also note the projections concern
full time staff equivalents (FTE) and are for employment by place-of-work (EPOW).
GTA Employment Projections
Figure 14 provides the expected number of new jobs to be created in each industry for
the GTA and the County of Simcoe. Over this period job growth by industry in the GTA
is expected to concentrate in professional, scientific and technical services, with
54,065 new positions. As shown by Figure 14, growth in this sector will drastically
outpace the growth experienced by the education sector (31,265 new positions), the
second fastest growing sector in the GTA.
EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY GROWTH 2011 TO 2021
Source: Strategic Projections Inc.; based on Statistics Canada National Household Survey 2011; Adapted By
MDB Insight. 2015.
21
With the exception of manufacturing, those industries with a typically high-use of
employment lands (i.e. employment land employment) are projected to grow, but at a
slower rate than the GTA’s population supporting industries. Transportation and
warehousing, for example, is expected to add 15,832 jobs across the GTA. Wholesale
trade will also account for considerable employment gains with 23,325 jobs.
Manufacturing, on the other hand, will continue to shed employment across the GTA
and is expected to lose 18,490 jobs by 2021.
Simcoe County Employment Projections
Figure 15 provides the expected number of new jobs to be created in each industry for
the County of Simcoe. Looking to 2021, the county’s employment growth will be
primarily driven by population supporting industries. Health and social services along
with retail trade account for the largest anticipated employment gains, with over 8,500
and 5,400 new jobs projected respectively.
For employment land employment sectors, professional, scientific and technical
services will account for the greatest job growth (3,010). In contrast to trends across
the GTA, manufacturing is also expected to make notable gains with the addition of
1,650 jobs. Transportation and warehousing is expected add 850 jobs across the
county, while wholesale trade will add an estimated 920 new jobs to 2021.
FIGURE 15: SIMCOE COUNTY PROJECTED EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY GROWTH 2011 TO 2021
MDB Insight. 2015.
22
Manufacturing Employment Projections
Given the manufacturing sector’s reliance on employment lands, it is prudent to
examine its sub-sectors anticipated employment trends despite the general decline in
manufacturing employment across the GTA. Figure 16 shows these trends for the GTA
and Simcoe County, while Figure 17 focuses exclusively on Simcoe County. As shown
in Figure 16, the GTA’s manufacturing sector is expected to lose employment in most
sub-sectors. The manufacturing sector is expected to lose 18,940 jobs between 2011
and 2021. The only three sub-sectors of expected growth include transportation
5
equipment manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, and miscellaneous manufacturing .
Of these sub-sectors, transportation equipment will add the largest share of jobs with
2,931.
EMPLOYMENT BY MANUFACTURING SUB-SECTOR GROWTH 2011 TO 2021
MDB Insight. 2015.
Conversely, the outlook for the manufacturing sector in Simcoe County is relatively
positive. Over the projection period, the county’s manufacturing sector is expected to
add 1,650 jobs. As shown in Figure 17, the county’s strongest manufacturing subsectors, with respect to job growth prospects, include transportation equipment
manufacturing, miscellaneous manufacturing, machinery manufacturing, and non-
5 Examples of miscellaneous manufacturing include medical equipment and supplies manufacturing or
sporting and athletic goods manufacturing.
23
metallic mineral products manufacturing. As is the case in the GTA, the transportation
equipment manufacturing sub-sector will be the leading driver for manufacturing
related job growth.
FIGURE 17: SIMCOE COUNTY PROJECTED EMPLOYMENT BY MANUFACTURING SUB-SECTOR
GROWTH 2011 TO 2021
MDB Insight. 2015.
2.5.3 Comparison of Employment Areas
The following figure provides a comparison of the characteristics of Bradford West
Gwillimbury’s employment lands with employment areas in other parts of the Greater
Golden Horseshoe. Generally speaking, Bradford West Gwillimbury area’s
characteristics place it in a competitive position in terms of access to major
transportation routes and highway visibility, suggesting that the area may have similar
market opportunities to employment areas located along other 400-series Highway
corridors (e.g. 401 Industrial Business Park, Green Lane).
Comparator communities were selected based on similar case scenarios to that of
Bradford West Gwillimbury. This includes communities with access to the 400-series
Highway corridors, communities with large growth projections, and communities with
established or soon to be established prestige and general employment lands.
24
In comparing Bradford West Gwillimbury’s employment areas, it can be seen that
Bradford West Gwillimbury is on par with other communities in terms of providing
employment lands with access to municipal servicing on existing employment lands
and the commitment to pursue accessible municipal servicing on new employment
lands.
FIGURE 18: EMPLOYMENT AREA CHARACTERISTICS
Employment Area
Town
Character
Servicing
Nearest 400Highway
Highway
Visibility
Accessible
Rail
400 HWY MZO
Bradford
West
Gwillimbury
General Employment
Not Serviced
400 (0 km)
Y
N
None
Artesian
Business Park
Bradford
West
Gwillimbury
Business Park
General Employment
Full Municipal
400 (8 km)
N
Y
Environmental
Policy Area
Reagens
Business Park
Bradford
West
Gwillimbury
Prestige Employment
General Employment
Full Municipal
400 (3 km)
Y
N
None
Bolton-South
Albion
Caledon
Prestige Employment
General Employment
Full Municipal
427 (12 km)
N
Y
Limited
Mayfield West
Caledon
Prestige Employment
General Employment
Full Municipal
410 (0 km)
Y
N
Environmental
Policy Area
Tullamore
Caledon
Prestige Employment
General Employment
Full Municipal3
407 (10 km)
N
N
Environmental
Policy Area
Bales Drive
East
Gwillimbury
General Employment
Municipal (Water)
Private (Sewage)
404 (1 km)
N
N
None
Green Lane
East
Gwillimbury
General Employment
Full Municipal
404 (0 km)
Y
N
None
Holland Landing
East
Gwillimbury
Prestige Employment
General Employment
Not Serviced2
404 (10 km)
N
Y
Environmental
Protection Area
Mount Albert
East
Gwillimbury
General Employment
Not Serviced2
404 (8 km)
N
Y
None
Queensville/High
way 404
East
Gwillimbury
Prestige Employment
General Employment
Not Serviced2
404 (5 km)4
N
N
Environmental
Protection Area
Sharon East
East
Gwillimbury
TBD
Not Serviced2
404 (0 km)
Y
N
Environmental
Protection Area
Innisfil Heights
Innisfil
Prestige Employment
General Employment
Highway Commercial
Municipal (Water)
Private (Sewage)
400 (0 km)
Y
N
Natural
Environmental
Area
401 Industrial
and Business
Park
Milton
Prestige Employment
Business Park
General Employment
Highway Commercial
Full Municipal
401 (0 km)
Y
Y
Greenlands /
Flood plain
Derry Green
Corporate
Business Park
Milton
Prestige Employment
Business Park
General Employment
Not Serviced1
401 (0 km)
Y
Y
Parkway Belt
West /
Greenlands
Area
1 Intended to have full municipal servicing following secondary plan
2 Proposed full municipal services in the future
3 Select areas only, servicing strategy for entire secondary plan areas underway
4 Area is along approved route for Highway 404 extension
25
Environmental
Considerations
2.5.4 Municipal Benchmarking
In addition to the characteristics of each employment area, the competitiveness of
Bradford West Gwillimbury’s employment lands should also be assessed based on the
costs of locating in the area, as well as the supply of available employment lands.
Property Taxes
Figure 19 outlines the tax rates for commercial office and industrial development in
each comparator community, as well as the costs associated with those tax rates
relative to other municipalities in Ontario. Overall, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s tax
policies place it in the top range relative to the comparator communities and Simcoe
County communities, in terms of costs associated with commercial office and industrial
development. However, relative to comparators across Ontario, Bradford West
Gwillimbury’s total property tax rates are well-below the average.
FIGURE 19: TAX RATES, 2015
Commercial
Industrial
Commercial
Industrial
Rate
Rate
Rate
Rate
2.3471
2.9518
Innisfil
2.3441
2.9481
Adjala–Tosorontio
1.8556
2.3478
Essa
1.8751
2.3718
Caledon
1.9899
Milton
1.7020
2.4346
Tiny
1.8964
2.3980
2.8019
Springwater
1.9987
2.5237
East Gwillimbury
1.8567
2.1739
Severn
2.0060
2.5326
Simcoe County Average*
2.3087
2.9006
Oro-Medonte
2.0557
2.5937
BMA Study Average
2.9986
3.7568
Ramara
2.0659
2.6063
BMA Study Median
2.9945
3.7502
Wasaga Beach
2.1847
2.7552
BMA Study Minimum
1.6959
1.8397
New Tecumseth
2.2480
2.8301
BMA Study Maximum
5.7346
6.4308
Tay
2.3552
2.9617
Collingwood
2.5044
3.1451
Midland
2.7192
3.4090
Penetanguishene
2.7282
3.4200
Clearview
3.7557
4.6148
Comparator Communities
Simcoe County
Communities
*Simcoe County Average does not include the cities of Barrie and Orillia
Source: BMA Municipal Study, 2014, 2015 Tax Rates (Individual Municipal Websites). Adapted by MDB
Insight. 2015
Development Charges and Building Fees
Figure 20 outlines development costs among the total sample of municipalities from
the BMA study, as well as the sample of comparator communities in the GTA and
GGH. In terms of commercial office development, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s
development charges for non-residential development per square foot remain above
average for the municipal study, but below all other comparator communities. When
considering industrial development, the Town’s development charges remain
significantly above average for the BMA sample communities, but more importantly
26
above neighbouring communities Innisfil and Caledon. The Town of Milton exhibited
the lowest development charges for industrial development among the comparator
communities, and is more in line with average and median development charge rates
for industrial development.
Building permit costs in Bradford West Gwillimbury were behind all comparator
communities. Though these fees have the potential to add to the cost of construction,
they typically only account for a minor portion of total construction costs, and are often
viewed as a more marginal factor in determining the competitiveness or feasibility of a
project in a municipality.
FIGURE 20: DEVELOPMENT CHARGES AND PERMIT FEES, 2015
Development Charges
Municipality
Building Permit Fees
Commercial
(sq.ft.)
Industrial
(sq.ft.)
Industrial (Finished)
$19.34
$19.34
$5.60/m2
Innisfil
$17.27
$17.27
$9.22/m
2
2
2
Caledon
$23.00
$17.19
$7.10/m (>600 m )
Milton
$22.73
$9.75
$7.08/m
East Gwillimbury
$44.61
$21.95
$10.22/m
BMA Study Average
$15.24
$9.43
BMA Study Median
$13.70
$7.74
BMA Study Minimum
$0.42
$0.42
BMA Study Maximum
$45.07
$25.55
2
2
Source: BMA Municipal Study, 2014, Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Economic Development Office
Water and Wastewater Costs
Figure 21 provides an overview of water and wastewater servicing costs in BMA’s
survey of Ontario municipalities. Bradford West Gwillimbury’s costs remain above the
average of BMA’s sample for each service type, as well as above the rates for both
Caledon and Milton. Bradford West Gwillimbury, Innisfil and East Gwillimbury exhibit
high relative costs for water and wastewater servicing. In part, this is likely a reflection
of pressures being placed on the existing municipal water and (where available)
wastewater systems to service new levels of growth residing in the municipality. From
an operational perspective, these higher costs likely affect the marketability of
employment lands in Bradford West Gwillimbury relative to lower cost jurisdictions, for
industries with both low and high levels of water demand.
27
FIGURE 21: WATER AND WASTEWATER SERVICING COSTS, 2014
Municipality
Commercial
Industrial
3
3
3
Rate (30,000 m )
Rate (100,000 m )
Rate (500,000 m )
$38,576
$115,376
$384,176
$1,920,176
Innisfil
$32,849
$95,508
$317,708
$1,581,708
Caledon
$18,938
$56,814
$189,379
$946,895
Milton
$24,807
$67,992
$214,076
$1,040,132
East Gwillimbury
$52,556
$159,156
$532,256
$2,664,256
BMA Study Average
$28,849
$84,510
$273,931
$1,344,195
BMA Study Median
$26,400
$78,525
$257,378
$1,279,912
BMA Study Minimum
$9,673
$27,369
$68,237
$272,512
BMA Study Maximum
$58,300
$174,900
$583,000
$2,915,000
Source: BMA Municipal Study, 2014, Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Economic Development Office
Vacant Land Supply
The amount and cost of vacant employment lands in a municipality can play a key role
in its investment readiness and competitiveness. In order to appeal to a broad range of
potential investors, a municipality should maintain a viable supply of employment lands
to meet long term demand, but also provide a wide range of market choice to potential
investors in terms of lot size, lot configuration, and land use permissions.
Figure 22 outlines vacant employment land supply in each of the comparator
municipalities, as well as recent average price per acre of serviced (or partially
serviced) employment lands. In terms of supply, Bradford West Gwillimbury holds the
smallest employment land supply of each of the comparator communities, at
approximately 121 hectares. This is just ahead of the 138 vacant gross hectares of
employment land supply in the Town of Innisfil, which is expected to be a bit larger on
a net basis (as that figure encompasses only the Innisfil Heights area). Both Milton and
East Gwillimbury – largely due to recent and ongoing secondary planning processes
and boundary expansions in the Derry Green and Sharon East areas respectively –
have the largest supply of vacant employment lands among the comparators.
When considering levels of servicing, the competitiveness of employment land
inventories varies among the comparators. An estimated 239 hectares of employment
land in Caledon (or 91%) of vacant employment lands have full municipal servicing,
while just 9% (approximately 101 hectares) of vacant employment land in Milton is
serviced (with the majority residing in the presently unserviced Derry Green Corporate
Business Park). Similar to Milton, the majority of East Gwillimbury’s vacant
employment land supply resides in unserviced future employment areas like Sharon
East and the Queensville/Highway 404 area. Though only partially serviced (municipal
water only), the majority of vacant employment land in Innisfil has access to those
utilities.
28
3
Rate (10,000 m )
In terms of land cost, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s price per acre fluctuates
tremendously, with acres selling at out of GTA market value prices and acres selling at
within GTA market value prices.
FIGURE 22: VACANT EMPLOYMENT LAND SUPPLY, 2014
Municipality
Vacant Employment Land (Net)
Price
Acres
Hectares
Per Acre
Bradford West Gwillimbury*
299
121
$165,000-$400,000
Innisfil
341
138
$257,000
2
263
$500,000-$650,000
Caledon
650
Milton
2,834
1,147
$450,000
East Gwillimbury
1,033
418
$250,000-$275,000
1 Municipal water only, based on average prices of vacant employment land in Innisfil Heights as of June
2014.
2 Represents an estimate of gross vacant employment lands available, and is subject to takeout based on
active EA projects and OMB Appeals.
3 Unserved rural employment lands are currently being sold for approximately $110,000 per acre.
*As of August 2015
Source: Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Economic Development Office, Comparator Economic
Development Offices. Vacant acres as of June 2014.
CIP Based Incentive Comparisons
In 2013 Bradford West Gwillimbury introduced a Community Improvement Plan to
stimulate investment and development in the Artesian and Reagens Business Parks.
Incentives include:



Development Charge (DC) Grants
Tax-based Redevelopment Grants (TIG)
Planning Fees and Building Permit Grants
A review of Innisfil, Caledon, Milton, and East Gwillimbury’s municipal policies reveal
no equivalent programs. Innisfil has recently developed a new CIP program, but it is
yet to be adopted by Council. In this context, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s CIP
incentives are a competitive advantage for the attraction of new industrial investment.
29
1
3
30
3 Consultation Summary
A targeted stakeholder consultation effort was undertaken in the preparation of this
Economic Development Strategy. This process was useful to inform the direction of
future economic development efforts, the current capacity for economic growth and
investment, as well as, the challenges and opportunities facing the town’s broader
business community.
The consultation process included one-on-one interviews with the Mayor and each
member of council, the CAO and select municipal staff, key economic development
partners, as well as representatives of the business community.
Each stakeholder was asked a series of questions pertaining to their long term vision
for Bradford West Gwillimbury, the current opportunities available locally and
regionally, and the challenges that need to be overcome to achieve sustainable
economic development.
Please note that the various statements in this section represent information
emerging from participants in the consultation activities and general context of
Bradford West Gwillimbury’s economy. Statements in this section do not
necessarily reflect the conclusions or suggestions of the Project Team.
Conclusions and suggestions from the Project Team can be found in later
sections of this report.
3.1.1 Long Term Community Vision
When asked about their vision for Bradford West Gwillimbury over the next five to ten
years, interview participants provided a range of responses. The most common of
these responses have been grouped by theme and presented below. Note the order in
which these themes are presented does not reflect any prioritization or level of
importance.
31

A complete community – Respondents have no desire for Bradford West
Gwillimbury to be a bedroom community. Instead respondents wish to cultivate a
complete community where residents can live, work, and play.

Job creation – The challenge to-date has been ensuring enough local quality
employment opportunities for residents. Retail positions and basic population
supporting services like dry cleaning or pet grooming are not seen as offering
quality employment. Respondents want more high paying, highly skilled jobs in

Downtown and local cultural amenities – The Downtown is considered the heart
of the community. In the medium term, respondents envision a completely
rejuvenated and revitalized downtown core. As part of this reimaged downtown,
they see a wider range of businesses and more mixed use developments. They
desire a more animated setting full of engaging public and private cultural
amenities. In this sense, there is the will to improve the town’s quality of place to
attract visitors and provide residents with recreational options.

Housing – Stakeholders envision the construction of more affordable and denser
housing options in the community. There is a shared understanding that Bradford
West Gwillimbury’s housing developments over the last decade have not met the
needs of the community’s existing population. The newly constructed single
detached homes have served to attract new residents, but in many instances have
priced out local seniors and young families.

Post-secondary – Stakeholders envision a local post-secondary presence. The
precise form of such an institution is subject to debate, but there is broad based
support for a local post-secondary school nonetheless. Trade schools, satellite
campuses of universities and colleges were each considered options and part of
the longer term vision for the community.
3.1.2 Community Strengths
As part of the interview process stakeholders were asked to identify Bradford West
Gwillimbury’s strengths. The most common of these responses have been grouped by
theme and presented below.
32

Transportation and logistics – Bradford West Gwillimbury is strategically located.
It is the southernmost community in Simcoe County and is bisected by Highway
400. It is also in close proximity to Highway 404. These highways offer efficient
access to Toronto and neighbouring communities. Bradford West Gwillimbury is
served by a rail line with regular CNR and GO transit options. Besides access to
Pearson International Airport, the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport offers international
cargo and passenger service. Collectively, these assets offer competitive
advantages for moving cargo and people in and out of town.

Holland Marsh – Located on the border between King Township and Bradford
West Gwillimbury, it sits protected in the Greenbelt. Produce is not only grown
within the Marsh, but stored, processed and packaged as well, shortening the
entire distribution chain and strengthening the local economy. The annual value of
the carrots grown in the Marsh is estimated at $130 million, the onions are worth
$160 million, and the salad greens are worth $160 million.

