County of Huron Economic Development Board Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 5:00 PM VIRTUAL MEETING This Meeting Is Taking Place Virtually

Alternate Formats and Communication Supports are Available on Request. Contact Susan Cronin at 519-524-8394 Ext. 3257

County of Huron Economic Development Board Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 5:00 PM VIRTUAL MEETING This meeting is taking place virtually. Please click or copy the link below to join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/92757180370? pwd=UnQrK2pIa2MrcitVdHU3b1YzWFNEZz09 Password: 348886

1. Chair John Marshall to call the Huron County Economic Development Board meeting to order: 2. Approval of Agenda: RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board agenda be approved as presented.

3. Declaration of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof: 4. Minutes of Previous Meeting: 4.1. June 17, 2020 Minutes RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The minutes of the Huron County Economic Development Board meeting of June 17, 2020 be adopted as circulated.

5. Presentations/Delegations: 6. Opening Comments and Updates from the Chair: 7. Board Member Issues: 8. Correspondence: RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Economic Development Board accepts correspondence not specifically dealt with, for information. 9. New Business and/or Unfinished Business: 9.1. New Agricultural Products - Next Steps (presented by Alexander Ripley) RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Economic Development Board receives the report by Alexander Ripley, Economic Development Officer, dated August 13, 2020, titled New Agricultural Products - Next Steps, as presented for information.

9.2. Economic Development Department June 2020 Update (presented by Cody Joudry) RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board receives the report by Reanne Clark, Office Administrator, dated August 13, 2020, titled Economic Development Department June 2020 Update, as presented for information.

9.3. Economic Development Department July 2020 Update (presented by Cody Joudry) RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board receives the report by Reanne Clark, Office Administrator, dated August 13, 2020, titled Economic Development Department July 2020 Update, as presented for information.

9.4. Digital Main Street Squad Grant 2020 (presented by Brittany Wise) RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board receives the report by Brittany Wise, Entrepreneur and Business Program Coordinator, dated August 12, 2020, titled Digital Main Street Squad Grant as presented for information.

9.5. New Small Business Grant: Huron Recovery Grant Program (presented by Brittany Wise) RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board receives the report by Brittany Wise, Entrepreneur and Business Program Coordinator, dated August 12, 2020, titled New Small Business Grant: Huron Recovery Grant Program, as presented for information.

9.6. Tracking the Recovery: A Data Update (presented by Alexander Ripley) RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board receives the report by Alexander Ripley, Economic Development Officer, dated August 12, 2020, titled Tracking the Recovery: A Data Update, as presented for information.

10. Financial Statements: 10.1. Financial Statements (presented by Lisa Harvey) The financial statements for the month ending June 30, 2020 will be reviewed.

Revenue Expenditures County Contribution Department YTD Actual YTD YTD Actual YTD YTD Actual YTD EcDev Board $0 $B0udget $3,969 $B3u6d,g4e9t8 $3,969 $B3u6d,g4e9t8 Economic $135,238 $179,922 $540,636 $761,604 $405,398 $581,682 Development

RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The financial statements for the month ending June 30, 2020 be received.

11. Closed to the Public Session:

RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board do now go into a Closed to the Public Session at under Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001 as amended, to discuss an item that relates to:

AND FURTHER THAT: remain in attendance.

RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board rise from the Closed to the Public Session at

Reporting out of Closed Session

12. Future Meeting Topics: 13. Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Huron County Economic Development Board will be a virtual meeting on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 5:00 PM.

14. Adjournment: RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board meeting adjourn at . CORPORATION OF THE COUNTY OF HURON

Administration TO: Chair and Members of the Huron County Economic Development Board FROM: Clerk's Office DATE: 8/13/2020 SUBJECT:

RECOMMENDATION: RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The minutes of the Huron County Economic Development Board meeting of June 17, 2020 be adopted as circulated.

BACKGROUND:

COMMENTS:

OTHERS CONSULTED:

FINANCIAL IMPACTS

ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Upload Date File Name 2020-06-17 Ec 2020-06- Dev Minutes Minutes 7/15/2020 17_Ec_Dev_Minutes.pdf

County of Huron ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at 5:00 PM Due to the declared provincial emergency, this meeting took place virtually.

The Economic Development Board met virtually on June 17, 2020. Members of the Board present were: Brad Chandler, George Finch, Jim Ginn, Liz Ihrig, Leanne Kavanagh, John Kiser, Bernie MacLellan, John Marshall, Jason Oud (joined at 5:14 PM), Tim Prior and Martin Vanderloo. Staff present: Chief Administrative Officer Meighan Wark, Director of Economic Development Cody Joudry and Clerk Susan Cronin.

