AGENDA Tuesday June 4, 2013 3:00 pm Town Page 1 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST 3. DELEGATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS 4. NEW BUSINESS 4.1. Department Activity 5. ONGOING BUSINESS 5.1. Commercial Policy Review Update 5.2. Community Improvement Plan Update 5.3. Bracebridge Tourism Brand Update 5.4. Ontario Winter Games Update 5.5. Round Table Discussions 6. CORRESPONDENCE 6.1 Economic Development Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes November 5, 2012 7. CLOSED SESSION 8. RESOLUTIONS FROM CLOSED SESSION 9. ADJOURNMENT A copy of this agenda in large print format is available upon request. For your convenience, assistive listening devices are available from staff in the.
MEMORANDUM Director of Economic Development TO: FROM: L. Giaschi-Pacini and Members of the Economic Development Advisory Committee C. Kelley, Director of Economic Development DATE: May 8, 2013 SUBJECT: Department Activity, November 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013 Economic Development Staff continue to improve the tracking of economic development inquiries and activities. A summary of the activity for the period November 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013 is provided below. As requested at the last Economic Development Committee Advisory Committee, a summary of conversions is included that outlines where inquiries that staff have had actually result in changes to the local business community. Inquiry by Type November 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013 Inquiry Type Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Total Existing (Retention & Expansion) 7 9 6 7 8 37 New 7 9 2 2 8 28 Land 3 4 0 3 8 18 Lease 3 0 0 0 3 6 Recurring 9 3 0 2 0 14 Inquiries by Sector November 1, 2012 March 31, 2013 Sector/Month Nov-12 Dec-12 Jan-13 Feb-13 Mar-13 Total Construction 0 0 0 0 0 0 Retail 9 4 1 3 8 25 Manufacturing 4 3 0 2 8 17 Professional Service 0 0 1 0 0 1 Technology 0 1 1 1 2 5 Service 4 2 0 1 4 11 Developer 8 3 2 4 1 18-3 -
MEMORANDUM Director of Economic Development Sector/Month Nov-12 Dec-12 Jan-13 Feb-13 Mar-13 Total Tourism/Resort 7 1 5 7 6 26 Education 1 0 1 0 1 3 Institutional 1 0 3 0 0 4 Other 3 5 8 5 5 26 TOTALS 37 19 22 23 35 136 Other includes: Appraiser Residential Development Fundraising Health Care Sign Event Transportation Real Estate Agent Recreation Residential Seniors Film Production Conversions November 1, 2012 March 31, 2013 * Below is the actual business activity that resulted from business inquiries in the department between the period November 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013. Retail Developer (2) Service Business (2) Restaurant Educational Institute New Retail Expanded Commercial Event (2) Mixed-Use Development Restaurant/Retail Expansion Author/Book Published Tourism Commercial/Downtown Retail Relocation (2) Redevelopment New Radio Station Commercial Building Resale - 4 -
MEMORANDUM Director of Economic Development Comparison by Sector - November 1, 2011 to March 31, 2013 Sector November 2011 to March 2012 November 2012 to March 2013 % Difference Construction 1 0 100% Retail 34 25-36% Manufacturing 35 17-106% Professional Service 6 1-500% Technology 1 5 80% Service 20 11-82% Developer 15 18 17% Tourism/Resort 19 26 27% Education 4 3-33% Institutional 6 4-50% Other 20 26 23% Totals 161 136-18% Inquiries are down in 2012 from 2011. This is consistent with the anecdotal information within the community collected from building owners, agencies such as the Muskoka Small Business Centre and local banking institutions. There was an increase experienced in March that may be an indicator that businesses are beginning to look around at investing again. Roughly 18 out of the 136 inquiries have resulted in actual business activity in the community. There are a good number of the contacts that have been made between November and March that will eventually result in investment. Investment Packages Distributed Inventory Updates Business/Community Profile 12 Business Visits, Meetings & Events Lease Space: Jan 14, Jan 28, Mar 6; For Sale: Jan 29, Mar 15, Mar 29 District of Muskoka Resort Study Workshop YWCA Women of Distinction Daniel Keane Award Presentation Youth Incubator Brand Leadership Team Ontario Winter Games - GM hiring, Media Committee, Sponsorship Committee BIA Board Meetings - 5 -