Community amenities and quality of life – Bradford West Gwillimbury has a
small town sense of place, but has invested in big city amenities. The Town’s
Family Health Centre, Public Library and Leisure Centre are primary examples of
these amenities. With these amenities also comes a sense of pride, a sense of
growth and progress. The town is on the move. It is growing by attracting new
residents from within Canada and the world. Bradford West Gwillimbury is the most
culturally diverse municipality in Simcoe County. It has demonstrated a certain
openness and inclusivity of new comers.

Business and worker loyalty – the town’s businesses do not want to leave.
Instead they would rather expand within Bradford West Gwillimbury. This is
evidenced by the number of long standing, locally grown businesses. Similarly,
local employers have found their most loyal workers to be local residents. For this
reason employers would rather hire locally and provide training rather than
importing already trained workers.

Affordability – the cost of land, housing, and to some extent goods and services
is lower in Bradford West Gwillimbury than in more southern communities.
3.1.3 Economic Development Opportunities
As part of the interview process, stakeholders were asked to identify the top three
economic development related opportunities for Bradford West Gwillimbury. The most
common of these responses have been grouped by theme and presented below.
33

Downtown development and zoning – there are a series of opportunities related
to the improvement of the Downtown. Aesthetic improvements, infrastructural
upgrades, including sidewalk repairs and parking upgrades were all cited. At a
more strategic planning level, encouraging mixed use development and increased
densities were noted as options to support the town’s seniors and youth
populations. Relaxing building height restrictions in the Town’s official plan would
support these objectives. Smaller unit sizes with different ownership options were
integral to these discussions. Tying future developments to the GO Train station
and offering free wi-fi internet were also cited.

Community Improvement Plans (CIP) – the Town currently supports two CIPs.
These programs offer incentives to invest in commercial and industrial properties
within specified areas of the Downtown and industrial parks. To date there has
been limited uptake. There are opportunities to re-work the evaluation criteria to
increase the program uptake. Increasing community awareness of these programs
is also important.

Food processing and local growers – The Holland Marsh is home to 146 farms
which collectively grow over $400 million in produce annually. Leveraging this local
production with more value added activity including food processing was a
reoccurring theme in the interviews. Local producers could be supported and
encouraged to be more entrepreneurial with their existing operations. As an
example, there is high demand for new “locally grown artisan foods” with regional
consumers paying a premium for these goods. Sheldon Creek Dairy from Loretto
Ontario is an example of creative value added activity.

Newcomer integration –Stakeholders were adamant the Town retain its
agricultural roots and promote these ties to new residents whenever appropriate.
Continued support and growth of the Carrotfest is encouraged along with the
education of local residents regarding agricultural uses. Buy local, eat local, shop
local are all key messages. Partnerships with Ontario Foodland to support
promotional signage along major transportation corridors are options.
34

Reduction of retail leakage – there is a concern that residents are spending their
money outside of the community for basic retail goods and services. This is having
a particularly damaging effect on Downtown businesses. Encouraging more local
consumption would benefit the local economy.

Business supports and improved communications – Awareness of existing
business support programs was noted as deficient. There is an opportunity to
increase the local profile of these services and programs. The Town may invest in
communications and regular outreach functions. Email communications and
passive website postings is considered inadequate.

Leveraging Simcoe County – There is an opportunity for Bradford West
Gwillimbury to work more closely with the County’s economic development staff to
stimulate local investment attraction. There are simply economies of scale to
benefit from working together as a group of communities. For this to be beneficial
for Bradford West Gwillimbury, however, more formalized approaches to lead
handling may be required.

Investment readiness – As the Town’s new employment lands become serviced
and large parcels of land come online in the medium term, the Town must be ready
to respond efficiently and effectively to investment inquires. A series of investment
readiness initiatives may be resourced including: the formation of investment
readiness teams, development of audience specific marketing materials, upgrades
to the website and increasing use of analytics to monitor and support lead followup.

Branding and regional positioning – Bradford West Gwillimbury is the gateway
to Simcoe County. This position could be leveraged to attract more investment and
support from the County. In some ways, Bradford West Gwillimbury must be a flag
ship for the County. Increased levels of signage along with investment leads
should be flowing to Bradford West Gwillimbury from the County.

Age friendly community – Bradford West Gwillimbury’s population is younger
than most of its regional neighbours, but it is still home to a large and growing
number of seniors. This segment of the population needs to be supported. If
positioned correctly, Bradford West Gwillimbury could become a truly age friendly
community. The first step is completing an age-friendly strategy. Revisiting the
Official Plan to support age friendly development is also important.

Materials manufacturing - Bradford West Gwillimbury is home to significant
number of manufacturing operations. Local transportation and logistics advantages
make the town attractive for manufacturers. Ensuring an adequate supply of
serviced employment land, with the right parcel sizes, is central to securing future
investment in this space.

Connecting local workers with local employers – Fostering closer relationships
between local employers and local job seekers is critical if Bradford West
Gwillimbury is to decrease commuter rates. Investing in tools, programs and
services that link these parties together will support local employment. Partnering
with regional workforce planning boards to understand the local demand for
particular skills is essential to align local and regional training with demand.
Leveraging the High Skills specialist program is also important.

Tourism and culture – Bradford West Gwillimbury has a small but growing
tourism and cultural sector. There is an opportunity to be more strategic in the way
the Town invests and supports tourism and culture. There are a lot of good things
happening, but there is not the level of coordination required to be efficient and
effective. Sports tourism, agri-tourism, downtown festivals and events, water based
activities (leveraging the canal), and community heritage are a few opportunities
facing Bradford West Gwillimbury.
3.1.4 Challenges to Local Development
As part of the interview process, stakeholders were asked to identify and central
challenges facing Bradford West Gwillimbury that may constrain local economic
development. The most common of these responses have been grouped by theme
and presented below.
35

Fragmented service delivery – Awareness and uptake of public programs and
services is limited for both local residents and businesses. The lack of a single
location to access services has been cited as a primary obstacle to uptake.
Potential users would benefit from a warm hand off between referrals. All too often
clients are lost during referrals. Limited community presence and outreach
initiatives have also been noted as challenges to uptake. There is a need for
constant reminders of what is available and where to go help.

Business supports – There is an acknowledged lack of support for local business
mentoring and coaching. The Barrie Small Business Enterprise Centre has limited
local presence. “We need to have an accessible program for those businesses not
doing okay”. There seems to be support for new start-ups, but not much support
for scaling up businesses once they are up and running. Moreover, larger business
owners do not always have the necessary expertise to navigate the local
development approvals process. For those companies seeking expansion, there is
not enough “hand holding” through the process.

Labour force and local employment – local businesses are challenged by the
local labour force. There are gaps with respect to required skillsets. There is a
perception that local employers do not pay competitive wages so staff retention
can be challenging. The lack of a post-secondary presence contributes to youthoutmigration while limiting the potential to cultivate local talent through
apprenticeships, internships and co-op programs etc. As a result, there is a
general mind-set that it is easier to train-up a current employee than hire someone
new. The new hires tend to be less loyal and leave when something better comes
along. The big part of this is where these imports live. If they are not from Bradford
West Gwillimbury or a very close community, they are more apt to move to a large
urban centre.

Industrial development – the development community is interested in relatively
small sized serviced parcels. Generally speaking Bradford West Gwillimbury does
not have many parcels to meet this demand. Industrial users have also noted
development challenges associated with encroaching residential development.
Industrial users have seen their buffer zones reduced which has limited their
businesses expansion potential. Construction and servicing costs coupled with
local land prices have combined to make local development unpalatable for many
developers. Given land prices, warehousing and logistics developments may be
more opt to locate closer to Toronto. Parcel size is also a primary concern for the
expected future developments in the employment land along the 400 Highway.
Mega lot sizes may make development challenging for smaller scale businesses.

Gentrification – the recent influx of new residents with relatively high levels of
income and wealth have increased local property values. While this has
rejuvenated some of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s older neighbourhoods it has also
displaced lower income families and increased rent for existing businesses. This
trend exacerbates local housing inequality and makes it more expensive for
businesses to operate.

Regional transit linkages – Despite the benefits of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s
local transit system, the lack of an integrated regional transit system leaves many
local residents without a means to reach their destination without using a vehicle.
Local employers have cited this fact as a barrier to attracting and retaining low
wage workers.

Downtown and consumer preferences – Downtown businesses are struggling to
complete with strip mall and big box retail format stores. Prospective users of the
Downtown are citing a lack of parking and high volumes of traffic as primary
barriers to shopping Downtown. There is also a perception the Downtown in its
current form as little to differentiate it from competing communities. There are too
few unique shops and there are limited options for youth. The streetscape is not
animated which does not entice consumers to slow down. Simply put, the
Downtown is not a destination, it is considered a thoroughfare.
3.1.5 Strategic Context and Considerations
As part of the interview process, stakeholders identified a range of contextual
considerations that will influence the timing and development process within Bradford
West Gwillimbury. The most important of these considerations are described below.

36
Employment land servicing – The new employment lands by Highway 400 and
88 will be serviced by late 2018. A development consortium has entered into an
early payment agreement with the Town to advance the servicing of these lands.
Given the community investment in these lands, there will be a strong motivation to
recover any associated sunk costs as soon as possible. Accordingly, investment
readiness and targeted investment attraction efforts will require attention as these
lands become marketable. The Town’s development charges are not considered a
competitive disadvantage because they are on par with other communities in the
area.
37

The Ontario Growth Plan – The latest Ontario Growth Plan dictates where
residential and non-residential development may occur as it relates to the Highway
400 and 88 lands. The 2012 amendments open up lands for lower density uses
including storage and warehousing. The rationale for this change is that these
employment lands should be accommodating the uses that leverage highway
access. At the same time, the Growth Plan encourages the provision of office
development in settlement areas and not in employment lands. Yet, the primarily
limiting factor in the Growth Plan relates to minimum parcel size. The Growth Plan
mandates a series of “large” parcels to be accommodated. This may be an issue
because those parcels normally take the longest to populate. This Provincial
dictate may serve to stunt the development of the entire area.

Residential development or non-residential development - Over the long term
low density single detached residential development is the most inefficient land
use to service and maintain. It also provides to lowest rates of tax assessment.
Continuing to support this type of development will minimize the potential for
efficient public transit while comprising the Town’s fiscal sustainability. Looking
ahead, increased emphasis needs to be placed on increasing the local commercial
and industrial tax base.

Town and County of Simcoe working relationship – The County of Simcoe has
a level of economic development capacity and sophistication not present in
Bradford West Gwillimbury. Simcoe County’s economic development function is
regional in scope. It has a research, marketing, and technical services mandate.
Pooling resources for marketing and investment attraction, from across the county,
offer efficiencies from economies of scale. The challenge is that Simcoe County is
responsible for supporting every one of its lower tier municipalities. This may result
in an investment lead being assigned to another neighbouring municipality.
Moving forward, it would be prudent for Bradford West Gwillimbury to leverage all
available services provided by Simcoe County and foster an even stronger working
relationship. There is no reason to duplicate efforts where there is no conflict of
interest. The Town should, however, understand where the County cannot prioritize
the needs or objectives of Bradford West Gwillimbury. In these areas the Town
should take a more proactive role.

Cost of electricity – Local employers, specifically local manufacturers, have cited
rising energy costs as a competitive disadvantage for attracting new manufacturing
investment to southern Ontario. When competing with US based jurisdictions,
these energy costs are a major liability.

38
Food terminal – The collection of producers in and around the Holland Marsh may
be able to support producer cooperatives, but the concept of creating a new food
terminal as seen in Toronto is not possible. Ontario existing legislation currently
inhibits such developments.
39
4 Prioritizing Economic Opportunities
4.1 SWOT
Strategic planning is often informed by a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats (SWOT) assessment. The assessment outlines competitive conditions that
affect the economic development potential of a community. The power of a SWOT is
that it summarizes conditions unique to Bradford West Gwillimbury that will directly
impact the strategies and actions that the Town can effectively take to develop the
local economy.
A SWOT Defined
For the purposes of this report a SWOT is characterized in the following terms.
40

Strengths (Positive, Internal): Positive attributes or assets currently present in
Bradford West Gwillimbury by comparison to the region or Province

Weaknesses (Negative, Internal): Local issues or characteristics that limit the
current or future growth of the town

Opportunities (Positive, Internal and External): Areas where the Town of Bradford
West Gwillimbury and its partners can capitalize on current trends and investment
opportunities

Threats (Negative, External): Trends that threaten Bradford West Gwillimbury’s
economic growth
4.2 Major SWOT Themes
41
Strengths
Weaknesses

Proximity to the GTA attracts business operations,
visitors & residents

Proximity to urban centres = retail leakage


Lack of housing diversity & income inequality
Strong regional economy


Aging population & lack of young workers
Access to well-educated regional workforce


Low rates of education
Holland Marsh & local agricultural sector


Slow transition to knowledge based industries
Strong relationship with Simcoe County + southernmost
community = gateway

Downtown infrastructure & traffic

Projected population growth

Lack of investment readiness

Good schools, regional health care, amenities & quality of
life

Lack of industrial investment oriented brand

Lack of marketable employment lands

Current & anticipated serviced employment lands

Local labour force lacking required skills

Pro-active leadership


High rates of in-migration & inclusive to new-comers
Limited connection between local employers & jobseekers

Transportation linkages

Fragmented service delivery

Depth of manufacturing operations

High rates of commuting & lack of integrated transit

Affordability of housing relative to GTA


Limited awareness of public services & programs for
businesses
Full-municipal services available for industrial areas
(commitment towards full-municipal services for new
employment lands)
Opportunities
Threats/Challenges

Downtown development & re-zoning

Decline of manufacturing

Re-work the current CIPs to encourage up-take

Instability of Canadian currency

Leverage local growers & encourage more
entrepreneurial & value added activity

Out-migration of youth & young workers


Increasing electricity costs
Bolster buy local campaigns


Consolidation of agricultural employment
Improve business supports & communications


Retail based businesses & precarious employment
Consolidate service delivery (location)


Financial constraints at the municipal and provincial level
Invest in marketing, branding, & regional positioning


Changing sense of place
Formation of an Economic Development Advisory Group


Formation of investment readiness teams
Ontario Growth Plan policies & effect on developing new
employment lands

Become an age friendly community


Expand current & attract materials manufacturers
Low density residential development & long term
servicing obligations

Connect local employers with local job seekers

Similar competing investment profiles (Innisfil / New
Tecumseth / East Gwillimbury)

Tourism & cultural development

Advance local entrepreneurship

Attract a post-secondary presence
4.3 Competitive Advantages and Disadvantages
The results of the SWOT analysis provide a list of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. While no two communities are
identical, Bradford West Gwillimbury shares many similarities to other municipalities in
South Simcoe and York Region. Some of these similarities include strategic proximity
markets and access transportation and logistics infrastructure. While these similarities
represent important strengths for the Bradford West Gwillimbury, they do not give a
clear picture of the aspects of Bradford West Gwillimbury that may be uniquely
attractive for site selectors.
Looking at competitive advantages and disadvantages is helpful in differentiating
Bradford West Gwillimbury from its regional counterparts. The town’s competitive
advantages form the basis of the unique value proposition the community offers to new
businesses and potential investors, while competitive disadvantages are the factors
that the Town needs to address to minimize the effects of barriers, particularly when
attracting specific types of investment. Besides knowledge based start-ups, retail and
personal services and other population supporting industries, Bradford West
Gwillimbury may pursue investment in the following industries.



Food processing
Materials manufacturing
Transportation, logistics and warehousing
The following table highlights the Town’s competitive advantages and disadvantages
as they relate to these three sectors.
Competitive Advantages
Competitive Disadvantages

Population Growth Rate (Future Projections)

Age Profile

Ethnicity Profile

Development Charges

3rd Party Trucking Availability

Existing Research and Development Base

Proximity to Highways

Development Approvals Process

Industrial Community Improvement Program

Clarity of Land-use Bylaws

Large Parcel Employment Lands (including Future EL)

Availability and Quality of Post-secondary programs

School Performance Rankings

Availability of Prestige Office Space

Regional Health Care Facilities

Lack of Professional, Technical and Scientific Businesses

Housing Costs

Broadband Infrastructure

Strong Manufacturing base

Energy Costs

Transportation labour availability

Holland Marsh

Dedicated Farmer and Processor/Packager Base

Innovative Companies

Pro-active and Supportive Town Leadership
42
4.4 Investment Attraction Opportunities
Given the consultation and competitiveness assessment, the following industrial
sectors represent Bradford West Gwillimbury’s best investment attraction opportunities.
4.4.1 Food Processing
Agriculture is a primary land use across Simcoe County and Bradford West
Gwillimbury. It dominates much of the landscape and provides many economic, social,
and environmental benefits. The County has a land base, climate, and a skilled farm
community that make agriculture highly productive. The County also has a number of
unique features that allow for the production of specialty crops including the 11,000
acres of the Holland Marsh (in Bradford West Gwillimbury) where nearly 50 different
vegetable crops are grown, valued between $47m and $72m each year according to
6
the Holland Marsh impact study . While other aspects of the economy may be growing
at a rate that surpasses agriculture, agriculture will continue be a key component of the
long-term future of the town and county.
As such, there have been several discussions around the need of a regional
distribution food hub to grow the agricultural economy. Defined as a business or
organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of
source-identified food products, the idea and probability of a regional food hub for the
County was researched by Georgian College students in 2014. With work overseen by
the County, the Georgian College group determined that insufficient data existed to
support a ‘for or against’ approach to a food hub.
Based on conversations with local producers, several producers like the idea of a food
hub, but concede the considerable challenging associated with execution – noting
capacity limits for storing and processing, variety of products are limited, transportation
routes and proximity/competition to/with larger hubs/terminals – as elements that would
need to be overcome by all. Understanding that challenge, the conversation is shifting
to the viability of increasing food processing opportunities across Bradford West
Gwillimbury.
Agricultural Value Chain
Important to any industry discussion is the understanding of the industry’s value chain the process or activities by which an industry adds value to an article, including
production, marketing, and the provision of after-sales service.
The value chain associated with agricultural activity can easily become complex, but is
simplified when looked at as two categories; primary or secondary activities. Different
sectors and subsectors can be attributed to each phase of the chain based on NAICS
codes. These two streams of the chain converge to create unique economic niches
6 http://www.planscape.ca/planscapePDFs/40-plan2.pdf
43
associated with agriculture and agribusiness. In the value chain, there are four primary
activities and four secondary activities, as outlined in Figure 23.
FIGURE 23: GENERAL AGRI-BUSINESS VALUE CHAIN WITH NAIC CODES
Raw Materials

111 – Crop Production

112 – Animal Production

1151 – Support
Activities for Crop
Production

1152 - Support Activities
for Animal Production
R & D Design
Processing
Packaging and Distribution