1. Chair Marshall called the Economic Development Board meeting to order at 5:07 PM:

2. Approval of Agenda:

MOTION: Moved by: Member MacLellan and Seconded by: Member Finch THAT: The Economic Development Board agenda for June 17, 2020 be approved as presented. CARRIED

3. Declaration of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof:

There were no declarations stated.

4. Minutes of Previous Meetings:

MOTION: Moved by: Member Kiser and Seconded by: Member Prior THAT: The minutes of the Economic Development Board meeting of May 13, 2020 be adopted as circulated. CARRIED

5. Presentations/Delegations: None.

6. Opening Comments and Updates from the Chair:

Chair Marshall stated that there was an orientation held for the new members. The information reviewed included: Tourism Plan, Economic Development Plan, Terms of Reference, Agri-Food Plan, and Workforce Plan. These documents will be circulated to all members of the Board. Chair Marshall informed members that a meeting was held to review the selection of new agriculture products. This information will be provided at the next meeting

7. Board Member Issues: None.

8. Correspondence: None.

County of Huron ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MINUTES Wednesday, June 17, 2020 ~ Page 2 ~

9. New Business and / or Unfinished Business:

9.1. Huron County Recovery Strategy - June Update (presented by Cody Joudry)

MOTION: Moved by: Member Prior and Seconded by: Member Vanderloo THAT: The Economic Development Board receives the report by Cody Joudry, Director of Economic Development, dated June 17, 2020, titled Huron County Recovery Strategy - June Update, as presented for information. CARRIED

9.2. Huron County Pandemic 2020 Recovery Strategy (presented by Alex Ripley)

MOTION: Moved by: Member Chandler and Seconded by: Warden Ginn THAT: The Economic Development Board receives the report by Alexander Ripley, Economic Development Officer, dated June 17, 2020, titled Huron County Pandemic 2020 Recovery Strategy - Data Points, as presented for information. CARRIED

9.3. Huron Tourism Recovery Town Halls (presented by Rick Sickinger)

MOTION: Moved by: Member Chandler and Seconded by: Member Ihrig THAT: The Economic Development Board receives the report by Rick Sickinger, Cultural Development Officer, dated June 17, 2020, titled Huron Tourism Recovery Town Halls, as presented for information. CARRIED

9.4. Economic Development Department May 2020 Update (presented by Reanne Clark)

MOTION: Moved by: Member Ihrig and Seconded by: Member Prior THAT: The Economic Development Board receives the report by Reanne Clark, Office Administrator, dated June 17, 2020, titled Economic Development Department May 2020 Update, as presented for information. CARRIED

9.5. County Fund – Progress Update (presented by Alex Ripley)

MOTION: County of Huron ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MINUTES Wednesday, June 17, 2020 ~ Page 3 ~

Moved by: Member Kiser and Seconded by: Member Vanderloo THAT: The Economic Development Board receives the report by Alexander Ripley, Economic Development Officer, dated June 17, 2020, titled County Fund – Progress Update, as presented for information. CARRIED

10. Financial Statements:

10.1. Financial Statements: (presented by Lisa Harvey)

The Financial Statements for the month ending April 30, 2020 were reviewed.

MOTION: Moved by: Member Kiser and Seconded by: Member Prior THAT: The financial statements for the month ending April 30, 2020 be received. CARRIED

11. Closed to the Public Session: None.

12. Future Meeting Topics:

 Members are to send all requested future meeting topics to Chair Marshall.

Vicki Lass, Economic Development and Strategic Planning Facilitator, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs stated that there are many upcoming programs being released by the provincial and federal governments.

13. Next Meeting:

The next meeting of the Economic Development Board will be a virtual meeting, on Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 5:00 PM.

14. Adjournment:

MOTION: Moved by: Member Kiser and Seconded By: Member Finch THAT: The Economic Development Board meeting adjourn at 6:17 PM. CARRIED CORPORATION OF THE COUNTY OF HURON

Administration TO: Chair and Board Members FROM: Alex Ripley, Economic Development Officer DATE: 6/17/2020 SUBJECT:

RECOMMENDATION: RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Economic Development Board receives the report by Alexander Ripley, Economic Development Officer, dated August 13, 2020, titled New Agricultural Products - Next Steps, as presented for information.