MEMORANDUM Director of Economic Development RT012 / Explorer s Edge Community Relations Committee Muskoka Tourism Marketing Association Board Meetings (6) Nipissing University Anniversary Open School of the Arts Steering Committee House YWCA Adult Program Advisory Committee John Finley (Huntsville) Retirement Reception Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce AGM/BAH Bracebridge Emergency Management Exercise Youth Incubator Christmas Event Muskoka Beer Festival meeting Vicky Payne Mantha (Nipissing) Tony Clement Economic Roundtable Retirement Reception Longboard Competition Muskoka Small Business Centre - Bridges to Better Business Mattamy Homes Winter Carnival Exploratory Meetings Canyon Court Business Park Georgian College Gro-Bark Open House District Planning & Economic Development Committee/Resort Study TD Bank Committee of Adjustment for Minor Variances (Muskoka Outfitters) Accelerate Muskoka Grand Opening Diesel House Coffee House Grand Re-Opening Applause Toy Store Promotion - Advertising Newspaper - Art in the Heart advertising for artists Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce Map (investment ad) Muskoka Arts & Crafts Annual Directory & Guide (Festivals) Muskoka Arts & Crafts Annual Directory & Guide (Art in the Heart) Bracebridge Chamber of Commerce Map (given free space for new brand) Muskoka Tourism Annual Guide (new brand) Muskoka Arts & Crafts Annual Directory & Guide (new brand) Algonquin Park Visitor Guide (Art in the Heart) Bracebridge Leisure Guide (Festivals) Muskoka Lakes Association Yearbook (Business Park) Economic Developer s Council of Ontario 2013 Directory (highlighted contact listing) New Videos posted on the Town s website - 6 -
MEMORANDUM Director of Economic Development Projects Economic Development Staff were engaged in a number of key Departmental Projects throughout this period including 2014 Ontario Winter Games, Sport Site Visits, General Manager Recruitment, Organizing Committee, Sponsorship Committee Community Improvement Plan & Implementation Commercial Policy Review and Official Development Streamlining Plan Amendment #4 Acquisition of the Victoria Street School Muskoka Summit on the Environment 2014 Brand Leadership Team and Brand Implementation (Business Development, Blade Signage, Wayfinding Signage System, Best of Bracebridge brochure) Art in the Heart Bracebridge Festival Network RFP Barron Drive property Canyon Court Business Park In February 2012, Kimberley Ball, a Recreation Programmer with the Town s Culture and Recreation Department joined the Economic Development Department on a part-time basis and is providing assistance on a number of projects. Through use of a variety of tools, Jill Harris, Economic Development Programmer and I track activities to monitor general economic development trends in the community and to ensure that the Department s resources are effectively utilized. Working together with the Chamber of Commerce, 2 full years of data collection from and about visitors to our Information Centre has been completed. A summary of that information outlining some year over year comparisons as well as key indicators of performance are included in Appendix A. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact me at 705-645-5264 Ext. 253 or by email ckelley@bracebridge.ca Cheryl Kelley, Director of Economic Development - 7 -
MEMORANDUM Director of Economic Development Appendix A Bracebridge Visitor Centre - Annual Statistical Comparison Table 1: Summary Statistics - by Party Served Months 2011 2012 Diff % January - May 954 864-9% June - August 3,701 3,549-4% September - October 1,378 1,332-3% November - December 253 115-55% TOTAL 6,286 5,860-7% Table 2: Summary Statistics - by Visitor Served Months 2011 2012 Diff % January - May 1,515 1,531 1% June - August 9,167 6,872-25% September - October 3,414 2,545-25% November December 389 366-6% TOTAL 14,485 11,314-22% The total visitors to the Information Centre has decreased year over year by 22%. There were large declines during the summer and fall months. Top 4 Visitor Origins - Comparison 2011 to 2012 Months of February, July & October Feb 2011 Feb 2012 July 2011 July 2012 October 2011 October 2012 BB 39.6% BB 55% ON 30.8% ON 44% GTA 43.4% ON 24.8% GTA 24.6% ON 21.2% BB 28.9% GTA 24% ON 23.6% GTA 24.5% ON 18% GTA 12.5% GTA 18.5% BB 14.5% BB 18% BB 18.8% Europe 6.5 % Regional 6.3% Europe 13.8% Europe 8.6% Europe 8.5% Europe 11.9% Local residents are using the Visitor Centre to plan their trips in February while in July and October users are visitors from the GTA and other parts of Ontario. Year over year, shifts are difficult to see just using these months. Staff will be adjusting the summary tables to allow for totals to be developed that will enable trends to be identified. - 8 -