3112 – Grain and Oil
Seed Milling

411 – Farm Product
Merchant wholesalers

3113 – Sugar and
Confectionary Product
Manufacturing


3114 – Fruit and
vegetable Preserving
and Specialty Food
Manufacturing

4131 – Food
Wholesaler-Distributors
444 – Building Material
and Garden Equipment
and Supplies Dealers


4132 – Beverage
Wholesaler-Distributors
445 – Food and
Beverage Stores


4191 – Wholesale
agents and Brokers
446 – Health and
Personal Care Stores


481-84 – Air, Rail,
Water, Road
Transportation
4543 – Direct Selling
Establishments

722 – Food Services
and Drinking Places

3115 – Dairy Product
Manufacturing

3116 – Meat Product
Manufacturing


488 – Support Activities
for Transportation
3117 – Seafood Product
Manufacturing


4931 – Warehousing
and Storage
3118 – Bakeries
Manufacturing

3119 – Other Food
Manufacturing

3121 – Beverage
Manufacturing

3251 – Basic Chemical
Manufacturing
Education and Training

5416 – Management,
scientific, and Technical
Consulting Services

6112 – Community
Colleges and CEGEPs


6113 – Universities
5417 - Scientific
Research and
Development Services

6114 – Business
Schools and Computer
and Management
Training

6115 – Technical and
Trade Schools
Retail and Service
Standards, Testing and
Regulation
Marketing and Consumer
Testing

5413 – Architectural,
Engineering, and
Related Services

5413 - Architectural,
Engineering, and
Related Services

5417 - Scientific
Research and
Development Services

5419 – Other
Professional, Scientific,
and Technical Services

5411 – Legal Services

5412 – Accounting and
Payroll Services
Sources: Adapted from KPMG International, The Agricultural and Food Value Chain by MDB Insight, 2015.
44
While the processes associated with the primary stream are highly linear, those
associated with the secondary stream are less so, sometimes interacting with the
primary stream at different points and also interacting with each other. For example, a
great deal of research and development design may be involved in seeds and other
agricultural inputs (e.g. herbicides, pesticides, natural pest control etc.) but are also
involved with processing, where new techniques and food products are continually
being developed for manufacturers and for the market. Similarly, standards, testing
and regulation are likely to appear at many different times of an agricultural product’s
life cycle in different ways. Education and training are applicable to most phases, in
some form or other depending on the complexity of the process. Finally, the interplay
within the secondary stream is evident in examples such as research and development
that is closely tied to education and training. Agricultural programs in colleges and
universities invest a great deal of funding into research that often has practical ties to
farmers and related agriculture industries.
The Changing Agri-Business Landscape in Ontario
The agri-business sector has seen some changes that have moved it away from its
traditional base, as shown in Figure 24. Changes have been felt in areas such as
ingredients production, food and beverage production, and energy production. Some
goods derived from agricultural products may be processed or enhanced in ways that
alter their properties, thereby requiring registration or licensing of proprietary or
patented ingredients. Furthermore, research and development is continually
developing new or more efficient products or processes associated with the agriculture
sector or its sub-categories. Safety and efficiency standards are always being updated,
led by industry, regulators and consumer demand. Also, demand from consumers for
value-added specialty products or ingredients have driven advances in research and
development, standards and safety, and indirectly in regulations. For example,
consumer demand for clearer labeling about “local” products has spurred the Ontario
government to clarify what the definition of local means, attributing the label to
7
anything grown within the province.
FIGURE 24: NEW ROLES REQUIRED OF TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE-RELATED INDUSTRIES
Ingredients
Food and Beverage
Energy

Research and development

Safety and efficacy testing


Proprietary or patented
ingredients

Regulation
Research and development in
bio-energy
Distribution channels

Regulation


Safety and efficacy testing

Higher value-added products

Processing and transportation

Higher value-added products

Research and development

Safety and efficiency testing

Proprietary products and
processing technology
Source: Adapted from Rizavi and Folstar, 1999
7 Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Local Food Act, 2013.
45
Food Processing in Bradford West Gwillimbury
Speaking with farmers, packagers and processors there is a clear intent that there is a
desire for additional food processor(s) in town - the challenge becomes the ability to
satisfy new food processors with a variety of product, that current food processors are
processing, and ensuring their viability in a very competitive playing field (across
Ontario, Quebec and New York).
In 2008, Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) prepared
8
a detailed guide with resources and best practices for starting a food processing
venture in the province. The guide speaks highly about how successful food
processing facilities are those that tend to be innovative leaders within their respective
agricultural environment. The guide notes that innovative food processors are those
that understand the product local farmers currently produce but also the product that
markets demand.
Local packagers/producers have noted that farmers across Bradford West Gwillimbury
do not produce enough variety in their product to compete with strong food processing
markets in Southwestern and Southeastern Ontario markets. As such, local packagers
want to see farmers shift product to value-added agricultural produce such as jumbo
carrots, additional new ethnic mixes, and a variety of other flavour based crops in
addition to carrots, beets and onions (i.e. asparagus, spinach, fruits).
Packagers and processors spoke about the need for a collaborative strategy or forum
to discuss current and expecting market pressures and what type of crops would be
best positioned to advance those opportunities. As such, packagers/processors feel
that farmers need to be educated, with respect to food processing, on the shifting
landscape and the type of diverse products that are required to stay market
competitive.
The Holland Marsh impact study echoed that statement and further suggests that
planning regulations should also be reviewed if the Town is serious about pursuing
food processing activity – noting that regulations dealing with valued added and
9
retention operations are often prohibited in agricultural areas .
Lastly, during interviews with farmers, packagers and processors two main issues were
identified as affecting current and future business growth: Human Resource issues and
Energy Costs.
There was a strong consensus among those interviewed that the skill level needed for
entry level positions in agricultural processing is growing, however, technology is
changing jobs. Companies have and are investing heavily in new machines,
technology and high-speed production and packaging lines. The machines are not
being introduced to replace people, but to mechanize more processes and enhance
production capacity. Companies are now pressured to look or train staff to be suited to
this new, faster, more technological way of production.
8 http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/industry/food_proc_guide.pdf
9 http://www.planscape.ca/planscapePDFs/40-plan2.pdf
46
High energy costs are difficult to overcome for several companies. Most interviewees
noted energy costs as the number one hindrance to expanding their operations. The
food processing industry is one of the heaviest users of energy. On average Canadian
10
food processors spend almost $1.5 billion on energy and water annually - most of
that coming from Ontario based food processors. In a high energy cost environment
such as Ontario it becomes very difficult for local food processors to compete with food
processing markets in New York and Quebec.
Despite these challenges, the potential for food processing does exist in Bradford West
Gwillimbury. Outside processors have noted that the community has the requirements
– labour, land and willing partners – to attract a food processor. It will require that the
Town, processors/packagers and farmers look at providing an innovative angle that
can market Holland Marsh’s strengths and opportunities.
Emerging Sector Opportunities
When considering the market potential for value-added food processing activities in
Bradford West Gwillimbury, it may be difficult to envision this “innovative angle”. In
other words, the question is: what may be in store for this sector and how will this work
in Bradford West Gwillimbury? This is an important question because as Bradford
West Gwillimbury seeks out new investment it needs to identify those leading edge
opportunities rather than simply attracting more of what it already has. The discussion
below highlights several pertinent examples of where value-added food processing is
heading. These examples should be used to inform the Town’s long term investment
attraction efforts. These examples also illustrate the innovative potential of this sector
along with the range of skilled occupations which will be required to advance them.
Within developed nations a growing desire among consumers to lead a healthy
lifestyle has led businesses to explore opportunities to provide healthier food options
As a result, one of the higher profile shifts in the food industry and emerging sector
opportunities over the last decade has been towards nutraceuticals and functional food
products.
Nutraceuticals are defined by Health Canada as “a product isolated or purified from
11
food that is generally sold in medicinal forms not usually associated with foods.” A
nutraceutical is demonstrated to have a physiological benefit or provide protection
against a chronic disease. Examples of Nutraceuticals include vitamins and minerals,
protein supplements or herbal supplements.
Functional foods are defined as conventional (or similar) food products that are
consumed as part of a usual diet, and are demonstrated to have physiological benefits
12
and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond nutritional functions. A familiar
example of a functional food is oatmeal because it contains soluble fiber that can help
lower cholesterol levels. Another example could be orange juice that's been fortified
with calcium for bone health.
10 http://www.gtmconference.ca/site/downloads/presentations/3C1%20-%20Jessica%20Norup.pdf
11 Health Canada. (2002). Policy Paper – Nutraceuticals/Functional Foods and Health Claims on Foods.
12 Ibid.
47
As a result of the breadth of the food processing industry and growing consumer
demand, there are a number of companies with roots in traditional food processing
activities that are engaged – or are exploring opportunities to engage – in the broader
functional foods and nutraceuticals context. The convergence between traditional
industries and the functional foods and nutraceuticals trend is coming primarily from
the collaboration between the chemical and pharmaceutical industry and the food
processing industry. These industries bring a number of key specialties that apply to
the delivery of functional foods and nutraceuticals based products. Generally speaking,
food processing companies understand that they lack the full scale or profile of
capabilities required to become a full-service nutraceutical or functional food company
and so seek those capabilities.
As such, food processors in Ontario that are involved in functional foods or
nutraceuticals are often seeking locations that provide a blend of those capabilities.
For Bradford West Gwillimbury these opportunities are close to being realized. As
noted above, the Holland Marsh provides for a variety of product development
opportunities – one of which can include the growth of nutraceutical or functional food
ingredients. The Highway 400 Employment area offers the potential for new research
and development capacity to support these advancements in value-added foodprocessing.
Materials Manufacturing
Canada ranks among the world’s top chemicals and plastics manufacturing countries,
offering an industry that is fully supported by secure access to abundant and lowpriced raw materials along with an integrated physical infrastructure that facilitates
easy access to feedstock, ensures speedy transportation to market and brings cost
savings to manufacturers.
In 2013, Canada’s chemicals and plastics production was valued at more than $73
13
billion , with exports totalling nearly $40 billion in 2013, and contributions of up to $19
billion to the country’s GDP. Chemicals, metals and plastics companies (materials
manufacturing) in Canada are part of an integrated value chain with diverse strengths
that are closely tied to other key sectors. Expertise and competitive strengths in basic
and specialty chemicals, along with high activity and demand for supplies, equipment,
and technology by Canada’s natural resource development, construction, and
advanced manufacturing industries translate into continued growth and opportunities in
this industry.
Materials manufacturing is an important engine of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s
economy. It has grown over the past two decades at times twice as fast as other
manufacturing businesses. As well, it has been less cyclical than some other sectors
as plastic, chemical, and metal materials are now used in such a broad range of endproducts.
Materials Manufacturing Value Chain
13
48
Industry Canada. Trade Data Online, Trade by Industry, NAICS 325 and NAICS 3261 (2013).
Similar to the agricultural value chain, the value chain associated with materials
manufacturing is also complex. The value chain can be grouped into two categories;
primary and secondary activities. Different sectors and subsectors can be attributed to
each phase of the chain based on NAICS codes. In the value chain, there are five
primary activities and five secondary activities, as outlined in Figure 25.
FIGURE 25: MATERIALS MANUFACTURING VALUE CHAIN WITH NAIC CODES
Raw Materials Suppliers

2122 – Ore Mining

2123 – Mineral
Mining

2123 – All Other
Non-metallic Mineral
Mining
R & D Design


Producers

3252 – Resin and
Synthetic
Manufacturing
Education and Training
Compounders

3251 – Chemical
Manufacturing
Standards, Testing and
Regulation
Machinery

3331 – Metal
Machinery
Manufacturing

3333 – Plastics and
Rubber Machinery
Manufacturing
Marketing and Distributors
5416 – Management,
scientific, and
Technical Consulting
Services

6112 – Community
Colleges and
CEGEPs

5413 – Architectural,
Engineering, and
Related Services

5413 - Architectural,
Engineering, and
Related Services



5417 - Scientific
Research and
Development
Services

6114 – Business
Schools and
Computer and
Management
Training
5417 - Scientific
Research and
Development
Services
5419 – Other
Professional,
Scientific, and
Technical Services

6115 – Technical and
Trade Schools

5411 – Legal
Services

5412 – Accounting
and Payroll Services
Sources: Adapted from Foreign Affairs Trade and Development Canada Chemicals and Plastics Outlook
Report by MDB Insight, 2015.
The processes associated with the primary stream are linear. Raw materials suppliers
supply the chemical feedstock and ore/minerals; producers manufacture the different
types of resins required for materials; compounders prepare chemical formulations by
mixing or blending polymers and additives into process ready pellets; machinery
manufacturers produce the machinery for the industry; and converters complete the
product.
49
Converters

3335 – Industrial
Mould Manufacturing

3261 – Plastic
Product
Manufacturing

3323 – Fabricated
Structural
Manufacturing

3326 – Fabricated
Wire Product
Manufacturing
Waste Management

5621 – Waste
Collection

5622 – Waste
Treatment and
Disposal

5629 – Material
Recovery Facilities
Similar to agriculture, those associated with the secondary stream are less linear,
interconnecting with the primary stream at different points and also interacting with
each other. For example, waste management companies including recyclers are
heavily involved in research and development design on how to safely dispose
material waste.
Materials Manufacturing in Bradford West Gwillimbury
Materials manufacturers in Bradford West Gwillimbury claim their stock of plastic and
fabrication activities to be ‘green’ in nature. Highlighting the plastics and metals
industry as a pioneer to the blue box; noting that many of its products can be recycled
and remanufactured; and as a substitute for glass and paper, plastics help cut
transportation costs, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Globally, materials manufacturing are an industry that can drive innovation,
14
technology, and knowledge jobs of the future . Bradford West Gwillimbury
manufactures note innovation is central to their products and is the primary reason
they continue to thrive. However, innovation comes at a price that many manufacturers
feel Bradford West Gwillimbury has ill-prepared for.
Ongoing challenges noted by material manufacturers include:

The need for consisting improvement in broadband infrastructure across the
industrial parks

The pressure of residential growth encroaching on industrial buffer zones – adding
pressure to future growth plans

The availability and cost of utilities, heavy materials manufacturing requires an
adequate amount of water usage

The need for unobstructed transportation routes to safely remove hazardous waste
from any chemical based manufacturing activity
Additionally, when manufacturers were asked about the availability of labour and
business support, several interests aligned with the need to understand the available
labour force pool (both available skilled and semi-skilled) across Simcoe County and
York Region.
As for business support, many manufacturers believe the Town focuses on capturing
the ‘big guy’ – spending time and energy to attract a large employer – and not
concentrating on nurturing the current employers in town. Only recently through the
Community Improvement Plan and Business Retention and Expansion program have
employers begun to notice an attempt to support businesses, still many feel that there
needs to be a continual effort and outreach with assistance.
As for opportunities, several manufacturers were interested in attracting small
complimentary firms into the industrial parks. Supporting firms of note include
technology and smaller advanced manufacturing and niche based and custom
14
50
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Invest in Canada.
manufacturing operations. However, these in-demand firms cannot locate in town
because of the lack of suitable building space or land. Looking ahead, however, as
new strategically located employment lands come on stream, there are considerable
growth opportunities for the materials manufacturing sector. The next section
introduces several emerging materials manufacturing opportunities.
Emerging Materials Manufacturing Opportunities
Materials manufacturing encompasses a range of highly innovative and technologically
advanced activities. Appreciating the sophistication of the manufacturing activities
already present in Bradford West Gwillimbury, the potential for growth in this industrial
area is considerable. This is important for Bradford West Gwillimbury because
tomorrow’s materials manufacturing operations provide for highly skilled and quality
employment opportunities.
By definition materials manufacturing is a multidisciplinary sector relying on fields such
as engineering, chemistry, and physics. This sector also transcends a number of
technology areas (e.g. additive manufacturing, nanomaterials, or electronics) and
economic sectors (e.g. ground transportation, aerospace, alternative energy). The
Technology Strategy Board (TSB) established by the United Kingdom Federal
Government, subdivides advanced materials manufacturing into four broad categories.
These include: structural, functional, multifunctional, and biomaterial. Further, the TSB
defines a number of cross-cutting themes and initiatives that underpin the sector, such
as nanomaterials, modelling and design of new materials and products, metrology and
performance standards, and process technologies and manufacturing. Based on those
categories and themes, a number of individual technology areas can be identified.
These areas have broad market applicability, which present opportunity for local
industry. A number of leading edge examples include:





Smart and multifunctional materials
Coating and joining technologies
Fibre and textile based technologies
Natural and bio-based materials
Materials with reduced environmental impact or enhanced reusability properties
The range of uses for these technologies is seemingly endless in domestic and
international markets. In fact, these technologies have the potential to radically reshape the way we live and interact with the built environment. To this end, scholars of
radical or disruptive innovation note the exponential uptake and deployment of new
technologies to improve existing products or create new products all together. This
evolution of manufacturing outputs demands a closer relationship between research
and development activities and manufacturing processes. In other words, as
manufacturing operations advance to incorporate these new technologies, they will
require more hands-on technical expertise to oversee and improve day-to-day
operations. Accordingly, tomorrow’s materials manufacturing operations will demand
more highly skilled professionals with advanced degrees from a variety of disciplines.
This bodes well for Bradford West Gwillimbury’s local employment opportunities as it
continues to support and grow its roster of materials manufacturers.
51
4.4.2 Transportation, Logistics, and Warehousing
Global public and private transportation entities are in a race to meet the demands of
population growth and infrastructure improvements in a sustainable and cost-effective
manner. According to Statistics Canada, GDP in the transportation and warehousing
15
sector increased from $62.5 billion in 2007 to $68.5 billion in 2015 .
Trucking in Canada is a $65 billion industry that employs over 260,000 drivers and
somewhere in the order of 400,000 Canadians overall. It is a diverse industry made up
of a few large companies, but dominated by thousands of small and medium-sized
businesses and independent owner-operators. Trucks move 90% of all consumer
products and foodstuffs within Canada and almost two thirds, by value, of Canada’s
trade with the United States. The North American just-in-time inventory system is built
around the truck.
Canada's railway network is the fifth largest in the world and handles the fourth largest
volume of goods in the world. Rail is a significant contributor to Canada's balance of
payment gains from the movement of imports from third party countries through
Canadian ports into the United States by rail. According to the Railway Association of
Canada, rail moves over 74 million people and more than 70 percent of total Canadian
non-local surface goods every year, relieving road congestion and limiting harmful
emissions. Rail employs roughly 34,000 people and supports an additional 60,000
direct and indirect Rail supplier jobs. In the context of rail access, it is important to note
that Bradford West Gwillimbury’s businesses do not utilize rail for the movement of
cargo; although, there is the potential for future access and use given the existing
infrastructure.
Stakeholder consultations with local businesses and supporting data arguments
suggest that transportation, logistics and warehousing have a promising opportunity in
Transportation, Logistics, and Warehousing Value Chain
Unlike other more traditional sectors of the economy outlined above, the
transportation, warehousing, and logistics sector is more of a service-based sector, or
an enabler of other sectors. As such, the sector does not necessarily have a similar
linear structure to its value chain. Instead, the transportation, warehousing, and
distribution sector is integrated with other value chains to enable the movement of
goods and the management of domestic or global supply chains. This integration of
transportation, warehousing, and logistics with other industry value chains is illustrated
in Figure 26.
The transportation, logistics, and warehousing sector plays a key role at all stages of
the industry value chain, offering both forward (e.g. delivery, wholesale distribution)
and reverse (e.g. retail returns) transportation and logistical support to businesses and
consumers. Underlying the process is an increasingly knowledge-based and technical
15 As of May 2015
52
field of the sector, offering outsourced management and delivery of services to
coordinate and operate an industry’s value chain, from sourcing and transporting raw
materials, to managing inventories, customizing products and packaging, and
managing consumer returns.
FIGURE 26: TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS, AND WAREHOUSING SECTOR INVOLVEMENT IN
INDUSTRY VALUE CHAINS
Source: Adapted from Deutshce Post (DHL) by MDB Insight. 2015
Instead of a linear value chain, the transportation, warehousing, and logistics sector is
better visualized in a pyramid structure. This would include core transportation,
warehousing, and logistics companies at the top of the pyramid, supported by an
increasing range of firms providing products or services directly to those industries
from other industry sectors, and a broad range of institutional and industry support
organizations that provide enabling services to the entire industry. Figure 27 illustrates
a simplified visualization of the transportation, warehousing, and logistics sector along
with a definition of NAICS for each level.
53
FIGURE 27: TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS, AND WAREHOUSING SECTOR COMPOSITION WITH
NAIC CODES
Core Industries