BACKGROUND: In June, a small group of Board members and staff met to discuss the New Agricultural Products. Following that, Economic Development staff met to fine-tune an approach to move the project forward. The decision was made to differentiate between “value-add” opportunities that could complement existing operations, and those with potential for large-scale production (or scalable).

The “value add” opportunities are those which could deliver a new revenue stream without using existing land that is likely to be already cultivated. These offer small to medium sized income opportunities. These options don’t require any scaling back of the cash crop production Huron County already does very well.

The second set of opportunities we’ve identified are ones which could viably replace a crop that’s already cultivated at a large scale.

We have directed Explorer Solutions to develop detailed business cases for: (1) CBD Oil; (2) Small Abattoir; (3) Vineyard; (4) Hazelnuts; (5) Maple products.

Cannabidiol (CDB) Oil (Crop Cultivation) There has been consistent support for developing business cases for hemp cultivation (for CBD oil production). Hemp was identified as a signature opportunity by Explorer in the report they presented to the Board on May 13.

Small Abattoir (Value-Add) A small abattoir addresses a need that has been expressed to us by many stakeholders over the past years. Small new facilities appear to be successful in rural Ontario. The business case would focus on a small abattoir, setup through a co-operative ownership model and focused on custom butchery in Huron County.

Vineyards (Value-Add) We believe there is value in developing a thorough business case for a vineyard in Huron County, which would cultivate grapes both for winemaking and possibly fresh consumption. Grapes can be sold to wineries and can be grown on lands in Huron County not well suited for cash cropping. The original work with grapes was related to the viability of the sector, but a complete financial business case for Huron producers has not been developed and shared with potential investors.

Hazelnuts (Value-Add) Hazelnuts are cultivated elsewhere in southwestern Ontario, with many producers selling directly into the supply chain for the Ferrero Rocher plant in Brantford. Some work has been done in the past on the viability of hazelnut cultivation in Huron County. We believe there is a clear opportunity to be pursued here, albeit one with a longer-run payoff.

Maple Syrup (Value-Add) The global market for maple products continues to enjoy rapid growth. Significant opportunities exist in the domestic and export markets, and via retail, wholesale, and bulk channels. Much of Huron County, in particular the portions lying north of the Maitland River, is prime sugar bush country. We hope to make a case for landowners of find ways to capitalize on their "untapped" assets, either through small independent operations or by leasing maple stands to other operators.

COMMENTS:

OTHERS CONSULTED: Warden Jim Ginn Meighan Wark, Chief Administrative Officer Brad Chandler, Economic Development Board Member Martin Vanderloo, Economic Development Board Member John Marshall, Economic Development Board Chair Cody Joudry, Director of Economic Development

FINANCIAL IMPACTS Managed within budget.

ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Upload Date File Name No Attachments Available CORPORATION OF THE COUNTY OF HURON

Administration TO: Chair and Board Members FROM: Reanne Clark, Office Administrator DATE: 8/13/2020 SUBJECT:

RECOMMENDATION: RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board receives the report by Reanne Clark, Office Administrator, dated August 13, 2020, titled Economic Development Department June 2020 Update, as presented for information.

BACKGROUND: June 2020 Update

The following is an update of major projects and initiatives led by the Huron County Economic Development department over the past month.

RECOVERY

Community Development Recovery Team Six out of eight Local Community Recovery Action Groups (LCRAG) have met and conversations are ongoing. These LCRAG include: · Ashfield Colborne Wawanosh · Central Huron · Exeter · Hensall · Howick · Zurich Issues that were identified by the groups will be discussed at the upcoming Regional Advisory Group meeting on Monday, July 6.

Data and Research Recovery Team The Data and Research Recovery Team provides the Recovery Team and County Council with reliable, current insights on the state of our economy and communities. On June 24, the Team presented to Council a set of best practices for crisis recovery, all based on historical research conducted by personnel from Huron County (Recovery Team and Planning), Bruce County, Brant County, and the Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus. The Team also shared the findings of their second Business Impact Survey, and presented a report establishing the "baseline" of economic data against which the recovery will be measured going forward. We'll know we've returned to normal when each of the six high-level indicators outlined in the recovery strategy once again matches this baseline. Another exciting project is the County-wide residents' survey which the team is working on in conjunction with Dr. Leith Deacon, Assistant Professor in Rural Planning and Development at the University of Guelph. That survey will be distributed in August, and will allow for an update to many data points and fill in gaps in knowledge.