MEMORANDUM Director of Economic Development Visitor Destination - Comparison 2011 to 2012 Months of February, July & October Feb 2011 Feb 2012 July 2011 July 2012 October 2011 October 2012 BB 70% BB 57% BB 55.7% BB 45% BB 28.5% BB 43.4% Muskoka 30% Muskoka 43% Muskoka 31.7% Muskoka 44% Muskoka 64.2% Muskoka 48.8% Out of Town 12.6% Out of Town 11% Out of Town 7.2% Out of Town 7.7% In July and October there is a approximately 10% of the visitors stopping at the Centre that are travelling out of Muskoka while during February those using the visitor Centre are staying in Bracebridge and the Muskoka Area. Year over year, shifts are difficult to see just using these months. Staff will be adjusting the summary tables to allow for totals to be developed that will enable trends to be identified. Length of Stay - Comparison 2011 to 2012 Months of February, July & October Stay Feb 2011 Feb 2012 Jul 2011 Jul 2012 Oct 2011 Oct 2012 Daytripper 23.80% 29% 34.60% 32.8% 25.9% 58.3% 1-3 days 62% 58% 26.4% 43.4% 31.1% 36.3% 4-7 days 4.7% 13% 21.8% 16.9% 12.6% 5.3% 8+ days 9.5% 17.1% 6.7% 3.3% There appears to be percentage of Visitors to the Centre that are spending 1-3 days in Bracebridge or Muskoka in February. This is consistent year over year. This might be a good time frame to plan new events or activities to increase visitor spending. As expected those spending more than a weekend travelling are doing so during the summer and fall. Top 4 Reasons to Visit Comparison 2011 to 2012 Months of February, July & October Feb 2011 Feb 2012 Jul 2011 July 2012 Oct 2011 Oct 2012 Outdoors & Wilderness Personal & Other Sightseeing Outdoors & Wilderness Sightseeing Personal & Other Sightseeing Sightseeing Sightseeing Sightseeing Outdoors & Wilderness Shopping VFR Personal & Other Cottaging Outdoors & Wilderness Cottaging VFR Personal Matters Cultural Events Business & Professional Cultural Events VFR Shopping These are the top reasons while people are visiting our area. Staff will be adjusting the summary tables to allow for totals to be developed that will enable trends to be identified. - 9 -
MEMORANDUM Director of Economic Development Information Requested - Comparison 2011 to 2012 Months of February, July & October Feb 2011 Feb 2012 Jul 2011 Jul 2012 Oct 2011 Oct 2012 Events Directions Washrooms Washrooms Washrooms Washrooms Directions Washrooms Attractions Attractions Directions Directions Attractions/ Washrooms Sports/Rec/ Other Events Directions Directions Attractions Attractions Other Community Info Events Other Community Info Other Community Info The washroom facilities as the Visitor Information Centre are very important. This is a service that is needed by visitors and provides the community with the opportunity to interact with individuals travelling in our region. Most often people go to the Centre for directions. Information Given- Comparison 2011 to 2012 Months of February, July & October Food Feb 2011 Feb 2012 Jul 2011 Jul 2012 Oct 2011 Oct 2012 Ref to Other Agency Visitor Guide & Map Brochures Brochures Visitor Guide & Map Map Brochures Map Map Brochures Brochures Visitor Guide & Map Accommodation Listing Brochures Other Other Other Waterfalls and Regional Guide Providing visitors with key information pieces about specific interests or things to do in the community is important. Visitor Centre have the opportunity to increase length of stay through their discussions with visitors and determining their interests and letting them know what is offered in the community. Staff will be adjusting the summary tables to allow for totals to be developed that will enable trends to be identified. Key Indicators 2011 to 2012 Visitor Centre Operations Indicators 2011 2012 % Increase or Decrease from Previous Year # of Days Open 329 330 n/a Visitors Per Party 2.30 1.93-16% Cost to Town Per Party $7.45 $8.19 10% Cost to Town Per Visitor $3.23 $4.24 31% Percentage of Visitor s fully tracked* n/a 21%-51% of visitors* * Depending upon the month, Visitor Staff are tracking between 21% and 51% of the visitors coming to the Centre. Additional review of the statistical information is required to determine if these are performance issues with respect to the collection of statistics or communications with visitors, or if there are reasonable explanations as to why this level is low. - 10 -