41 – Wholesale trade and distribution

4811 – Scheduled air transportation

4812 – Non-scheduled air
transportation

4821 – Rail transportation

4831 – Deep sea, coastal, and Great
Lakes water transportation

4832 – Inland water transportation

4841 – General freight trucking

4842 – specialized freight trucking


Peripheral Industries
Industry Support

3339 – Other general-purpose
machinery manufacturing

6112 – Community colleges and
CEGEPs

3361 – Motor vehicle manufacturing


3362 – Motor vehicle body and trailer
manufacturing

6114 – Business schools and
computer management training

3363 – Motor vehicle parts
manufacturing

6115 – Technical and trade schools


6116 – Other schools and instruction
3363 – Aerospace product and parts
manufacturing


8133 – Social advocacy
organizations
3365 – Railroad rolling stock
manufacturing

486 – Pipeline transportation

3366 – Ship and boat building
8139 – Business, professional,
labour, and other membership
organizations
488 – Support activities for
transportation

3369 – Other transportation
equipment manufacturing

4911 – Postal services

5112 – Software publishers

4921 – Couriers


4922 – Local messengers and local
delivery
5415 – Computer systems design
and related services

5416 – Management, scientific, and
technical consulting services

4931 – Warehousing and storage
Transportation, Logistics and Warehousing in Bradford West
Gwillimbury
54
As previously outlined, the town is strategically located with access to Highway 400. It
is also in close proximity to Highway 404. These highways connect to one of North
America’s largest trucking routes. The town is also served by a rail line with regular
CNR access.
Business patterns data further validates the Town’s strategic position. The Town is
16
home to over 100 transportation and warehousing businesses which grows to over
350 businesses when accounting for firms dedicated to peripheral activity and industry
support (Figure 28). Currently, most of the sector’s business activity is characterized by
small to medium sized businesses – in particular general freight trucking firms.
FIGURE 28: TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS AND WAREHOUSING VALUE CHAIN
Total
Without
employees
Total, with
employees
1-4
5-9
1019
2049
5099
100+
Core Industries
223
150
73
47
12
10
1
2
1
Peripheral Industries
113
83
30
27
1
0
0
1
1
Industry Support
33
20
13
9
4
0
0
0
0
Total
369
Percentage of Total Businesses
13.7%
Source: Canadian Business Patterns, June 2014. Adapted by MDB Insight. 2015
The total number of transportation, logistics and warehousing businesses is expected
to grow once the Bradford West Gwillimbury Strategic Settlement Employment Area
comes online. The Highway 400 Employment Area presents the Town with the
greatest opportunity in advancing its transportation, logistics and warehousing industry.
Portions of the Highway 400 employment lands have been designated for large
transportation, warehousing and logistic activities. With quick access to air, rail and
truck routes and the potential of a 400 and 404 link, these lands will further improve on
the Town’s strategic location for transportation, warehousing and logistic firms.
Industry support will also play a key role in the development and expansion of the
sectors. Though the profile of in-town post-secondary support for the industry may be
limited, institutions in surrounding areas like Barrie and Toronto can offer potential
connections to workforce development and research programming to support the
sector.
From both an industry innovation and workforce development perspective, these
institutions represent high priority potential partners for Bradford West Gwillimbury and
its business community in the transportation, logistics, and warehousing sector. Postsecondary institutions in Simcoe County have taken innovative approaches to offer a
range of certificate, diploma, and degree programs to meet current and forecasted
occupational demands. With a forecasted demand for transportation, logistics and
warehousing expertise along Highway 400 communities, the Town is well positioned to
attract related investment.
16 Canadian Business Patterns, June 2014
55
Emerging Sector Opportunities
When considering the local market potential for transportation, logistics, and
warehousing in Bradford West Gwillimbury, it may be tempting to discount this sector’s
potential to generate meaningful and quality employment. Traditional warehousing
activities, for example, are not typically considered an innovative sector supportive of
these types of jobs. And yet, warehousing and the entire the logistics industry is going
through a time of rapid and unprecedented transformation. The future of logistics is
paved with innovation and technology. The adoption of new technology within the
industry and changing patterns of world economic activity are revolutionizing supply
chains. This will impact the way the industry operates and the types of skills required to
support it. Technology, such as automation and robotics is improving the efficiency and
speed of delivery, but this sector faces a future where it needs a better-skilled
workforce operating smarter and more efficiently. Over the longer term, drones and
driverless cars, programmed and directed by remote operators will support increasing
tight just-in-time delivery windows to support industry and retail consumers.
Importantly for Bradford West Gwillimbury, this evolution of the sector will require more
hands-on technical expertise to oversee and improve day-to-day operations.
Accordingly, tomorrow’s transportation, logistics, and warehousing operations will
demand an array of skilled professionals which is well beyond the current labour
demands of the sector. Looking ahead, Bradford West Gwillimbury may position itself
as a leading edge logistics hub. Once again, this requires seeking out new
investments that are centred on these leading edge opportunities rather than on
traditional models.
4.5 Local Business Growth and
Entrepreneurship
In light of the preceding discussion, it is important to acknowledge that while the
attraction of external investment should be an important activity for any local economic
development initiative, it should not be the central focus. Decades of research have
clearly demonstrated that only a fraction of new job creation and economic activity is
generated by external investment. Accordingly continued business expansion and
retention (BR+E) efforts are considered paramount to increase local employment.
Beyond broad based BR+E initiatives, research has pinpointed the age and size of
firms which have the highest potential to generate employment. To this end, the 2010
report by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) entitled, “Who Creates
Jobs? Small vs. Large vs. Young” highlights the importance of small, young firms in job
creation. Given Bradford West Gwillimbury’s desire to stimulate local job creation,
there is a robust case for increasing local supports for entrepreneurship.
The town is attracting a relatively large proportion of new Canadians. As of 2011, over
20% of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s population was composed of first generation
Canadians. These new Canadians often carry a range of technical skills, formal
education, financial resources, entrepreneurial ambitions, and international
connections to support new-business growth. As of 2011, Bradford West Gwillimbury
56
was also home to 1,670 self-employed workers. This is just over one in ten members
of the local workforce. At an industry level, the majority of these workers are involved in
construction (with 420 workers). Professional scientific and technical services and
educational services, however, also account for a sizeable share, with 195 and 65
workers respectively. These two sectors are illustrative of the increasingly prevalent
areas of Canada’s economy which focus on the creation of knowledge. These types of
activities combine to create the “knowledge-based economy” or the “creative economy”
which is predicated on the formulation of new ideas and to the application of these
ideas to produce scientific inventions, technological innovations, and other original
works. It is these types of businesses which are re-shaping the global economy and
offer the greatest potential for wealth creation.
Given the potential for new ideas and new businesses to generate employment, what
does the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Bradford West Gwillimbury look like? Simply
put, the ecosystem is rather limited. There are regional support structures which have
a limited presence in Bradford West Gwillimbury, such as the Greater Barrie Small
Business Enterprise Centre and Nottawasaga Futures, but generally speaking local
and regional programs and services are biased towards supporting established
enterprises. Specifically, notable weaknesses or gaps in the local entrepreneurship
ecosystem include:




Entrepreneurship education

Lack of programs to support developing business skills, like human resource
management, sales, and marketing