Business Development Recovery Team The Business Development Recovery Team has been primarily focused on Tourism, Entrepreneur & Business Services and social media initiatives. Updates on all of these initiatives can be found throughout this report.

Huron County BizMap Businesses continue to be added and updated in the Huron County BizMap. Businesses that have completed the “Ready to Re-Open” program (details below) are now recognized with the Ready to Re-Open badge on their BizMap business listing. Additional functionality has now been added such that individual businesses can add and update their business listing themselves, thereby significantly lowering the amount of staff time required to keep the map up- to-date. All additions and updates are approved by County staff before appearing on the map.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP & BUSINESS

Business Consults Throughout June, Huron County Economic Development conducted 22 virtual one-on-one business consultations with local entrepreneurs and assisted with six new businesses starting, including five youth start-ups through the Summer Company grant program.

Ready to Re-Open Huron Ready to Re-Open Huron is a new program launched by Huron County Economic Development in June to help businesses, organizations and the public prepare for commerce in “the new normal.” The program helps connect businesses and organizations to experts and up-to-date resources and aims to encourage consumer confidence in doing business in Huron County. To complete the program, businesses and organizations must attend a one-hour webinar, review a toolkit and sector specific documents and sign a pledge that they plan to continue to implement best practices for the safety of customers and employees. Since the program’s launch on June 22, 79 businesses have registered for the workshops, 56 attended and 17 took the pledge. Now that the first group are through the program and marketing is underway, staff anticipate this program will continue to grow. For more information about the program, please visit: huroncounty.ca/ready-to-reopen.

Summer Company In June, five students were busy opening their businesses, making their first sales and working closely with a Business Coach at Huron County Economic Development. · Josiah Peterson from Clifford and attends F.E Madill – The Whistling Woodworker · Brody Nesbitt from Byth and attends CHSS – Brody’s Builds · Sydney Pollock from Goderich and attends Kings College via GDCI – Blake Street Bakery · Callum Robinson from Goderich and attends Simon Frasier University via St. Anne’s – Menesetung Lawn Care · Vienna van Veen from Wroxeter and attends McMaster University via F.E. Madill - Swimming with Vienna

Industry Communications Huron County Economic Development has been sending weekly email newsletters to business operators that include updates to funding, upcoming workshops and more. In June, the newsletters had an average open rate of 27% (industry average of 13%), with an average of approximately 150 local operators opening each week. Launched during the month of June was a Weekly Webinar Round-Up e-newsletter that included upcoming training webinars from Huron County Economic Development as well as others hosted by organizations across Southwestern Ontario. In June, these newsletters had an average open rate of 25% (industry average of 13%), with an average of approximately 160 local operators opening each week.

Business Workshops & Events Huron County Economic Development hosted two business development webinars during the month of June. Cash Flow Management with Ellen Humphrey-Allen CPA GPA, and Customer Service Excellence with Patrick Donnelly from Huron County Economic Development. 24 local entrepreneurs attended these workshops. Huron County also launched the Ready to Re-Open training program on June 22 with four sessions held throughout the month.

Business Support Hotline There has been a positive response to the Business Support Hotline that was implemented in March to provide Huron County businesses with a number to call for information, resources and one-on-one consultations to assist during this crisis. The number is 519-440-1267 or email [email protected].

WORKFORCE

Land Development During the month of June, Huron County Economic Development continued to field inquiries from developers interested in investing in Huron County. Staff continue to work closely with our partners in other county departments and at the municipal level to support development however possible. With construction now permitted across sectors, many projects are moving forward again.

AGRICULTURE

AgPrize Huron County Economic Development has received coast-to-coast interest in AgPrize, with a wide variety of backgrounds and age groups represented. Most participants report that they found out about the competition through the successful digital marketing campaign. The first rounds of AgPrize questions expire in July, and the department is excited to see what sort of submissions are received. From more efficient heat lamps to recyclable maple syrup tubing, it is expected that many of the creative solutions can ultimately be adopted by the industry.

New Agricultural Product Following consultations with members of the Economic Development Board, the Department has directed Explorer Solutions to develop business cases around five promising agricultural opportunities. The consultants are currently preparing detailed cases, with full analysis of costs, benefits, and risks, for the cultivation of hemp, hazelnuts, grapes (both fresh and for sale to winemakers), and maple syrup (as a value add for landowners who are not currently tapping their trees). A fifth business case will look at a small abattoir, set up to do custom butchering, and operating on a co-op ownership model.