Page 1 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Lori-Lynn Giaschi-Pacini called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m. and the following were recorded as being present. Committee Members: Regrets: Staff: Councillor L. Giaschi-Pacini (Chair) Mayor G. Smith Deputy Mayor, R. Maloney N. Smellie G. Gordon R. Borland R. Hallam D. Coates A. Taylor G. McMullen P. Drouillard P. Nickel J. Sisson, Chief Administrative Officer C. Kelley, Director of Economic Development J. Harris, Economic Development Assistant 2. DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST Nil. 3. DELEGATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS 3.1 Community Improvement Plan C. Kelley provided the Committee with highlights from the new Community Improvement Plan which includes an Implementation and Marketing Plan as well as a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan. A copy of the presentation can be found in Appendix A. A couple of Committee Members indicated that they thought the $40,000 annual budget was not sufficient. Committee members were encouraged to share the plan with members of the public and to get back to C. Kelley with comments/suggestions regarding implementation priorities for Council. 3.2 Bracebridge Brand Leadership Team D. Skinner and M. Hvasti provided EDAC with an overview of the process that the Brand Leadership Team went through in order to arrive at a new tourism direction for Bracebridge. They also shared initiatives that the Team is currently working on. A copy of the presentation can be found in Appendix B.
Page 2 4. NEW BUSINESS 4.1. Department Activity Report 5. ONGOING BUSINESS The Economic Development Activity Report was circulated to the Committee for review. A copy of this report has also been included in Appendix C. C. Kelley commented anecdotally that the public tender process for the lot on Barron Drive accounted for a number of inquiries under the Manufacturing & Service categories. The Committee suggested adding a column to track conversion rates between incoming inquiries and those that reach successful conclusions. This will be added for the next report. The Committee also suggested incorporating some mechanism to track employment statistics for the community/region. 5.5 Round Table Discussions N. Smellie reported that Core Broadband continues to be busy. Federal funding has just been received to build out the Highway 124 corridor. The first rejection of a tower proposal happened at Bird Lake. R. Hallam reported a challenging construction season. He indicated that building permits were difficult to acquire in some municipalities although the Bracebridge Building Department has been one of the easiest to deal with. Overall there has been little permitting going on in Muskoka. The bulk of residential construction is happening along Highway 124. With respect to Muskoka Futures, there continues to be a heightened demand for business financing. G. Gordon indicated that the BIA has passed its 2013 budget at the Board level. The Annual General Meeting is scheduled for November 20 at the Old Station. He indicated that while merchants are keen to pursue installation of blade signage, there are a number of hidden costs (engineering costs) that have made the initiative somewhat prohibitive. He also indicated that a number of merchants experimented with extended store hours this past summer. Mayor G. Smith indicated that he was concerned about the amount of vacant commercial space that is currently available. However, he was encouraged by the number of new businesses that have opened over the past 12 months as well as the number of businesses who were reinvesting in their operation. Mayor G. Smith highlighted the recent sod turning at Canyon Court Business Park as being the largest example of good news. The availability of 20 good sized industrial lots will hopefully attract some new employers to the community. Partnership with the Town of Bracebridge has ensured that lots for sale will be fully serviced. Mayor G. Smith reported that to date there has been no success at getting Muskoka included into one of the province s economic development regions. The lack of response by the Provincial Government has been particularly frustrating.
6. CORRESPONDENCE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Page 3 J. Harris reported on the Town s participation at the recent International Shopping Centre Conference held in Toronto. The number of contacts/leads at this year s show was significantly higher this year over last year. Councillor L. Giaschi-Pacini reiterated the Mayor s comments about the amount of vacant commercial property. She also notified EDAC about an upcoming joint meeting of the Planning & Economic Development & Muskoka Airport Advisory Committees meeting scheduled for Monday, November 12 th at 3:00 pm at the District of Muskoka. (NOTE: this meeting was subsequently cancelled and has not been rescheduled). 6.1. Economic Development Advisory Committee Minutes June 18, 2012 7. CLOSED SESSION Nil. 8. RESOLUTIONS FROM CLOSED SESSION Nil. 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m. The next meeting has not been scheduled at this time.
Page 4 APPENDIX A
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9 APPENDIX B
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16 APPENDIX C
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20