Lack of post-secondary institutions
Lack of start-up support
Relatively low rates of youth retention
Limited municipal funding for entrepreneurs; The Greater Barrie Small Business
Enterprise Centre receives funding, but there is minimal in community presence
and limited outreach to support uptake
Taken together, there is insufficient focus on promoting new and successful high
growth firms. Moving forward, Bradford West Gwillimbury needs to enhance its existing
programs and coordinate their transition toward a more sophisticated structure for
nurturing and expanding knowledge-based entrepreneurs.
During this transition it is important to recognize that agencies and organizations
focused on more knowledge-based areas of the economy like incubation,
commercialization, or financing can suffer from a lack of community understanding,
particularly if not geographically based in the community. The lack of understanding of
these agencies and organizations may be compounded by the seeming departure from
what the Town has previously focused on, and their immediate impacts – often more
intangible than tangible - may not necessarily be recognizable by the same metrics
previously used (e.g. jobs, tax revenues). Nevertheless, resourcing these types of
community resources to support entrepreneurship is critical as the Town endeavours to
57
bridge the gap between traditional areas of economic strength and new areas of
economic opportunity. Without these types of supports, the transition of a local
economy into new strategic directions is difficult.
Within Ontario there are examples of communities with traditional strengths in
agriculture and manufacturing which have embraced the promise of entrepreneurship
to drive their economies forward. Those communities seldom go it alone. Instead they
tap into regional support structures and leverage provincial funding. On this latter point,
there are leading practices to study. Niagara Region continues to transition its
economy away from traditional strengths (like manufacturing and agriculture) into
emerging areas of opportunity in green energy, life sciences, biomaterials, and
advanced manufacturing. A number of organizations have assembled to create an
ecosystem that supports that transition, including Innovate Niagara, BioLinc, Vineland
Research and Innovation Centre, area CFDCs, and the Niagara Industrial Association.
Even with that emerging level of support, the ecosystem members still recognized
gaps in available support, particularly related to early-stage funding.
In order to address these gaps, Venture Niagara has worked in partnership with these
organizations extensively over the last several years to build the Niagara Angel
Network (NAN). NAN is a member based, not-for-profit corporation for accredited
investors who live, work, or have a strong interest in Southern Ontario communities or
young companies primed for growth. Since 2011, 25 NAN members have made
cumulative investments of $3.3 million in 11 companies, raising $22.6 million in equity
17
and attracting $5.2 million in total government funding . Given the parallels between
Simcoe County and Niagara region, there are likely opportunities for Bradford West
Gwillimbury to learn from the work done by Venture Niagara.
Throughout the preceding discussion the need for increased resources and programs
has been established. And yet in an era of austerity, local policymakers are being
pressured to slash budgets and reduce investment risk. Capital improvement
expenditures to maintain roads and water systems are seen as “necessary”, but
investing in “softer” infrastructure like training facilities or business incubators is often
deemed as a “luxury”. In light of the prevailing research on the fundamental importance
of public investment to drive innovation and associated business growth, this “popular
view” is misguided and uninformed. This view should be superseded by the
understanding that investment in a community’s “softer” infrastructure is fundamental
to stimulating local economic growth. In other words, without business supporting
organizations, the potential for local innovation and related economic prosperity is
severely limited. This is not the time to pull back public investment in these areas;
instead it is time to increase public commitment to leading innovations and direction
setting.
17 Niagara Angel Network. (2013). Fiscal Report November 1, 2012 to October 31, 2013.
58
59
5 Future Directions for Economic
Development – The Critical
Path
Through the consultation and research activities conducted for this project, a series of
principles have been articulated by Town Council, and hence adopted by the
consulting team, to guide the setting of priorities. These priorities directly support the
objectives outlined in Council’s 2015- 2018 Strategic Plan.
60
5.1 Critical Path Steps for Bradford West
Gwillimbury
Investment
Attraction
Strategic
Development
Tools and
Resources
Local
Business and
Entrepreneur
Growth
Economic
Development
Capacity
Critical Path Step #1 - Economic Development Capacity
It is one thing to be open for business. It is another thing to be open and ready for
business. Good customer services will leave a positive impression, build and enhance
business relationships, land deals for new development and ensure future referrals.
Across Canada there are communities with processes in place to ensure excellence in
client management and customer service for potential new investors and existing
18
businesses. The Town of Ajax, Ontario, for example, invented Ajax Priority Path ,
which uses a team of professionals to personally help companies navigate through the
site plan approval process. Customers enjoy expedited site plan and building
approvals, enabling them to fast-track their business plans.
While larger communities tend to invest more resources to be “investment ready” there
are many examples of communities of similar size to Bradford West Gwillimbury, which
are ready for business. The Township of North Grenville, Ontario for example, is a
community of 15,000, which has adopted a client-focused initiative and become part of
its investment-readiness measures. This approach has drawn accolades from Ottawabased developers, who are a key target market. Closer to home, Barrie has also
resourced a rebranding and investment readiness effort to grow and diversify its
economy.
During the consultation process and community assessment, the Project Team
identified a series of short-comings related to the Town’s economic development
capacity and state of investment readiness. With its existing staff, the Town’s
Economic Development Department struggles to balance the demands of supporting
18
61
Find more information at http://www.ajaxfirstforbusiness.ca/en/ajax/prioritypath.asp
the town’s existing businesses with pro-active investment attraction activities. In the
near term, with the guidance of a newly formed Economic Development Advisory
Group, the Town’s economic development department will focus its efforts in those
areas with the greatest return on investment. A full description and terms of reference
for the Economic Development Advisory Group is provided in the Appendix. In short,
however, this Group will advise the Economic Development Department on strategic
issues, programs, and policies from a local perspective. It will further assist in business
outreach as members will leverage their contacts. The intent is for this Group to
streamline the Economic Development Department’s activities by prioritizing certain
functions over others.
In the medium term, Economic Development Advisory Group will also inform and
support the formation of tailored investment readiness teams. These pre-defined
teams composed of senior municipal staff, business representatives, and private
development stakeholders allow for the efficient and effective response to serious
investment inquiries. These teams expedite the process of development approvals
through the efficiencies of having the “right people” in the same room at the same time.
In this way potential development challenges are identified along with potential
solutions even before an official application is submitted for municipal review.
As the 400 Highway employment lands become marketable with servicing in place, it
will be important for Bradford West Gwillimbury to move towards the “Gold Standard of
Investment Readiness”. To inform this shift, a comprehensive investment readiness
check list is provided in the Appendix. It is important to note that maintaining this
standard will require additional staff time and resources. Aside from scaling back the
Economic Development Department existing core functions, such as business
retention and expansion initiatives, which is not recommended, the Town will need to
increase its budget for economic development, associated marketing and
communications.
With this in mind, investments in these areas should be carefully considered in the
context of Simcoe County’s economic development mandate, functions, and capacity.
The County of Simcoe has a level of economic development capacity and
sophistication not present in Bradford West Gwillimbury. Simcoe County’s economic
development function is regional in scope. It has a research, marketing, and technical
services mandate. Accordingly, the pooling of resources for marketing and investment
attraction offers efficiencies from economies of scale. The challenge is that Simcoe
County is responsible for supporting every one of its lower tier municipalities. This may
result in an investment lead being assigned to another neighbouring municipality.
Moving forward, it would be prudent for Bradford West Gwillimbury to leverage all
available services provided by Simcoe County and foster an even stronger working
relationship. There is no reason to duplicate efforts where there is no conflict of
interest. The Town should, however, understand where the County cannot prioritize
the needs or objectives of Bradford West Gwillimbury. In these areas the Town should
assume a more pro-active stance.
62
Critical Path Step #2 - Tools and Resources
To increase the Town’s economic development capacity, and improve the
effectiveness of its operations, this section outlines the need for a series tools and
resources.
At a strategic level, the Town would benefit from a single administrative centre.
Consultation identified local challenges with current service delivery stemming from
fragmentation. To this end, awareness and uptake of public programs and services is
limited for both local residents and businesses. Potential users would benefit from a
warm hand-off between referrals, which would be facilitated by a shared space. A
single administrative centre would further support community awareness of available
services.
At present the Town has two Community Improvement Programs. Through public
incentives, these programs encourage private investment in the Downtown and in the
Reagans and Artesian industrial parks. To-date, these programs have experienced
limited uptake. These programs are one of the Town’s primary economic development
tools. They channel community investment into those areas requiring attention and
enhancement. They also differentiate Bradford West Gwillimbury as a jurisdiction with
supportive business environment. In the near term, these CIPs may be reviewed with
the objective of making them more accessible. With that said, the Town should
maintain the strategic nature of these programs. As the re-vamped CIPs are formalized
there will be the need for another round of outreach. Targeting specific industrial users
should be a focus. Some industrial tenants require a certain level of “hand-holding” to
ensure they not only understand the opportunity, but are supported through the
development process.
Communications and outreach is a core function of the Town. In an era of information
over load, however, the Town must compete with increasingly sophisticated and
pervasive private advertising and marketing channels. Cutting through the noise to
communicate what can sometimes be considered a “dull” public service message is a
tall order. Nevertheless, the Town must co-ordinate its communications efforts to reach
specific audiences. A one size solution is rarely effective. In some cases, the most
effective outreach is conducted in person or through direct telephone calls. Economic
Development is sometimes called a “contact sport”. Virtual communications through
emails or website postings have their place, but there is no substitute for shaking
somebody’s hand, introducing yourself, and explaining what you can do to help.
Maintaining a community presence and cultivating meaningful relationships with local
businesses is a primary function of the Economic Development Department.
Client Relationship Management (CRM) systems are essential to providing a
consistent high standard of customer service. Every day, Town employees have
conversations with residents, business owners or potential. Client relationship
management is a set of business processes and underlying applications that helps
manage all of the town’s “customer” information, activities, and conversations. With
CRM, the town’s staff members, across a series of departments, have access to the
latest information on a shared system. This allows for continuity and coordination of
63
service. At a minimum, the Economic Development Department needs to share
information with the Town’s Planning and Engineering Departments.
The Town’s Economic Development Website’s content is generally up-to-date and
reflective; although the look, feel, and user-friendliness of the website could be
improved. Consideration should be given to a website refresh. At that time, the
website’s contents may be re-structured to highlight the town’s impending employment
lands and investment opportunities. The Economic Development Department currently
benefits from advanced website analytics and traffic monitoring. At this stage, the
Economic Development Department lacks sufficient capacity to monitor this traffic and
act on associated investment leads. As the Town shifts its focus towards more
investment attraction activities, this is an area worth fully resourcing.
Critical Path Step #3 - Local Business Growth and
Entrepreneurship
The next step is continuing to foster a supportive business environment in which the
town’s existing businesses can grow and thrive. Recruitment as an economic
development activity has its limitations. Many times, community leaders and the media
are caught up in the excitement of luring new companies to their area, only to realize
that they are replacing companies who have been 'lured' someplace else.
Few people would argue with the assertion that existing businesses are important to
the local economy. As described in the body of this report, (see section 4.5) decades
of research have clearly demonstrated that only a fraction of new job creation and
economic activity is generated by external investment. Accordingly continued business
expansion and retention (BR+E) efforts are considered paramount to increase local
employment. In this light, the Town is encouraged to continue with its BR+E efforts. To
streamline the process, however, the Town may be more targeted in the types of
businesses surveyed in any given year. Over time, the BR+E would rotate through
different sectors or different pockets of businesses within Bradford West Gwillimbury.
The Economic Development Advisory Group would be well positioned to direct these
efforts.
A related, but relatively underdeveloped, opportunity in Bradford West Gwillimbury is
the potential to cultivate entrepreneurship. At present, there is insufficient focus on
promoting new and successful high growth firms. Importantly, these are the firms which
offer the greatest potential for creating local jobs. Moving forward, Bradford West
Gwillimbury needs to enhance its existing programs and coordinate their transition
toward a more sophisticated structure for nurturing and expanding knowledge-based
entrepreneurs. During this transition it is important to recognize that agencies and
organizations focused on more knowledge-based areas of the economy like
incubation, commercialization, or financing can suffer from a lack of community
understanding, particularly if not geographically based in the community. The lack of
understanding of these agencies and organizations may be compounded by the
seeming departure from what the Town has previously focused on. And yet, supporting
64
local entrepreneurship presents an immediate economic development opportunity. As
described in section 4.5 it will be important to survey the existing regional and
provincial programs to understand what explicit role the Town has to play. One such
19
role is the provision of local incubation facilities for entrepreneurs . Converting a
portion of the Bradford Community Centre to serve as a small business incubator
should be considered.
Critical Path Step #4 - Strategic Development
Having outlined the specific programs and tactics to support the Town’s economic
development program, this section broaches the subject of strategic development. In
many ways, economic development and community planning are two sides of the
same coin. They are fundementally connected, each with a direct influence on
Bradford West Gwillimbuy’s quality of life and economic prosperity.In this context, there
are several “strategic” areas of consideration including: Downtwon revitalization,
tourism and community amenities, residential development and densities, and long
range provincial lobbying and planning.
Bradford West Gwillimbury’s Downtown plays a central role in shaping the life of its
residents and is a reflection of the town’s traditions and aspirations. Bradford West
Gwillimbury’s Downtown, and associated quality of place, is the cornerstone of its
value proposition to attract new residents and businesses alike. Accordingly, there
must be a commitment to enhancing the standards of new developments and
revitalizing those areas which have fallen behind. Investing in the Downtown is a
necessity to ensuring the continued growth and prosperity of Bradford West
Gwillimbury for generations to come. To this end, the Town has endorsed the
Downtown Bradford Revitalization Strategy. In June of 2015, the Downtown
Revitalization Committee met to discuss and prioritize the action items within the
Strategy. Over the next three years a series of critical actions will be taken to execute
the Strategy. These activities are reflected as part of the Economic Development
Strategy to reinforce their urgency and importance.
Community consultation revealed a deep desire to increase Bradford West
Gwillimbury’s profile as a tourism destination. By all accounts, the Town provides a
relative depth of community serving festivals and events, but the extent to which these
19
Business incubator defined: An organization designed to accelerate the growth and
success of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources
and services that could include physical space, capital, coaching, common services,
and networking connections.
Business accelerators defined: An organization that takes single-digit chunks of equity
in externally developed ideas in return for small amounts of capital and mentorship.
They’re generally truncated into a three to four month program at the end of which the
start-ups ‘graduate’.
65
may be considered regional or provincial attractions remains unclear. From an
economic development perspective, encouraging local tourism is valuable, although it
is particularly useful when tourism offerings can yield a direct economic return. For
example, natural heritage attractions like the Scanlon Creek Conservation Area speak
to an areas quality of life, but seldom inject new money into the local economy. On the
other hand, hotels, accommodations, restaurants, and theaters have a direct impact.
Looking ahead, the Town should look to grow its fledgling tourism economy. There are
marketing opportunities associated with Bond Head as it represents a complete 19th
Century hamlet with two pre-Confederation hotels, and the Osler Church. The
development of a local hotel or conference facility would also support the increased
potential for sport tourism and business accommodation. In short, there are a number
of tourism and cultural related opportunities facing Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Undertaking a cultural mapping project would allow for a more systematic
understanding these opportunities. After which point, the Town could leverage Simcoe
County’s considerable tourism development capacity to coordinate marketing and
promotional activities.
With respect to residential development there are a number of recommendations which
may influence the Town’s forthcoming Official Plan review. Single-detached homes
define the majority of the local residential housing stock. As the town’s population ages
and their needs begin to change, there will be a need for more diverse residential
options. Encouraging a broader range of housing densities, with varying price points
will serve the town and its population well. Increased residential densities will also
support the viability of public transit. In the same vein, encouraging more mixed land
uses with residential and commercial/ retail fosters self-sustaining neighbourhoods.
Relaxing building height restrictions in proximate areas to the Downtown would further
support these objectives. Finally, it is important to ensure any future developments fully
leverage and advance connections to the GO Train station.
Bradford West Gwillimbury’s current leadership has at least two aspirations objectives.
The Town would like to advance the Bradford Bypass or Highway 400 - Highway 404
Extension Link and secure a local post-secondary bricks and mortar presence. Over
the longer term, and beyond the scope of this Economic Development Strategy, both
of these objectives may be achieved. Over the next five years, however, both of these
objectives are unrealistic. The central challenge in both cases involves the provincial
political landscape.
The current provincial leadership simply has no appetite to fund the completion of the
Bradford Bypass. Despite collective lobbying efforts by the Town and regional
partners, this position has been communicated by the province. Accordingly, despite
the economic merit of such a project, the Town’s collective efforts on this front may be
reserved until a new provincial government is formed.
Securing a provincially supported post-secondary presence is a more complicated
subject. In recent years, despite plans to create a series of new university campuses
across Southern Ontario, the provincial government has changed course and moved to
scale back funding for new developments and existing satellite campuses. Accordingly,
despite Bradford West Gwillimbury’s population growth and recognized demand for
66
local post-secondary programming the town is not well positioned to add a local postsecondary bricks and mortar presence in the next five years. In the interim, however,
the Town should continue to support the Bradford Learning Centre and explore
partnership opportunities with local education service providers. As part of the Official
Plan review, the Town may consider reserving a major parcel of land for the longer
term development of a post-secondary institution.
Critical Path Step #5 - Investment Attraction
An economic development strategy will only take a community a certain distance in
terms of facilitating investment. Once that community has identified its strategic focus,
it needs to concentrate on creating competitive infrastructure, services, and policies,
while connecting to organizations that can support investments from external and
internal stakeholders. In many ways, a community may not have a good sense of its
investment readiness until opportunities present themselves. By that time, however, it
may be too late to create and connect to the necessary structures to support the
proposed project.
While this Economic Development Strategy identifies three viable targets, a first step
approach to investment readiness and attraction in Bradford West Gwillimbury is likely
a focus towards broader targets that combine many of the elements that require an
approach or support structures to encourage development. This will allow the Town to
take a more flexible approach in investment attraction and investment readiness
activities, focused on creating an environment receptive to the broad range of
opportunities.
Investment attraction activity since the completion of the previous plan indicates that
the community continues to struggle with an approach to investment. There are
perceptions that this struggle has resulted in missed opportunities over the years.
When asked about priorities surrounding investment attraction efforts there was a
division between who should be responsible for investment activities, in particular
those activities that involved international agendas.
As a member of Simcoe County, the Town is inherently a part of the County’s
investment attraction activities. However, by the nature of its operations, the County
does not directly favour one of its municipalities over another when it comes to
investment attraction – and at times may not be aligned with similar targeted focuses
that each of the municipalities might be identifying. From this perspective there is a
need to outline a formalized approach or framework that will discuss how the Town will
work together with external economic development partners such as the County and
Nottawasaga Community Futures to support and facilitate investment attraction for the
purposes of the Town’s advancement.
With the Highway 400 employment lands coming online by 2019, completing an
industrial land strategy will be necessary for any investment attraction activities. An
industrial land strategy will assist in ensuring planned industrial and commercial land
resources have the necessary capacity and locational attributes to accommodate any
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employment growth. The Official Plan and Growth Plan’s policies are intended to
ensure that the Highway 400 employment lands are planned for sufficient and
appropriate capacity to meet local and regional demands, including the identification of
sites for industrial and office development. Community Improvement Plans have been
put in place to support business growth and investment within the Town’s current
industrial parks. An industrial land strategy will support the development and outreach
of these programs/policies.
Additionally, establishing strong linkages with key business leaders across industrial
sectors will assist in building a portfolio of testimonials and a pipeline of lead
identification and generation information. Bradford West Gwillimbury has excellent
local business stories to tell. The Town’s businesses are active participants in the day
to day growth of the community and appreciate continual discussion around business
growth and investment opportunities. Capturing insight is not a simple task, to do this
effectively; the Town will need to work with organizations like the Board of Trade,
Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, Simcoe County and the Nottawasaga Community
Futures. If Bradford West Gwillimbury is to attract the residents, visitors and business
investment it wants and needs, it must embrace more comprehensive communication
techniques and technologies that will resonate with their business audience.
Once the foundational elements in place, the Town can then take a targeted approach
to investment attraction building on the sector and value chain analysis outlined
previously in the report. Food processing, materials manufacturing, and transportation,
logistics and warehousing each provide significant opportunities for the Town. As
established industries with supporting assets, these target sectors require profiles that
outline sector-specific data that can be applied to investment guides and other
investment ready toolkits mentioned above.
The importance of each of these profiles will also vary from sector to sector, and
business to business. What forms a critical factor for investment in materials
manufacturing may have minimal impact on location and investment decisions for food
processing businesses. Thus, approaches to these profiles should strike a balance
between more sector-specific improvements, like the growth of labour force skills
relevant to manufacturing, or innovative research being conducted surrounding new
type of crops grown in the Holland Marsh.
In a similar vein, there is a growing trend towards branding of a community’s economic
development effort to more effectively market the Town to business, industry or future
residents/employees. With the Town`s current branding materials approaching their ten
year anniversary, there is a need to devise a more current and pro-active marketing
campaign and community brand. This marketing campaign and brand should centre on
supporting the town`s investment attraction efforts. The Town is already regarded as a
good place to live, but its positioning as a good place to open a business may be
improved.
When considering the self-live of marketing campaigns, a three year turn-over is
considered appropriate. The marketplace changes too quickly to maintain messaging
for any longer. Using manufacturing as an example, there have been significant shifts
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in Ontario manufacturing sector with the introduction of new products, policies and
programs, a continued shift in the demographics of Ontario’s labour force, and the
proliferation of digital consumption and planning tools that enhance the way site
selectors find information online.
Moving forward, the Town will need to consider a marketing review process, in
particular the type of environment it will be playing in once the Highway 400
employment lands come online. To stay ahead of that curve and to ensure its branding
stays relevant, the Town will require better engagement with local operators, site
selectors and investment information providers around the best tools needed for
marketing activities.
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6 Action Plans
6.1 Interpreting the Action Plans
This series of action plans directly support the critical path described above. They
should be interpreted in the following context.
Timing and priority level
In the actions tables to follow, the level of priority has been based on several criteria
including:
1. The level of immediacy based on the Town’s economic development
objectives
2. The potential to contribute to the overall economic vitality and sustainability of
3. The resources required (i.e. the capacity to implement given the current state)
4. The logical sequence of actions, with each building from the last; in some
cases, these are identified as separate steps to support the same overall
action
Each action item is assigned a timeframe and priority level. The timeframe may be
understood as follows:




Ongoing
Short term – within a year
Medium term – within 3 years
Long term – 3-5 years
The level of priority denotes the sense of urgency and importance associated with
each action. These terms may be understood as follows:




Highest – utmost importance
High – important
Moderate – moderate urgency
Low – limited urgency
Budget Considerations
Each of the action items is accompanied by budgetary considerations. These budgets
are intended to inform resource requirements at a Town level, not a the department
level. Accordingly, these budgets may be spread between different Town departments.
For example, the costs associated with tourism product development may be shared
by the Economic Development Office and Leisure Services. In other cases, Planning
and Engineering may absorb the costs etc.
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Performance Management
Performance measures are tools to determine how well a job has been done using
qualitative and quantitative information. The following reasons make it important to
track activity and performance.




Providing public accountability
Assisting with human resources management
Using results to improve performance
Identifying the return on investment
An effective economic development office must measure and communicate these
results.
Below each action plan, presented below, are two performance metrics. These
performance metrics were selected by Town Council during a working session on
October 13, 2015. Despite Council’s input, it is recommended that the Economic
Development Department carefully consider each metric before their application.
Questions to consider:



Is there enough information to consistently inform this metric over time?
Are there enough resources to consistently monitor the metric?
Does the metric effectively demonstrate the success or failure of the action?
If any of these questions cannot be answered with a definite “yes” than the Economic
Development Department should notify Council and consider a different measure.
6.2 Action Plans
Potential
Partners
Action
1.
Establish an Economic Development Advisory Group
(EDAG) (See preliminary terms of reference in Appendix
A)
2.
Increase the frequency of Economic Development
Activity reporting to Town Council, but reduce the volume
of information presented. Quarterly Reporting may be
Budget
Considerations
Priority
Bradford Board of
Trade
Internal staff
time; meeting
space; travel
honorarium
Highest
Town Council;
EDAG
Internal staff time
High
BWG Planning
Dept; Simcoe
County; Workforce
Internal staff time
Moderate
tied directly to the actions items within this Strategy. In
collaboration with the EDAG and Town Council three to
five performance metrics may be selected to be
consistently monitored and reported.
3.
Update and maintain a detailed source of community
data including skills inventory, a community profile,
labour market statistics and up to date business
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Timing
O
S
M
L
Potential
Partners
Action
directory. Ongoing updates should be provided
Budget
Considerations
Priority
Planning Board(s)
(minimum semi-annually for all but Skills Inventory which
is annual)
4.
Update and maintain a vacant land and storefront
inventory
BWG Planning
Dept; Simcoe Cty
Internal staff time
Moderate
5.
Update and maintain a ‘shovel ready’ development land
BWG Planning
Dept; Simcoe
County
Internal staff time
Moderate
BWG Planning
Dept;
Communications
Dept; IT Dept;
EDAG; Simcoe
County
Itemized budgets
reflected in
related actions
High
BWG Planning
Dept
Internal staff time
High
BWG Planning
Dept;
Communications
Dept; Simcoe
County
Internal staff time
Moderate
Communications
Dept; IT Dept.
Internal staff time
High
BWG Planning
Dept; EDAG
Internal staff time
High
BWG Planning
Dept; BWG
Engineering Dept;
EDAG
Internal staff time
High
BWG Planning
Internal staff time
Moderate
inventory
6.
Work towards the gold standard of investment readiness
(investment readiness check list is provided in the
Appendix)
7.
Task the Development Applications Review Team with
suggesting improvements to the industrial development
review process. Improvements should reflect best
practices from the residential development review
process.
8.
Prepare "ready to go" collateral material to expedite
customer service
9.
Ensure direct contact information (office phone, cell
phone, and email address) for primary economic
development contact is attached to all collateral
$2-3,000 for
contracted
design services;
$3,000 for
production
materials, email signatures, relevant web-pages
10. Create expedited service channels and process to serve
urgent cases
11. Develop one or more investment readiness teams with a
“one team” Bradford West Gwillimbury approach to
investment attraction efforts. Once an opportunity is
identified the Town should know who the local
stakeholders are in the community and region that need
to be brought into the room.
12. Identify service process and time expectation along with
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Timing
O
S
M
L
Potential
Partners
Action
encouraging transparency with Town processes
13. Establish regular meeting intervals with the County of
Budget
Considerations
Priority
Timing
O
S
M
L
Dept; BWG
Engineering Dept;
EDAG
Simcoe County
Internal staff time
High
Simcoe’s Economic Development leadership
Potential Performance Metrics


Number of companies that have expanded and been retained
Jobs created (i.e. full-time, part-time, contract, seasonal) due to new businesses
and start-ups, business relocation and existing businesses expanding
Critical Path Step #2 - Tools and Resources
Potential
Partners
Action
Budget
Considerations
Priority
14. Examine the feasibility of a single administrative centre
BWG Planning
Dept; BWG
Engineering Dept
$20,000 for a
feasibility study
Moderate
15. Track communication and project work with investors,
stakeholders and the business community through a
BWG Planning
Dept; BWG
Engineering Dept;
Communications
Dept; Mayor’s
office; CAO’s
office
$40-$50,000 for
setup; $4,000$5,000 annual
fee
High
IT Dept; Simcoe
County
$20,000 for
contracted web
design services
and leading
practice study
Moderate
Y-Factor Inc or
similar service
provider
Set-up complete;
annual fee
$5,000
Moderate
customer relationship management system
16. Undertake a review of leading practices for investment
attraction-oriented web design, and consider options for
redesign of economic development website for alignment
with leading practices, particularly the accommodation of
new externally-oriented marketing content and materials,
mobile applications, and town branding
17. Conduct website monitoring a lead follow-up activities