TOURISM

Industry Communications Huron County Economic Development has been participating in weekly tourism industry stakeholder calls. The department sends weekly email updates to tourism and hospitality operators with updates to funding, industry news and more. These updates have an open rate of 42% (industry average is 13%). At the end of June, the department reinstated the weekly “What’s Happening in Huron County” newsletter in time to promote Canada Day activities and local farmers’ markets. This newsletter was sent to 1881 people and had an open rate of 30% (industry average is 13%).

Social Media Huron County Economic Development continues to post content to the Huron County Economic Development social media accounts related to COVID-19, particularly in regards to government announcements, updates, and funding opportunities. Various projects which the Recovery Team launched resulted in an increase of content including: Ready to Re-Open, Tourism Town Halls, Huron County BizMap, Friday live streams, the impacts of COVID-19 on Huron County Businesses Survey and more. The department re-strategized its approach to design, ensuring that a wide variety of individuals were being represented, in order to best represent Huron County’s unique make-up and to ensure inclusivity. In the month of June, Huron County Economic Development’s social media accounts had a reach of 111,751 people (100,696 for the month of May).

At the beginning of June, Ontario’s West Coast promoted businesses as they were opening for the season, any changes businesses made as a result of COVID-19, and large-scale tourism happenings (ie. Bayfield’s bathrooms reopening, beach statuses, etc.). In mid-June, Ontario’s West Coast took a more strategic approach to their promotions, centering every post around the In Your Backyard campaign – pairing like-businesses with an In Your Backyard post (ie. “Meet a Farmer in Your Backyard” featured each of Huron County’s farmers’ markets). In the month of June, Ontario’s West Coast’s social media accounts had a reach of 138,884 (127,639 for the month of May).

New Ontario’s West Coast Website Huron County Economic Development has recently launched a new Ontario's West Coast website. Huron County Economic Development continues to update and add content to the newly-refreshed tourism website and is working with municipalities to provide content on the different communities throughout the Huron County. The department has recently added sample itineraries and wellness activities to the site, including spas throughout the County.

Huron Tourism Recovery Town Hall Huron County Economic Development held three virtual Tourism Recovery Town Hall sessions. · Session 1 on June 8 for Food & Beverage Operators · Session 2 on June 9 for Arts & Culture and Recreation · Session 3 on June 9 for Accommodation Providers Each session included presentations by Andrea Gardi, Executive Director of Regional Tourism Organization #4 (RTO4) and updates on the Huron County Tourism Plan, the new Ontario’s West Coast website and the In Your Backyard local tourism campaign. Presentations were followed by a moderated Q&A and discussion with sector representatives. Attendance by session was as follows: · Session 1: 31 people · Session 2: 25 people · Session 3: 17 people Two follow-up tourism virtual town halls are scheduled for July 6.

Ontario’s West Coast ‘In Your Backyard’ Tourism Campaign Huron County Economic Development launched the In Your Backyard local tourism campaign in mid-June. The campaign promotes how residents and visitors can enjoy this summer right in their own backyard. Using different tag lines that highlight different amenities available in Huron County, the campaign drives people to OntariosWestCoast.ca to find out the many things available to do on Ontario’s West Coast. Campaign ads are being posted three to four times a week on Ontario’s West Coast social media and five campaign billboards can be found throughout the County. As well, In Your Backyard campaign ads have also been placed in the Blyth Citizen, Stops Along the Way magazine, Bayfield Breeze, and Huron-Perth Boomers magazine.

2020 “In Your Backyard” Guide Huron County Economic Development re-imagined the annual visitors’ guide to be an “In Your Backyard” guide for 2020. This year’s guide is physically smaller (about half the size) and only 32 pages. The smaller size and number of pages meant that the guide could be direct mailed to 28,000 households across Huron County and area. The printed guides will begin to be delivered to households beginning July 6 and a digital copy of the guide is available on ontarioswestcoast.ca. A supply of printed guides will also be distributed to local visitor centers and to tourism operators in July.

IMMIGRATION PARTNERSHIP

Research Huron County Immigration Partnership is participating in the University of Guelph resident survey design to develop questions specific to residents who self-identify as newcomers. Immigration Partnership will work closely with the research team at the University of Guelph to create the questions for newcomers, as well as incorporate a question for all residents to assess their perceptions of diversity in their communities.