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Overall take-up of each CIP program and the number of unsuccessful applications
Total amount of private-sector investment that resulted from CIP program
incentives
Timing
O
S
M
L
Critical Path Step #3 - Local Business Growth and Entrepreneurship
Action
18. Engage regular communications with existing
businesses, maintain on-going dialogues and develop a
business culture within the town
19. Conduct a sector specific business BR+E survey
(different sector each year).
Potential
Partners
Budget
Considerations
Priority
Bradford Board of
Trade; Greater
Barrie Small
Business
Enterprise Centre
Internal staff time
Moderate
Nottawasaga
Futures
Internal staff time
High
Internal staff time
Highest
Simcoe County;
ventureLab;
Greater Barrie
Small Business
Enterprise Centre
Internal staff time
or contracted
review services;
$10,000
Moderate
Workforce
Planning Board of
York Region and
Bradford West
Gwillimbury;
Georgian College;
Seneca College
Internal staff time
Moderate
WDB of York
Region and
Bradford West
Gwillimbury;
Simcoe County;
Simcoe Muskoka
WDB
Internal staff time
Moderate
Simcoe County;
ventureLab;
Greater Barrie
Small Business
Enterprise Centre
Internal staff time
Moderate
$20,000 for a
feasibility study
and business
plan
Moderate
20. Implement the recommendations from the manufacturing
business retention and expansion program; follow-up
with businesses considering expansion
21. Conduct a local assessment of the local
entrepreneurship “ecosystem” of collection of programs
and services available to support startups.
22. Leverage partnerships to encourage businesses to
create additional opportunities for co-op placements and
apprenticeships. These placements should support
regional training, secondary, and post-secondary
programs.
23. Promote a business culture that strives to employ
local residents. Investigate and support initiatives
that connect local residents with local job
opportunities (local job boards and local job
aggregator)
24. Engage local and regional partners to enhance identified
gaps in local entrepreneurial programs and services
25. Examine the feasibility of converting an existing
community building into a small business incubator, or
business accelerator in Bradford West Gwillimbury,
composed of co-working spaces, shared meeting
spaces, shared administrative and support functions, and
education and training spaces, aimed at providing
support to start-up and small knowledge-based or
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Timing
O
S
M
L
Critical Path Step #3 - Local Business Growth and Entrepreneurship
Potential
Partners
Action
Budget
Considerations
Priority
Timing
O
S
M
L
creative businesses
26. Promote local brands whenever possible
Communications
Dept; Mayor’s
office; CAO’s
office
Annual $5,000
for print
marketing
materials; local
advertising
Low
27. Source Town purchases from local retailers
Purchasing Dept
28. Encourage community-based joint marketing initiatives,
such as local shopping campaigns, cross-marketing
Bradford Board of
Trade
Internal staff time
Low
Bradford Board of
Trade; Simcoe
County; Local
School Boards
Internal staff time
Low
York Region
Workforce
Planning Board;
Contact South
Simcoe
$5,000 annual
fee
Moderate
Low
between businesses, traditional and online media
programs
29. Initiate a crowdsourcing initiative for Bradford West
Gwillimbury to raise money for small businesses and
community development projects. Work with local groups
and high schools to identify projects that will facilitate
economic activity, assist with the revitalization of the
Downtown and foster community pride.
30. Resource local job monitoring platform / technology
(Vicinity Jobs)


Amount of private investment leveraged from public investment
Dollar value of public investment in development projects
Action
31. Resource and execute the Downtown Bradford
Revitalization Strategy – Implementation Workplan
32. Continue to support the attraction of major events,
including associated temporary and pop-up retail and
food service uses in the Downtown
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Potential
Partners
Budget
Considerations
Engineering Dept;
Planning Dept;
Leisure services
Step 1 - $80,000
Leisure services;
Regional Tourism
Organization
(RTO) 7; Bradford
Board of Trade;
Internal staff time
Priority
Highest
Steps 2 & 3 $3.5 million
Moderate
Timing
O
S
M
L
Potential
Partners
Action
Budget
Considerations
Priority
Simcoe County
33. Undertake a comprehensive cultural resources mapping
Leisure services
$15,000
Moderate
Leisure services
$30,000
Moderate
Leisure services;
(RTO) 7; Bradford
Board of Trade;
Simcoe County;
Communications
Dept.
$20,000
Moderate
Planning Dept
Internal staff time
Moderate
Planning Dept
Internal staff time
Moderate
Planning Dept
Internal staff time
Moderate
*Confirm current
funding
High
Internal staff time
Moderate
Simcoe County;
York Region;
Newmarket;
Western Ontario
Warden's
Caucus
Low
Internal staff time
High
exercise guided by the new definitions of cultural
resources.
34. Complete a tourism and cultural strategic plan
35. Develop tourism website content dedicated to local
culture, tourism and lifestyle experience
36. Introduce minimum density requirements for large scale
developments
37. Encourage more mixed use commercial and residential
developments within the Official Plan
38. Encourage community walkability between residential
and commercial / retail developments with rigid site plan
guidelines.
39. Support the Bradford Learning Centre and explore
partnership opportunities with local education
service providers
40. Investigate opportunities to connect with post-secondary
institutions in the surrounding region, Barrie to improve
access to professional education and training programs
in the town
41. Work with local economic developers and stakeholders
in industry and development to develop feasibility and
economic development impact studies to justify
expansion of key infrastructure across the region and to
key employment areas of development potential,
including:


Broadband Internet
Regional transit
42. Develop a policy and business case for including
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Planning Dept;
Timing
O
S
M
L
Potential
Partners
Action
installation of fibre conduit as part of applicable and
Budget
Considerations
Priority
Budget
Considerations
Priority
Timing
O
S
M
L
York Region
appropriate municipal infrastructure projects, such as
road (re)construction and water / wastewater projects.
Examine the York Region Broad Band Strategy and
similar municipal strategies to inform policy development.
POTENTIAL PERFORMANCE METRICS


Number of issues resolved that impact downtown revitalization
Number of new infill projects
Potential
Partners
Action
43. Draft a policy for business investment and attraction in
Bradford West Gwillimbury that outlines a formalized
approach and framework for supporting and facilitating
new business investment and attraction, as well as
EDAG; Town
Council; Simcoe
County
Internal staff time
High
EDAG
Internal staff time
High
Planning Dept;
Communications
Dept
$2-3,000 for
contracted
design services
(process flow
charts, P&D
budget)
High
Simcoe County
Travel costs for
tradeshows
Moderate
objectives for investment attraction and decision making
criteria aimed at achieving the best longer term
outcomes for the town
44. Present draft investment and attraction policy for
approval at Town council as a means of validating and
generating support for the Town’s pursuit of new
business investment and attraction
45. Promote new business investment and attraction policy
on Town’s website, and develop investor-oriented tools
to guide applications through the development review
and approval process (e.g. process flow charts for
potential developments in target sectors, identification of
meetings between developers and internal project team)
46. Continue to monitor and engage with regional activities
focused on investment attraction in the industrial sectors
of the economy, including joint attendance and
coordination of sector-specific or regionally important
tradeshows
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Timing
O
S
M
L
Potential
Partners
Action
47. As part of secondary planning activities for the Highway
Budget
Considerations
Priority
Planning Dept.
Internal staff
time; consulting
services
$100,000
High
Planning Dept.
Internal staff
time; (see action
above above for
external
consulting costs)
High
Bradford Board of
Trade; EDAG
Internal staff time
High
Bradford Board of
Trade; EDAG
Internal staff time
High
$20,000 for
sector profiles
High
Simcoe County;
DFATD
Internal staff time
High
Simcoe County;
Local food
processors;
farmers; Holland
Marsh Growers
Association
Internal staff time
Moderate
Internal staff time
High
400/88 employment lands, complete an industrial land
strategy to ensure that planned industrial and
commercial land resources have the necessary capacity
and locational attributes to accommodate future
employment growth and encourage investment attraction
48. As part of secondary planning activities for the Highway
400/88 employment lands identify suitable lands for the
long term siting of training facilities (eg. post-secondary
campus).
49. Establish stronger linkages with key business leaders in
the industrial sectors of the economy to establish a
stronger pipeline for lead identification and generation
based on local business relationships
50. Collect testimonials from key business leaders in target
sectors focused on Bradford West Gwillimbury as a
choice business location
51. Establish brief sector profiles outlining sector-specific
demographic and economic data and sector/supply chain
structures/specializations in Bradford West Gwillimbury
52. Work with regional partners, Simcoe County, and
Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
(DFATD) to target industrial investment attraction and
lead generation activities in the identified target sectors
53. Encourage food producers and processors to conduct
educational workshops within the community that can
connect opportunities between crop development, within
Holland Marsh and the farms surrounding Bradford West
Gwillimbury, and market demand
54. Develop a marketing review process in tandem with the
development of marketing programs (including Branding
initiatives) to ensure its marketing messages and tools
remain on message and relevant
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$15,000 for
branding
$25,000 for
marketing
strategies
Timing
O
S
M
L
POTENTIAL PERFORMANCE METRICS


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Amount of vacant, shovel ready industrial lands
Number of industrial sector investment inquiries and follow-up calls to understand
why investment did not occur.
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Appendix Materials
Appendix A: Economic Development Advisory
Group – Preliminary Terms of Reference
Mission
The Economic Development Advisory Group is established to provide a forum for local
economic development discussions that will support and enhance the Town’s
economic development programs. The overarching goals of the Economic
Development Advisory Group are to: assist with the implementation of the strategic
plan by streamlining economic development activity by prioritizing certain functions
over others; strategically position Bradford West Gwillimbury within the marketplace to
attract new investment, retain and expand local investment; and, foster an environment
of prosperity and opportunity for the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, its municipal
partners, residents, and businesses.
Roles and Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of all appointed members to comply with:





the Town’s Accessible Customer Services and Integrated Accessibility
Standards Regulation policies;
the Town’s Respectful Workplace Policy;
the Town’s Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Policies;
the Town’s Procedural By-law; and,
the Municipal Act, 2001, Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of
Privacy Act and any other applicable by-laws, policies and provincial and
federal legislation.
The Committee is an advisory committee and does not have any delegated authority.
No individual member or the Committee as a whole has the authority to make direct
representations of the Town to Federal or Provincial Governments, third party
organizations or other municipalities. This Committee has no purchasing or
procurement responsibilities or authority.
Members shall abide by the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and shall disclose any
pecuniary interest to the Committee Coordinator and absent himself or herself from
meeting for the duration of the discussion and voting (if any) with respect to that
matter.
Activities
The following represent the general activities of the Committee:
A. To advise the Office of Economic Development on strategic issues, programs, and
policies from a local perspective.
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B. To foster effective and enhanced communication between the OED, local and
regional partners, and local businesses, to enrich regional and local economic
development.
C. To assist stakeholders to work cooperatively to deliver effective economic
development services in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
D. To provide a forum for discussion and coordination of economic development
initiatives and programs.
E. To provide and receive relevant economic development information and statistics
to members.
F. To encourage regional thinking in the context of local decision making.
G. To support local autonomy while emphasizing that local goals can often best be
achieved through regional cooperative efforts.
H. The Committee’s role is advisory. Advice, comments or recommendations from the
Committee shall be received by Council.
I. Council is not bound by any advice or recommendations put forward by the
Committee.
J. The Committee does not have any budgetary authority.
Composition
The Committee shall consist of seven (7) members. These members will consist of:





Two (2) representatives of Town Council with one member serving as
committee Chair;
One active local land developer who operates within the municipal boundary;
One representative from the Bradford West Gwillimbury Board of Trade;
One current industrial park tenant; and,
Two (2) retired small business owners or operators
Terms of Appointment
All citizen members of the Committee will hold office for a term that coincides with the
term of Council, and remain in office until their successors are appointed. When
appointing members, consideration will be given to applicants that have not previously
served on the Committee prior to those that have to ensure opportunities are available
for new applicants as well as retaining dedicated existing members.
Should any Member of a Committee fail to attend three 3 successive meetings thereof
without being authorized to do so by resolution of the committee, the committee may
certify such failure and thereupon the membership of such person on the Committee
shall be terminated and the Council may appoint another Member in their place. In the
event of a vacancy, vacancies will be filled through a Committee recommendation to
Council if the Committee is aware and agrees on a candidate. Where the Committee
is not aware of a qualified candidate, the position will be advertised. The Striking
Committee will then meet to make their recommendation to Council.
Persons appointed to Committees are appointed for such term as defined by Council,
and by resolution, Council may rescind any appointment at any time.
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Resources
The lead department for the Committee shall be the Office of Economic Development.
The Office of Economic Development will provide support in the form of advice, day-today liaison with the Town and updates on projects to the degree resources are
available. A representative from this OED will be in attendance at every meeting unless
otherwise advised by the Committee. Staff will provide expertise, guidance and report
on various matters. Staff from other departments or government/agencies may from
time to time attend as necessary to provide expertise or report on various matters.
Secretarial and administrative support will be provided by the Corporate Services
Department.
Timing of Meetings
Meetings will be held on a set day and time as may be determined by the Committee
or at the call of the Chair. Meetings of the Committee shall not conflict with regular
meetings of Committee of the Whole and Council Meetings.
Committee members are expected to attend all regularly scheduled meetings. In the
event a member, other than the Mayor, is unable to attend a meeting, the member
must contact the Chair or Committee Coordinator in advance and advise him or her.
Meetings
The Committee shall hold a minimum of 4 meetings in each calendar year. The Chair
shall cause notice of the meetings, including the agenda for the meetings, to be
provided to members of the Committee a minimum of 5 business days prior to the date
of each meeting. Quorum for meetings shall consist of a majority of the members of the
Committee. No meeting shall proceed without quorum.
Procedures
Procedures for the meetings of the Committee shall be governed by the Town’s
Procedural By-law. The rules and regulations contained in the Procedural By-law shall
be observed in all proceedings of the Committee. In the case of any conflict between
these Terms of Reference and such rules of procedure, the Terms of Reference shall
take precedence.
Agenda and Minutes
All agendas will be posted to CivicWeb on the Town’s website 5 days prior to
meetings. Committee members will be notified of agenda availability via email with a
link to the agenda.
Minutes of all Committee meetings will be placed on the next Council meeting agenda.
Any recommendations requiring Council’s consideration will be pulled from the minutes
and placed on the Council’s agenda separately. Minutes will also be adopted by the
Committee at their next meeting. The Clerk's Division will maintain a set of printed
minutes for records and publish minutes on CivicWeb for public viewing.
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Location of Meetings
The location of the meetings will be set by the Committee in consultation with the
Clerk’s Division to take into consideration public access and accessibility.
Terms of Reference
Council may, at its discretion, change the Terms of Reference for this Committee at
any time.
At the discretion of Council or upon the mandate of the Committee being
fulfilled, the Committee may be dissolved by resolution of Council.
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Appendix B: Background Review
The following reports and studies were reviewed as part of the research process.
Highlights of the findings of these reports have been integrated throughout the
strategy, including sector summaries, SWOT assessment and the actions and
recommendations.
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





County of Simcoe 10-Year Economic Development Strategic Plan, 2011


Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury 2014-2015 Budget and Business Plan

Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Downtown Community Improvement Plan,
2012

Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Economic Development Strategy 2011-2013,
2012

Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Economic Development Strategy: Setting the
Stage, 2008

Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Industrial Areas Community Improvement Plan,
2013


Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Investment Guide, 2015

Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Strategic Plan Components, 2015
County of Simcoe Regional Food Distribution Hub Study, 2014
Design Guidelines for Downtown Bradford, 2011
Downtown Bradford Revitalization Strategy, 2011
Official Plan of the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, 2002
South Central Community Development Corporation: Nottawasaga Futures
Report, 2013
Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Business Retention and Expansion Survey,
2015
Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Retail Analysis and Commercial Policy Review,
2010
Appendix C: Demographic Profile
Comparative Population Age Pyramids
FIGURE 29: POPULATION AGE PYRAMIDS FOR SELECTED ONTARTIO GEOGRAPHIES, 2011
Source: Statistics Canada; 2011 Census of Population. Adapted by MDB Insight. 2015.
87


Bradford West Gwillimbury has a relatively low number of elderly dependants.

Bradford West Gwillimbury’s working age population is concentrated in the 45 to
54 age cohort.

The town’s working age population is smallest for those age cohorts between 25
and 39 years of age. This may be a result of consistent youth out migration.
Bradford West Gwillimbury’s proportion of young dependants is consistent with
regional and provincial trends (with the exception of the 15-19 age cohort which is
elevated)

These population age characteristics are similar to those found in neighbouring
communities, albeit its, population extremes are more pronounced.

The median age of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s population is 37.2. This is the
youngest median age amongst the comparator communities and well below the
provincial average (40.4).

Bradford West Gwillimbury’s population has grown by 16.8% since 2006. This is
the greatest population increase amongst its regional counterparts in Simcoe
County.
FIGURE 30: POPULATION BY GENERATION STATUS
Source: Statistics Canada; 2011 NHS Custom Data Table - 99-012-X2011041. Adapted by MDB Insight.
2015
88
Educational Attainment Level
FIGURE 31: HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, 2011
2015.
89

Bradford West Gwillimbury has a relatively high proportion of its population without
a certificate, diploma or degree.

Bradford West Gwillimbury is on par with Simcoe with respect to the proportion of
its population with a bachelor’s degree or above. Although with respect to
university level education, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s population is well behind
the province, East Gwillimbury, and York Region.

Simcoe County’s communities tend to have higher rates of apprenticeship or
trades than found across Ontario or within York Region.
Comparative Income Levels
FIGURE 32: PROPORTIONAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME LEVELS FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2010
Source: Statistics Canada; 2011 National Household Survey. Community Profiles. Adapted by Millier
Dickinson Blais Inc. 2015.
90

Bradford West Gwillimbury has higher rates of households earning above
$100,000 compared to Simcoe County, Innisfil, New Tecumseth, and the province.

York Region and East Gwillimbury’s households earn higher incomes than those
communities in Simcoe County including Bradford West Gwillimbury.
FIGURE 33: HOUSEHOLD MEDIAN INCOME LEVELS FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2010
Source: Statistics Canada; 2011 National Household Survey. Community Profiles. Adapted by Millier
Dickinson Blais Inc. 2015.
91

Bradford West Gwillimbury’s household median income is $83,205. This well
above the median income level of Simcoe County and the province.

East Gwillimbury and York Region households have higher median income levels.
Commuting Patterns
FIGURE 34: COMMUTER PATTERNS FOR BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY, 2011
Note. Commuter data is only available for those workers with a fixed place of work.
*Note. Local commuters are those workers who live and work in the same community.
**Note. Net commuter flow are total commuters minus out flow
Source: Statistics Canada - 2011 National Household Survey. Catalogue Number 99-012-X2011032.
FIGURE 35: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY TOP 10 IN-FLOW CONTRIBUTORS AND OUT-FLOW
DESTINATIONS
Top In-flow
Barrie
Innisfil
Newmarket
New Tecumseth
Georgina
Toronto
King
East Gwillimbury
Richmond Hill
Vaughan
785
545
515
385
330
205
130
125
115
100
Top Out-flow
Newmarket
2,010
Toronto
1,820
Vaughan
1,275
Aurora
665
Markham
495
East Gwillimbury
430
Barrie
405
Richmond Hill
345
Mississauga
315
New Tecumseth
285
Source: Statistics Canada - 2011 National Household Survey. Catalogue Number 99-012-X2011032.
92

On any given work day approximately 8,945 people, with a fixed place of work,
leave Bradford West Gwillimbury for work. The top three destinations for those
commuters include Newmarket, Toronto, and Vaughan.

The majority of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s commuters travel south toward the
GTA. Barrie and New Tecumseth attract a small fraction of Bradford West
Gwillimbury’s commuters.

On any given work day approximately 3,605 people, with a fixed place of work,
enter Bradford West Gwillimbury for work. The top three contributor communities
include: Barrie, Innisfil, and Newmarket.

Of those people with a fixed place of work, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s net
commuter flow is negative 2,450.
Appendix D: Labour Force Profile
FIGURE 36: OCCUPATIONAL COMPOSTIION FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2011
2015
93

Comparatively, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s employment composition, as defined
by the National Occupational Classification system (NOC), has concentrations in:



Business, finance and administration occupations
Sales and service occupations
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations

Bradford West Gwillimbury’s occupational composition generally mirrors the
composition of Simcoe County and its neighbouring communities.

York Region tends to have higher concentrations of occupations in management,
business, finance, and natural and applied sciences than found in Simcoe County.
FIGURE 37: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY OCCUPATIONAL COMPOSITION BY NOC
OCCUPATIONAL GROUPING AND SKILL LEVEL, 2011
Occupational Category (1 and 4 Digit)
0 Management occupations
0621 Retail and wholesale trade managers
1 Business, finance and administration occupations
1221 Administrative officers
1241 Administrative assistants
1414 Receptionists
1521 Shippers and receivers
1411 General office support workers
2 Natural and applied sciences and related occupations
3 Health occupations
3012 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
4 Occupations in education, law and social, community and
government services
4032 Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
4214 Early childhood educators and assistants
5 Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport
6 Sales and service occupations
6421 Retail salespersons
6611 Cashiers
6711 Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related
support occupations
6552 Other customer and information services
representatives
6322 Cooks
6731 Light duty cleaners
7 Trades, transport and equipment operators and related
occupations
7271 Carpenters
7611 Construction trades helpers and labourers
7452 Material handlers
8 Natural resources, agriculture and related production
occupations
8612 Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers
9 Occupations in manufacturing and utilities
9522 Motor vehicle assemblers, inspectors and testers
Total Occupations
Total of Top 20 Occupations
Number
1,605
390
2,250
205
205
195
175
165
890
690
190
1,580
300
180
295
3,750
880
455
280
Ranking
(of top 20)
Skill Level
(of top 20)
3
A
11
12
13
18
20
B
B
C
C
C
14
A
6
16
A
A
1
2
C
D
7
D
225
185
170
9
C
15
19
B
D
2,670
365
230
180
4
8
17
B
D
C
10
D
5
C
440
215
985
365
15,155
5,555
2015
94

Figure 37 provides a detailed account of the occupational breakdown of Bradford
West Gwillimbury. The figure shows occupational groupings at a 1 digit level, and 4
digit level for the community’s top 20 occupations. These top 20 four digit
occupations are ranked and also assigned a skill level. The skill level is drawn from
Human Resources Development Canada.

Bradford West Gwillimbury’s top 20 occupations are well distributed across a range
of occupational categories. Only ‘occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport’
along with ‘natural and applied sciences and related occupations’ are not
represented by an occupation in the top 20.

Of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s top 20 occupations, only four require a university
level education.

Motor vehicle assemblers, inspectors and testers ranks fifth with 365 workers. This
is reflective of the areas related manufacturing operations.
FIGURE 38 JOB STATISTICS FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2010 AND 2015
Geography
Simcoe
East Gwillimbury
New Tecumseth
Innisfil
York
Ontario
2010 Jobs
7,304
157,707
5,220
16,185
5,826
434,239
5,770,396
2015 Jobs
8,341
168,338
6,384
16,865
6,604
476,839
6,095,942
Change
% Change
1,037
10,631
1,164
680
778
42,600
325,546
95

Ontario’s economic modelling and projections tool developed by Economic
Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI) suggests Bradford West Gwillimbury is home to
8,341 jobs in 2015. This is an increase of 14% since 2010.

Bradford West Gwillimbury’s rate of job growth between 2010 and 2015 is well
above the growth experienced by Simcoe County and Ontario.

Over the same period, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s rate of job growth is only
behind East Gwillimbury.
14%
7%
22%
4%
13%
10%
6%
2014 Average
Earnings
$40,117
$40,930
$42,629
$47,451
$38,470
$49,448
$48,516
FIGURE 39: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY TOTAL JOBS BY INDUSTRY AND % CHANGE JOBS BY
INDUSTRY 2010-2015 FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES
Industry
Manufacturing
Retail trade
Construction
Accommodation and food services
Administrative and support, waste management
and remediation services
Wholesale trade
Information and cultural industries
Utilities
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
Management of companies and enterprises
Total
Total Jobs 2015
% Change 2010-2015
Bradford West Bradford West Simcoe
East
New
York
Innisfil
Ontario
Gwillimbury
Gwillimbury County Gwillimbury Tecumseth
Region
2,301
19%
0%
36%
3%
8%
4%
1%
1,012
3%
6%
26%
13%
15%
10%
7%
748
20%
12%
22%
(7%)
3%
17%
14%
646
15%
12%
1%
3%
17%
15%
10%
620
22%
13%
51%
5%
(10%) 22%
14%
540
26%
12%
27%
4%
26%
17%
6%
417
332
330
280
277
219
122
98
93
91
81
13
10
0
8,341
40%
9%
42%
8%
31%
8%
5%
10%
7%
(5%)
20%
(8%)
11%
17%
(6%)
36%
(2%)
(13%)
--14%
9%
(1%)
9%
15%
(7%)
12%
8%
16%
(8%)
8%
(1%)
8%
3%
7%
23%
9%
20%
(4%)
5%
15%
30%
24%
16%
15%
-0%
45%
22%
2%
8%
(5%)
2%
(19%)
14%
3%
12%
(1%)
16%
(8%)
-42%
4%
18%
5%
19%
41%
(12%)
8%
3%
26%
2%
30%
5%
-0%
13%
2%
1%
4%
11%
(2%)
6%
12%
18%
7%
25%
(5%)
3%
6%
10%
4%
(4%)
6%
9%
(2%)
5%
2%
12%
2%
11%
(4%)
13%
(16%)
6%

Ontario’s economic modelling and projections tool developed by Economic
Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI) suggests Bradford West Gwillimbury is home to
8,341 jobs in 2015.

In 2015, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s top industrial sectors with respect to jobs
include:



96
Manufacturing (2,301 jobs)
Retail Trade (1,012 jobs)
Construction (748 jobs)

From 2010 to 2015, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s manufacturing sector, as
measured by jobs, grew by 19%. With the exception of East Gwillimbury, which
grew by 36%, this growth was unmatched in Simcoe County and York Region.

During this period, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s jobs in retail trade grew by 3%.
This retail trade job growth was well below the provincial average and below the
growth experienced in neighbouring communities.

Bradford West Gwillimbury’s job growth in arts, entertainment and recreation along
with administrative support and remediation services was relatively high during this
period.

Bradford West Gwillimbury’s wholesale trade and transportation sectors shed the
highest number of jobs during this period.
Comparative Industry LQs
Location quotations (LQs) are used to compare the relative concentration of a sector
within a jurisdiction against a larger economy. In this case industrial concentrations, as
measured by total business location counts, for Bradford West Gwillimbury along with
regional comparators are measured against the Canadian average. An LQ of 1.0
indicates a jurisdiction has the same proportions of businesses when compared to
Canada. An LQ of 1.25 or above suggests a relatively high concentration of
businesses. On the other hand, an LQ of 0.75 or below suggests a relatively low
concentration of businesses. In the context of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s regional
competitors LQs, and trends over time, these LQs help to inform Bradford West
Gwillimbury’s competitive areas of strength and relative areas of weakness.
With respect to the industrial areas presented in the following figures, there are several
observations concerning Bradford West Gwillimbury:
FIGURE 40 TOTAL JOB COUNT LQS FOR SELECTED GEOGRAPHIES, 2015 (AGAINST CANADA)
97

Those industries identified by a green box have a LQ greater than 1.25. From
Bradford West Gwillimbury’s perspective, these industries also have a comparative
advantage.


This figure may be used to substantiate or refute chosen “target sectors”.

While professional, scientific and technical services is comparatively low across
each of the benchmark communities, this is still an area of concern given the
direction of the economy towards more knowledge based activities.

Given Bradford West Gwillimbury’s positioning as a logistics centre, the LQs would
not suggest that Bradford West Gwillimbury’s is out performing its regional
competitors with respect to transportation and warehousing.
Bradford West Gwillimbury has relative strengths in manufacturing, agriculture,
and construction.
Appendix E: Industry Profile
BREAKDWON, JUNE 2014
98
BREAKDOWN, JUNE 2014
NAICS
Code
11
21
22
23
31-33
41
44-45
48-49
51
52
53
54
55
56
61
62
71
72
81
91
Utilities
Construction
Manufacturing
Wholesale trade
Retail trade
Administrative and support, waste
management and remediation services
Total
Total
Ind Sub Total 1-4 5-9 10-19 20-49 50-99 100-199 200-499 500+
102
2
4
460
73
60
142
140
11
61
160
188
46
54
2
1
282
33
32
60
99
8
49
136
129
38
97
56
41
20
57
22
69
131
12
29
16
29
67
8
28
6
40
64
3
2
1,848 1,134
48 22
0
0
3
1
178 121
40 19
28
7
82 38
41 34
3
1
12
5
24 18
59 50
8
7
12
0
0
36
5
10
18
2
2
1
4
8
0
9
0
2
14
4
8
11
2
0
2
2
0
0
3
0
0
6
3
1
5
1
0
4
0
1
1
2
0
0
1
6
1
7
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
24
11
3
2
1
0
0
0
4
16
4
15
40
4
7
1
5
20
0
4
0
9
3
0
0
0
10
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
714 426 146
0
73
0
38
0
22
0
6
1
2
0
1

Bradford West Gwillimbury’s top industrial categories based on business location
counts include:






With the exception of real estate and rental and leasing, these industries are
supported by a high level of employer based operations (as identified by the
“Subtotal” heading in the figure above).

Those industries with the highest number of business counts, with employers
include:






99
Construction
Retail trade
Construction
Retail trade
The manufacturing sector supports 73 total businesses, with 40 of those
businesses supporting employees. The manufacturing sector accounts for
Bradford West Gwillimbury’s single largest employers with three operations
employing over 100 people. One operation employees over 500 workers.

Professional, scientific, and technical services does not account for a large number
of employees, but it does account for a large number of local businesses. Nearly
70% of these businesses have no employees. However, these businesses have
the potential to grow and take on staff. The majority of those firms with employees
in this space employ 1-4 staff. Typically, these firms also support “quality jobs”.
BREAKDOWN, ABSOLUTE CHANGE JUNE 2010 TO JUNE 2014
NAICS
Code
11
21
22
23
31-33
41
44-45
48-49
51
52
53
54
55
56
61
62
71
72
81
91
Utilities
Construction
Manufacturing
Wholesale trade
Retail trade
Administrative and support, waste
management and remediation services
Total
Total
Ind Sub Total 1-4 5-9 10-19 20-49 50-99 100-199 200-499 500+
12
(1)
1
120
7
(6)
49
59
3
5
57
42
(12)
13
(1)
0
77
(4)
(2)
23
45
3
6
45
29
(12)
(1)
0
1
43
11
(4)
26
14
0
(1)
12
13
0
(3)
0
0
37
11
(2)
19
14
0
0
11
11
(1)
0
0
0
1
(1)
(4)
1
0
0
0
1
4
0
3
0
1
6
(1)
5
4
1
0
(1)
1
(2)
0
(2)
0
0
(1)
(2)
(3)
(2)
(2)
0
0
(1)
0
1
2
0
0
0
5
(1)
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
(1)
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
(1)
0
0
0
(1)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
19
8
11
8
3
(1)
0
1
0
0
0
6
17
6
19
15
2
14
2
12
18
4
2
3
4
4
3
7
3
(3) (10)
2
(2)
1
(1)
7
0
1
(1)
2
0
0
(1)
0
2
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
419
1
279
0
0
140 107
0
12
0
18
0
(11)
0
12
0
3
0
(2)
0
1

Between 2010 and 2014, Bradford West Gwillimbury added a total of 419
businesses. Approximately one third of these businesses have employees.

Between 2010 and 2014, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s highest growth sectors as
measured by absolute change include:






100
Construction
Retail trade
In the same period, Bradford West Gwillimbury lost businesses in management of
companies and within wholesale trade. The loss of the wholesale trade related
firms is particularly notable, given the town’s relative positioning as a growing
logistics and transportation area. The specific losses in wholesale trade involved
businesses in:





New motor vehicle parts and accessories merchant wholesalers
Other miscellaneous merchant wholesalers
Motor vehicle merchant wholesalers
Farm, lawn and garden machinery and equipment merchant
wholesalers
Food merchant wholesalers
FIGURE 44: CANADIAN BUSINESS PATTERNS INDUSTRY BREAKDOWN, FOR SELECTED
GEOGRAPHIES, PERCENTAGE CHANGE JUNE 2010 – 2014
Total % change 2010- 2014
NAICS
Code
48-49
53
44-45
91
61
62
72
51
71
23
22
54
56
11
81
31-33
52
41
55
21
BWG E. Gwillimbury Innisfil New Tecumseth
Simcoe York Region Ontario
Retail trade
Construction
Utilities
Administrative and support, waste management
and remediation services
Manufacturing
Wholesale trade
Total
72.8%
55.3%
52.7%
50.0%
42.9%
42.5%
38.0%
37.5%
37.5%
35.3%
33.3%
28.8%
-4.2%.
37.1%
19.6%
0.0%
73.3%
47.8%
43.3%
35.7%
13.8%
9.1%
100.0%
14.3%
10.1%
48.6%
13.2%
50.0%
-5.0%.
34.1%
6.6%
-5.6%.
0.0%
15.5%
150.0%
18.9%
30.4%
35.2%
23.1%
100.0%
-17.9%.
24.1%
12.7%
9.1%
8.1%
21.5%
100.0%
11.5%
16.8%
37.5%
10.0%
6.3%
-0.6%.
34.5%
15.4%
30.3%
17.4%
15.6%
43.2%
12.5%
28.1%
41.8%
17.0%
3.7%
22.0%
54.8%
15.3%
26.7%
8.5%
17.5%
30.5%
17.9%
25.7%
43.6%
8.6%
1.6%
10.4%
39.3%
11.7%
24.4%
12.4%
12.8%
55.4%
13.9%
24.4%
22.4% 23.3%
26.2%
7.2%
13.3%
8.0%
13.3%
12.9%
10.6%
8.9%
-9.1%.
25.9% 16.1%
-0.9%. 17.4%
1.7%
3.9%
-1.1%. 31.7%
-20.2%.
2.8%
9.3%
12.4%
-9.8%.
-1.8%.
-8.1%.
24.3%
12.1%
0.8%
11.9%
-4.2%.
16.5%
-11.5%.
7.3%
13.0%
-0.1%.
14.7%
-2.7%.
1.9%
11.1%
-4.6%.
-11.5%. -10.0%.
-20.7%.
-21.8%.
7.0%
5.6%
-5.1%.
-33.3%.
29.3%
-25.0%.
0.0%
12.3% 17.3%
-33.3%.
15.1%
35.3%
15.1%
Note. Statistics Canada has changed the reporting methodology for the December 2014 business patterns
data. Accordingly comparisons between earlier datasets are not recommended for trends analysis. For this
reason, 2010 and June 2014 data is used.

Based on total business location counts, Bradford West Gwillimbury’s economy
grew the most in the following sectors between 2010 and 2014:






101
Retail trade
During this period each of these industries grew by over 40%.
18.6%
15.5%
28.2%
13.7%

The residential population growth of the area accounts for the business growth in
real estate, retail trade and educational services.

The sustained presence of manufacturing and growth in professional service firms
is a positive sign for Bradford West Gwillimbury. These are examples of export
based businesses and serve to create new wealth in the community.
Appendix F: Vicinity Jobs Hiring Demand
Findings
Introduction
The real-time Jobs Demand Report’s intelligence gathering system provides ongoing
monitoring of online job postings with extensive quality assurance to analyze and
compile each local job demand report. Provided to Simcoe County, including Bradford,
the Data Warehouse and Reporting Engine allows for the monitoring of the on-line
local job market. This technology allows for the extraction of important information
about each online job posting, including but not limited to the following metrics:




Job Location
Employer and employer industry (NAICS)
Occupational Category (NOCS)
Type of job (full-time/part-time, contract/permanent)
This following data reports on Job Posting data from 2014 (January 1 to December 31,
2014).
102
Employers and Industries
FIGURE 45 JOB POSTINGS BY INDUSTRY
99 - Other / Unknown Classification
81 - Other Services (except Public…
72 - Accommodation and Food Services
71 - Arts, Entertainment and Recreation
62 - Health Care and Social Assistance
56 - Administrative and Support, Waste…
54 - Professional, Scientific and Technical…
53 - Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
52 - Finance and Insurance
49 - Transportation and Warehousing
48 - Transportation and Warehousing
45 - Retail Trade
44 - Retail Trade
41 - Wholesale Trade
33 - Manufacturing
31 - Manufacturing
11 - Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
0
153
34
13
3
10
7
31
4
16
1
3
66
109
54
4
7
1
20
40
60
80
100 120 140 160 180
Source. Vicinity Jobs. 2014. Regional hiring demand reporting – Simcoe County, Barrie, and Orillia
The figure above illustrates that a total of 516 job postings could be matched to a
specific industry category, as defined by the North American Industrial Classification
System (NAICS).
103

Category “99 – Other” contains postings from known businesses for which the
industry has not been provided at the time when the employers database was set
up.