The Immigration Partnership Council met in June for its quarterly meeting and determined another research-specific initiative will launch with the Huron-Perth Public Health project, the Lived Experience Expert Panel (LEEP) that collects feedback from people from a wide range of backgrounds who have experience with systems. The questions must address an equity goal and racial discrimination is a topic that fits well with the overall purpose of the LEEP.

Partnership and Collaboration Another outcome of the Immigration Partnership Council meeting on June 11 was the creation of the Diversity and Inclusion task group made up of Huron-Perth Public Health, the United Way, YMCA of Southwestern Ontario, FauxPop media, the County of Huron and the Town of Goderich. The group met in June to discuss opportunities to engage the public in conversations and learning about inclusion and anti-racism. The desire of the group is to create a multi- organizational diversity and inclusion strategy to obtain buy-in on a larger scale across the County. Rather than develop separate strategies, it was felt that that a collaborative approach would yield more impact.

The third and fourth Newcomer Youth Gab sessions for newcomer youth were held in June. The Gab sessions have expanded to include Perth County service providers in the facilitation to ensure sustainability of the initiative and to ease transition of in-person sessions. Each session has had an increase of the number of youth participating. The topics are selected by the youth and the Immigration Partnership assists to find people to address their information needs. In June, the youth learned about high school preparation, expectations, and employment and training opportunities. As the majority of programming in urban areas now takes place online, it has increased the range of services available for newcomers in Huron County.

COMMENTS:

OTHERS CONSULTED: All Economic Development Staff

FINANCIAL IMPACTS Managed within existing budget.

ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Upload Date File Name Economic Development HC_Ec_Dev_Update_- Department June Correspondence 7/30/2020 _June_2020.pdf 2020 Update

Huron County Economic Development

June 2020 Update

The following is an update of major projects and initiatives led by the Huron County Economic Development department over the past month.

RECOVERY

Huron County BizMap Businesses continue to be added and updated in the Huron County BizMap. Businesses that have completed the “Ready to Re-Open” program (details below) are now recognized with the Ready to Re-Open badge on their BizMap business listing. Additional functionality has now been added such that individual businesses can add and update their business listing themselves, thereby significantly lowering the amount of staff time required to keep the map up-to-date. All additions and updates are approved by County staff before appearing on the map.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP & BUSINESS

 Sydney Pollock from Goderich and attends Kings College via GDCI – Blake Street Bakery  Callum Robinson from Goderich and attends Simon Frasier University via St. Anne’s – Menesetung Lawn Care  Vienna van Veen from Wroxeter and attends McMaster University via F.E. Madill - Swimming with Vienna

WORKFORCE

AGRICULTURE

TOURISM

make-up and to ensure inclusivity. In the month of June, Huron County Economic Development’s social media accounts had a reach of 111,751 people (100,696 for the month of May).

New Ontario’s West Coast Website Huron County Economic Development has recently launched a new Ontario's West Coast website. Huron County Economic Development continues to update and add content to the newly- refreshed tourism website and is working with municipalities to provide content on the different communities throughout the Huron County. The department has recently added sample itineraries and wellness activities to the site, including spas throughout the County.

Huron Tourism Recovery Town Hall Huron County Economic Development held three virtual Tourism Recovery Town Hall sessions.  Session 1 on June 8 for Food & Beverage Operators  Session 2 on June 9 for Arts & Culture and Recreation  Session 3 on June 9 for Accommodation Providers Each session included presentations by Andrea Gardi, Executive Director of Regional Tourism Organization #4 (RTO4) and updates on the Huron County Tourism Plan, the new Ontario’s West Coast website and the In Your Backyard local tourism campaign. Presentations were followed by a moderated Q&A and discussion with sector representatives. Attendance by session was as follows:  Session 1: 31 people  Session 2: 25 people  Session 3: 17 people Two follow-up tourism virtual town halls are scheduled for July 6.

to do on Ontario’s West Coast. Campaign ads are being posted three to four times a week on Ontario’s West Coast social media and five campaign billboards can be found throughout the County. As well, In Your Backyard campaign ads have also been placed in the Blyth Citizen, Stops Along the Way magazine, Bayfield Breeze, and Huron-Perth Boomers magazine.

IMMIGRATION PARTNERSHIP

Partnership and Collaboration Another outcome of the Immigration Partnership Council meeting on June 11 was the creation of the Diversity and Inclusion task group made up of Huron-Perth Public Health, the United Way, YMCA of Southwestern Ontario, FauxPop media, the County of Huron and the Town of Goderich. The group met in June to discuss opportunities to engage the public in conversations and learning about inclusion and anti-racism. The desire of the group is to create a multi-organizational diversity and inclusion strategy to obtain buy-in on a larger scale across the County. Rather than develop separate strategies, it was felt that that a collaborative approach would yield more impact.