Retailers produced 33.9% of the region’s job postings classified by industry.
Wholesale trade job postings accounted for additional 10.5%.
FIGURE 46: JOB POSTINGS BY EMPLOYER – TOP 25 EMPLOYERS
Santo Salon Spa |510977
6
Dominion Farm Produce Ltd. |570546
6
Bradford Moving & Storage |570999
6
Sure Fresh Foods Inc |391770
7
Landini Canada Inc. |510295
7
The Source |571519
8
Shoppers Drug Mart |571261
8
Mitek Canada Inc. |510716
8
Array Canada Inc. |226102
8
Swiss Chalet |571284
9
Gwillimdale Farms |570557
9
Tsc Stores LP |513040
11
The Smart Exchange |226342
12
Flex-N-Gate Bradford |570553
13
CIBC |218562
13
Cericola Farms Inc /Sure Fresh Foods Inc. |570532
15
Sobeys |512315
16
Channel Industrial Group |570533
17
Zehrs Bradford |573813
19
YMCA of Simcoe-Muskoka |513455
21
Spectra Aluminum Products Inc. |217465
23
Dortec Industries (Closure Metal Products) |570547
24
New Start Personnel |440084
29
Home Depot |509709
42
Wal Mart |513220
53
0
10
20
30
40
The figure above illustrates the number of job postings that could be matched to a
specific employer.
104


A total of 515 postings were matched to an employer (44% of the total)

The top employer was Walmart, producing 10.3% of the postings matched to a
specific employer.
The top five known employers during the reporting period were responsible for
33% of all postings matched to an employer (171 job postings in total).
50
60
Occupations
FIGURE 47: JOB POSTINGS BY OCCUPATION CATEGORY (1-DIGIT NOC)
Other / Unidentified
188
9 - Occupations in manufacturing and utilities
133
8 - Natural resources, agriculture and related…
33
7 - Trades, transport and equipment operators…
263
6 - Sales and service occupations
270
5 - Occupations in art, culture, recreation and…
7
4 - Occupations in education, law and social,…
3 - Health occupations
89
32
2 - Natural and applied sciences and related…
18
1 - Business, finance and administration…
67
0 - Management occupations
69
0
50
100
150
200
Source. Vicinity Jobs. 2014. Regional hiring demand reporting – Simcoe County, Barrie, and Orillia.

The figure above illustrates that 83.9 % of all job postings found in the reporting
period could be matched to a specific occupational category, as defined by the
National Occupational Classification (NOC) for Human Resources Development
Canada (at a single-digit NOC code level).



The figure below outlines the specific top 20 in-demand occupations in the
reporting period, identified at the 4-Digit National Occupational Classification
(NOC) level.


105
The remaining 16.1% were valid job postings but the job titles listed
were not sufficiently specific to allow allocation to NOC occupational
categories.
During 2014, sales and service occupations, along with trades and,
and transport and equipment occupations accounted for 45.6% of all
postings.
Note that, there are 500 occupations in total, defined at the 4-digit
NOC level
Demand was strongest in the Sales and Service Occupations category (NOC 6),
which includes retails sales people, store shelf stockers, retail buyers cashiers,
and financial sales reps.
250
300

The second largest group of job postings fell in the Trades, transport and
equipment operators and related occupations (NOC 7), which includes, transport
truck drivers, material handlers, public works maintenance labourers, millwrights,
mechanic positions, and other skilled trade occupations. Industrial electricians
were also in high demand in this period, representing quality jobs in skill trades.
FIGURE 48: BRADFORD WEST GWILLIMBURY TOP 20 OCCUPATIONS, 2014
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Occupation
6421 - Retail salespersons
4412 - Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations
7511 - Transport truck drivers
0621 - Retail and wholesale trade managers
7452 - Material handlers
9619 - Other labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities
7621 - Public works and maintenance labourers
6622 - Store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers
9522 - Motor vehicle assemblers, inspectors and testers
6552 - Other customer and information services representatives
8431 - General farm workers
7311 - Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
6623 - Other sales related occupations
6222 - Retail and wholesale buyers
6411 - Sales and account representatives - wholesale trade (nontechnical)
6235 - Financial sales representatives
7242 - Industrial electricians
1411 - General office support workers
6611 - Cashiers
7321 - Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and
mechanical repairers
Source. Vicinity Jobs. 2014. Regional hiring demand reporting – Simcoe County, Barrie, and Orillia.
About Vicinity Jobs Reference Information
“Real-time” labour market information (LMI) is generated by extracting information from
publicly available online job postings. Since the Web has evolved as the primary media
through which employers connect with job applicants, it houses information about a
significant portion of the job openings that employers are looking to fill. By using
continuously improving text-scraping and artificial intelligence technologies to extract
intelligence from the content of those web postings, real-time LMI can gather,
organize, categorize, and analyze the vast quantities of data in a very short period of
106
64
62
62
49
44
44
35
31
31
28
24
22
19
18
% of
total
5.5%
5.3%
5.3%
4.2%
3.8%
3.8%
3.0%
2.7%
2.7%
2.4%
2.1%
1.9%
1.6%
1.5%
16
14
14
13
12
1.4%
1.2%
1.2%
1.1%
1.0%
12
1.0%
Total
time. Real-time LMI data includes a vast volume of unstructured background
information that employers provide to potential jobseekers through their current
employment advertisements. These advertisements tell workers that employers plan
to hire in the near future to meet business needs, and they also describe the
knowledge, skills, and abilities that a firm will require to succeed in the near-term
future.
Organized and aggregated, this information provides a powerful tool that can help
policymakers understand companies’ short-term hiring plans and the factors
influencing those plans. Current computing and data management technologies allow
for quick data mining and processing, transforming raw job posting data into
information that can be used for analysis. Data aggregated from job postings is crossreferenced against databases containing information about local employers and
communities, to produce meaningful hiring demand reports by community, employer,
and industry. In contrast to reports based on traditional reporting methodologies,
which can take months or years to produce, real-time LMI reports are available within a
few weeks. They enable analysts to monitor ongoing short-term job market trends as
they unravel, whereas traditional public survey data usually only becomes available
months or years after decisions have been made.
As with any other statistical analytic methodologies, it is very important to ensure the
credibility of the analyzed data. For this reason, Vicinity Jobs / MDB have chosen to
only process job postings advertised on websites that have deployed effective control
processes to ensure the authenticity of job openings and credibility of advertisers.

Postings from free job boards that do not validate the authenticity of job openings
(such as Kijiji and Craigslist) are not included in the Vicinity Jobs reporting service

Postings from the Service Canada Job Bank are included because Service
Canada verifies the employer’s identity before accepting job postings (by requiring
them to provide a valid CRA payroll ID).

Significant sources of job postings are not added without prior notifications to users
of the reporting system, accompanied by analysis of the impact that the change is
expected to have on overall numbers. Similar analysis and notifications are
provided when a data source becomes unavailable.
Real-time LMI is not produced by public data agencies, so it does not have the same
quality standards as Federal statistical sources. Furthermore, because it is still
experimental and likely biased in ways that are not clear, Federal data agencies have
been slow to adopt the technology. The data focuses narrowly on the hiring outlook of
those companies that advertise job opportunities on the web (rather than all
employers). Private data providers, however, are experimenting extensively with realtime LMI. Despite these limitations, as businesses become increasingly comfortable
with using the Internet as a worker recruitment tool and as analysts better understand
the inherent biases of the data, real-time LMI can help to revolutionize the way data is
collected and analyzed, including the speed at which insightful information is available
to understand economic turning points and the characteristics of emerging trends.
107
Appendix G: Investment Readiness Checklist
Part I: Expertise
Contacts
1.
Does your community have a person designated as the key or main
contact on economic development?
2.
If the contact person is an economic development professional, is
that person familiar with the land use planning, development
approvals, and building permit process in your community?
3.
Does he/she have an up-to-date copy of the local official plan and
zoning by-law and know council's policies on new development
proposals?
4.
Does this person have an understanding of the site selection
response (e.g. responding to inquiries, data collection, site visit,
etc.)?
5.
Does your municipality have a person designated as the key
contact on land use planning and development matters in your
community?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Total
Land Use Planning
6.
Does the local official plan have one general designation for each
of the basic land use categories such as residential, commercial,
industrial, institutional, open space, rural and environmentally
sensitive?
7.
Does your municipality list the policy intention, regulations and
permitted uses in each land use designation?
8.
Does your municipality have an effective information system that
you use to provide official plan and zoning information to
prospective investors/developers (e.g. air photos, series of
neighbourhood charts, or wall maps)?
9.
In your experience, are the policies and/or designations in the local
official plan general enough so an official plan amendment is not
required to accommodate most development proposals in your
community?
10. Is your zoning by-law flexible enough to allow desired development
108
Land Use Planning
in your community?
11. Is the establishment of new “home occupations” allowed in most
areas of the community, without the need for an official plan
amendment and/or zoning by-law change?
12.
Where they are allowed, are a wide range of businesses permitted,
as well as outdoor signage/advertising and on-site customer
parking?
13. Is your key municipal contact person knowledgeable about the
upper-tier official plan as well as neighbouring municipalities’ plans,
and how these policies and land use designations may affect
proposed development in your community?
14. Are your community’s official plan and zoning by-laws kept up to
date (e.g. updated every five years)?
15. Is economic development addressed in the official plan’s policies?
16. Does your municipality have a flow chart outlining the steps in the
land use planning and development approvals process in your
community?
17. In cases where planning and development approvals are not
handled locally, do you know which level of government has the
responsibility? (e.g. upper-tier, province) and who your contact is?
18. Does your municipality have information on how long it takes for a
typical planning application/proposal in your community to be
approved?
19. Do you have a list of all the application fees and other associated
charges and imposts or levies that an applicant/developer would be
required to pay in connection with processing a
planning/development proposal in your community?
20. Does your municipal planning staff discuss/coordinate their work
with economic development staff?
21. Does your municipality have any materials for internal or external
use that quickly and easily illustrate in layperson’s language how
development approvals and land use planning work, as well as time
guidelines and costs in your municipality (e.g. flow charts)?
22. Does your municipality have a designated individual to guide the
proponent through the approvals process?
109
Yes
No
Land Use Planning
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
23. When a development application has been successfully completed,
is there a review of the process with the proponent as part of your
customer services program?
Total
Liaising With Existing Businesses In Your Community
24. Does any senior member of your organization monitor/evaluate
your community’s tack record on liaising with existing investors?
25. Do your Mayor, CAO, Economic Development Officer or planning
staff meet with local business people, including the Chamber of
Commerce on a regular basis to talk about business needs and
future plans (e.g. once every six months for a breakfast meeting)?
26. Does your municipality liaise with the local Chamber of Commerce
about economic development issues?
27.
Does your community have an active Business Retention and
Expansion Program?
Total
Information Sources
28. Can you reach utilities representatives in your area with a single
phone call to answer technical or pricing questions?
29. Do you communicate with provincial/federal agencies to learn
about new policies, programs, information or issues/trends?
Total
110
Part II: Resources
Industrial Land Inventory
Yes
No
Yes
No
30. Does your municipality have an industrial land inventory?
31. Is the information up-dated regularly (quarterly)?
32. Does the inventory provide potential investors/developers with
relevant economic development information such as availability and
cost of industrial properties, site servicing, transportation access,
ownership, location, size, etc.?
33. Does the inventory include both publicly and privately owned land?
34. If you have a website, is the inventory posted?
35. Is your land inventory connected to your community GIS system?
36. Does your community work closely with the Commercial Real
Estate Agencies in your area to make sure that you are aware of
what is available?
6.3
Total
Joint Ventures
37. Do you partner with independent business groups, the local
Chamber of Commerce, or tourism board to jointly market your
community as a business location or tourist destination?
38. Is your municipality pooling resources with neighbouring
communities to jointly fund a competitiveness study or economic
development strategy? The payoff can be surprisingly extensive. In
addition to the facts and figures generated by the study, this sends
a positive message to the business community contacted as part of
the study that your municipality is proactive
Total
111
Economic Development Capacity
Yes
No
Yes
No
39. Has your community established an economic development
committee?
40. Does your municipality employ full or part-time professional
planners and/or economic development staff to deal specifically
economic development and land use planning matters?
41. Is there a budget for economic development activity in your
municipality?
42. Does your municipality use private sector economic development or
land use planning consultants?
Total
Part III: Communications
Community and Site Selection Profile
43. Does your municipality have a community profile?
44. Is it updated on a regular basis (e.g. every six months)?
45. Does it include your community’s vision statement?
46. Does the community profile include the following elements (point
for each):
a. News of recent business expansions and new business
locating?
b. Local municipal and volunteer services and business
partnerships?
c. References to local business groups?
d. List of local services?
e. List of facilities?
f. List of attractions?
g. List of photos or other graphics to support written
information?
112
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
47. Does your community maintain a profile using the North American
Site Selection Standards Template?
Total
Website
48. Does your community have a standalone website (not connected to
the main community website)?
49. Does your website contain an easily downloadable copy of your
community profile?
50. Does your website contain information done to the North American
Site Selection Standards?
51. Does your website list key contacts?
52. Does your website include a list of available real estate?
Total
Other Communications Considerations
53. Has your municipality reviewed and improved the mapping used to
illustrate your regulatory and promotional documents?
54. Do you maintain regular contact with media representatives?
Total
113
Municipal Economic Readiness
Component
Total
Total
Yes
No
Part I: Expertise




Contacts
Land Use Planning
Liaising with Existing Business in your Community
Information Services
Part II: Resources



Industrial Land Inventory
Joint Ventures
Economic Development Capacity
Part III: Communications



Website
Other Communication Considerations
Your Municipality’s Total
114
Appendix H: Investment Readiness Toolkit
Compendium
This investment readiness tool kit compendium contains keys to success that have
been developed by academics and tested on the ground by Global and Ontario-based
communities. It offers guiding principles that can help to lead your community to
sustainable prosperity. All readers can apply these principles to their own situation and
community and work towards their own successes. It promotes building a sustainable
community based on what makes your community unique. It may help you to develop
strategic plans that integrate your municipality’s unique attributes with land use
planning and economic development strategies, which could result in the retention and
attraction of new business. This linked collection allows you instant access to over 100
resources over a variety of investment readiness requirements.
Agri-Business Resources
Agri-Food Trade Service
Agri-Tourism Tool-Kit for Owners/Operators
Alliance of Ontario Food Processors
Beyond Production Agriculture Business Information
Biotron Experimental Climate Change Research
Canadian Farm Business Management Council Agri-Webinars
Cultivating Opportunities: Canada's Growing Appetite for Local Food
Developing Agri-Tourism Operations
Direct Farm Marketing Business Resources
Direct Farm Marketing In Ontario
Food Innovation Districts: An Economic Gardening Tool
General Farm Business
Growing Good Food Ideas
Guide for Food Processing In Ontario
Helping You Generate Value-Added Opportunities for Your Business
Investment Analysis Tools For Value-Added Agriculture
Local Food Market Place (SCOR Food Hub)
Managing Risk on Farms Open to the Public
Marketing & Value Added Ventures
115
OMAFRA-U of Guelph - Community Food Toolkit
Ontariofresh.Ca
Ontario's Food & Beverage Processing Sector
Rural Canadians' Guide to Programs and Services
Starting a Farm in Ontario
The Performance of Canada's Food Manufacturing Industry
Business Attraction and Development Resources
A Sustainability Planning Toolkit for Municipalities in Ontario
Asset Mapping Roadmap: A Guide to Assessing Regional Development Resources
Attract and Assess Business Opportunities
Communication Tools to Support Business Attraction
Community Assets Inventory Guide
Community Business Readiness Assessment
Creating an Inventory of Community Assets
Developing an Economic Development Website
E-Business Handbook
Economic Development Case Study Handbook
EDCO Investor’s Guide
Establishing a Business in Ontario
Fostering Sustainable Business Practices
Hosting – How to Showcase Your Community
Identifying Assets and Preparing To Attract Businesses
Investment Readiness Toolkit
Ontario Business Program Guide
Plan For the Business Investment You Want
Rural Community Leadership/CEDE Project Toolkit
Supporting Businesses within Your Community
Sustainability Screening Process / Checklist Examples Canmore, Bancroft, Surrey,
Stony Plain
Top 10 Reasons to Make Ontario Your Next Big Idea
116
Creative Economy Resources
Building Rural Ontario’s Creative Economy
Canada’s Creative Corridor: Connecting Creative Urban and Rural Economies
Creating Policies That Grow the Creative Economy
Creative Economy Potential Assessment Service
Creative Economy: Non-Profit Sector Impact
Creative Sector Entrepreneurship: Research and Sector Engagement Findings
D.I.Y Creative Placemaking Toolbox
Guide to Creating a Community Arts and Cultural Plan
Mapping the Creative Industries: A Toolkit
Municipal Cultural Planning: A Toolkit for Ontario Municipalities
Rediscovering the Wealth of Places: A Municipal Cultural Planning Handbook for
Canadian Communities
The Creative Economy – Making It Work In Your Community
The Creative Economy: A New Definition
Downtown Revitalization Resources and Examples
A Practical Guide to Brownfield Redevelopment in Ontario
CIP Handbook
CIP Process
Development Permit System
First Impressions Community Exchange
Heritage Toolkit
Main Street USA Resource Center
Municipal Cultural Planning: A Toolkit for Ontario Municipalities
Municipal Quality Of Life for Economic Prosperity
OSIFA Loan Program
Planning and Revitalization Tools for Commercial Areas in Small Towns
Spruce the Bruce Downtown Improvement Program
117
Industrial Site Selection Resources
EDCO Investors Guide
Industry Sector Data
Investment Ready Certified Sites Program
Saskatchewan EDA Investment Ready Site Selection Guidebook
Site Selection Checklist
Site Selection Data Standards
Strong Employment Lands, Strong Communities Report
Performance Measures Resources
Examples of Performance Measures by Project Stream
OMAFRA Performance Measurement Resources
Performance Measurement for Economic Development
Performance Measurement Toolkit
Retail Attraction Resources and Examples
Dc Vibrant Retail Streets Toolkit
Measuring and Marketing Retail Establishments
Retail Attraction: Strategies for Brining In the Stores You Want
Retail Development Strategy for Downtown Baltimore
Shared Service Agreements Resources
Guide to Service Agreements with Aboriginal Communities – FCM
Municipal Community Infrastructure Partnership
Shared Services in Ontario’s Local Public Sector
Simple Principles: Ontario’s Shared Service Approach
118
Social Enterprise Development Resources
A Social Enterprise Strategy for Ontario
Building Community Wealth: A Resource for Social Enterprise Development
Business Plans for Social Enterprises and Social Businesses
Developing Your Social Enterprise Toolkit
Rural Social Enterprise Project: Documenting the Learning
Start and Grow a Social Enterprise
The Role of Social Enterprise in Local Economic Development
Tourism Business Development Resources
Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions
Culinary Tourism Strategy and Action Plan (2011-2015)
Festivals and Events Ontario
Garden Tourism
How to Start a Bed And Breakfast in Ontario
International Festivals and Events Association
Market Analysis for Horticultural Tourism in Ontario
Marketing and Sales
Nature & Outdoor Tourism Ontario
Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario
Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund's "Plan To Succeed" Self-Help Marketing Tool Kit
Sport Tourism Planning Template
Start and Run a Tourism Business
Tourism Industry Association of Ontario
Welcoming Investors: A Tourism Investment Attraction Strategy for Ontario
Wine and Culinary Tourism in Ontario
Workforce Development and Attraction
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship - Provincial
Employerregistry.Ca
119
Employment Ontario
Foreign Credentials Referral Office
Ministry Of Education
Ministry Of Labour
Ontario Business Education Network (OBEP)
Ontario Chamber Of Commerce
Ontario Skills Passport (OSP)
Passport to Prosperity
Service Canada
Skills Canada
Small Business Support Centres
Workforce Planning Ontario
Working in Canada
120

Office of Economic Development (2015)

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