Administration TO: Chair and Board Members FROM: Reanne Clark, Office Administrator DATE: 8/13/2020 SUBJECT:

BACKGROUND: July 2020 Update

The following is an update of major projects and initiatives led by the Huron County Economic Development department over the past month.

RECOVERY

Community Development Recovery Team Work on the Local Community Recovery Action Groups (LCRAG) continues. One additional LCRAG has started in Bayfield. The Hensall and Zurich LCRAG's have merged to better share resources. LCRAG's continuing include: · Ashfield Colborne Wawanosh · Central Huron · Exeter · Hensall-Zurich · Howick · Bayfield

Data and Research Recovery Team The Data and Research Recovery Team provides the Recovery Team and County Council with reliable, current insights on the state of our economy and communities. During the month of July, the team ran the Bringing Employees Back to Work survey, which helped identify challenges businesses were having recalling furloughed staff. The team also conducted a round of micro-interviews with business owners to better understand discretionary spending patterns. The County-wide residents' survey on which the team is working on in conjunction with Dr. Leith Deacon, Assistant Professor in Rural Planning and Development at the University of Guelph continues to move forward, with roll-out targeted for mid-August.

Business Development Recovery Team The Business Development Recovery Team has been primarily focused on Tourism, Entrepreneur & Business Services, including the Ready to Reopen Program, and social media initiatives. Updates on all of these initiatives can be found throughout this report.

Huron County BizMap Businesses continue to be added and updated in the Huron County BizMap. Businesses that have completed the “Ready to Re-Open” program are recognized with the Ready to Re-Open badge on their BizMap business listing. Businesses are starting to use the new feature on the BizMap that allows them to add and update their business listing themselves, thereby significantly lowering the amount of staff time required to keep the map up-to-date. All additions and updates are approved by County staff before appearing on the map. Huron County Economic Development and GIS continue to work on new updates and improvements to the BizMap.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP & BUSINESS

Business Consults Throughout July, Huron County Economic Development conducted 20 virtual one-on-one business consultations with local entrepreneurs and assisted with three new businesses starting and one expansion of an existing business.

To complete the program, businesses and organizations must attend a one-hour webinar (which continue through August), review a toolkit and sector-specific documents and sign a pledge that they plan to continue to implement best practices for the safety of customers and employees.

Since the program’s launch on June 22, 150+ businesses have registered for the workshops, 122 attended and 86 have taken the pledge.

Summer Company In July, five students were busy operating their businesses, continuing to make sales and working closely with a Business Coach at Huron County Economic Development. The student- run businesses are listed below and can all be found on Facebook for a list of products and services. Each business will also receive an individual spotlight post on the Huron County Economic Development Facebook page. • The Whistling Woodworker owned by Josiah Peterson (15 years of age, Clifford) • Brody’s Builds owned by Brody Nesbitt (15 years of age, Blyth) • Blake Street Bakery owned by Sydney Pollock (18 years of age, Goderich) • Menesetung Lawn Care owned by Callum Robinson (20 years of age, Goderich) • Swimming with Vienna owned by Vienna van Veen (21 years of age, Wroxeter)

In July, the Weekly Webinar Round-Up e-newsletter had an average open rate of 21.5% (industry average of 13%), with an average of approximately 142 local operators opening each week. This month all the emails from the business outreach initiative were added into our email database, which has allowed us to increase our reach significantly.

Business Workshops & Events For the month of August, two webinars have been added, in addition to nine scheduled Ready to Re-Open Huron webinars. Crisis Marketing: Learn How to Rapidly Generate New Customers and Revenue Taken by Covid-19 is scheduled for August 13. WSIB Health and Safety Excellence Program – Information Session is scheduled for August 19. Fall workshops development is also underway.

WORKFORCE

Land Development During the month of July, Huron County Economic Development continued to field inquiries from developers interested in investing in Huron County. Staff continue to work closely with our partners in other county departments and at the municipal level to support development however possible. With construction now permitted across sectors, many projects are moving forward again. AGRICULTURE

AgPrize The first five rounds of AgPrize challenge questions have now expired, and Huron County Economic Development looks forward to announcing prize winners in the very near future. There was widespread interest, with a variety of backgrounds and age groups represented. As always, organizers continue to hunt for new challenge questions for upcoming rounds of AgPrize. If you have a problem on the farm that needs a fresh set of eyes, send a short cell- phone video about it to [email protected].

Ag Ec Dev Forum Huron County Economic Development and OMAFRA are looking forward to hosting the first- ever virtual Municipal Agriculture Economic Development and Planning Forum on November 18-19, 2020. The theme is ‘Growing a Better Future: Agri-food & Municipal Collaborations in the 2020s’, with a focus on how industry and local government can work together to foster innovation, food security, and resilience in uncertain times. Registration and speaker details will be available in August.

New Agricultural Product Explorer Solutions are developing business cases around five promising agricultural opportunities. The consultants are currently preparing detailed cases, with full analysis of costs, benefits, and risks, for the cultivation of hemp, hazelnuts, grapes (both fresh and for sale to winemakers), and maple syrup (as a value add for landowners who are not currently tapping their trees). A fifth business case will look at a small abattoir, set up to do custom butchering, and operating on a co-op ownership model.

TOURISM

Industry Communications In July, the e-newsletter specific to tourism operators was combined with the general business e-newsletter, since there now is less information and announcements to be shared.

The “What’s Happening in Huron County” newsletter was revived at the end of June, in time to promote Canada Day activities and local farmers’ markets, and continued into July. This newsletter was sent to 1961 people and had an open rate of 33% (industry average is 13%).

Social Media During the course of the month, the channels placed a greater emphasis on showcasing businesses who successfully undertook the Ready to Re-Open Huron program and on the students in the Summer Company program. Content related to the Summer Company students were some of the most popular posts in recent months, having an extremely large reach and garnering much community interest. In the month of July, Huron County Economic Development’s social media accounts had a reach of approximately 80,000 people.

Over the course of July, Ontario’s West Coast continued its strategic approach to their promotions, centering every post around the In Your Backyard campaign (IYB). The online campaign now features both photo content and video content. Ontario’s West Coast was able to promote its first local same sex couple in an IYB campaign this month. In addition, a staff person attended the Blyth Outdoor Market to livestream its happenings on Facebook. In the month of July, Ontario’s West Coast’s social media accounts had a reach of 70,000 people.

Ontario’s West Coast Website Huron County Economic Development continues to update and add content to the newly- refreshed tourism website and has spent the month working with municipalities to provide content on the different communities throughout the Huron County. Working alongside the Planning Department, Huron County Economic Development has uploaded interactive and downloadable cycling maps onto the website.

Huron Tourism Recovery Town Hall Huron County Economic Development held two virtual Tourism Recovery Town Hall sessions on Monday July 6. Each session included updates on the Huron County Tourism Plan, the new Ontario’s West Coast website and the In Your Backyard local tourism campaign. The remainder of the Town Hall allowed for tourism providers to discuss issues, concerns, and successes they had been experiencing since reopening.

Ontario’s West Coast ‘In Your Backyard’ Tourism Campaign The ‘In Your Backyard’ tourism campaign is in full force and includes the following: • Five billboards went up on June 29 – three around Goderich, one in Clinton and one in Exeter. • Social media campaign running on Ontario's West Coast Facebook and Instagram for over a month. • Print & digital ads in local newspapers: Stops Along the Way, Huron-Perth Boomers, Bayfield Breeze. • Spotify ads will run throughout July and August. • Dianne Brandon & Rob Boyce are taking photos for the campaign. These photos will be available for use by tourism partners in the future. • Adam Sipione is creating 12 x 20 second videos to highlighting different tourism theme areas that will be part of the In Your Backyard campaign. • The campaign has been adapted for use by some different municipalities (ACW, Howick, South Huron/ Experience Exeter, and Blyth Community Betterment) in Huron County.

2020 “In Your Backyard” Guide The re-imagined annual visitors’ guide (“In Your Backyard” 2020 Guide) was direct mailed to 28,000 households across Huron County and area at the beginning of July. A digital copy of the guide is also available on ontarioswestcoast.ca. A supply of printed guides was also distributed to local visitor centers and to tourism operators at this time.

IMMIGRATION PARTNERSHIP

Updates The fifth ‘Newcomer Youth Gab’ session was held in July. The Gab sessions have expanded to include Perth County service providers in the facilitation to ensure sustainability of the initiative and to ease transition of in-person sessions. Each session has had an increase of the number of youth participating. The topics are selected by the youth and the Huron County Immigration Partnership assists to find people to address their information needs. In July, the topics selected by youth were low-cost or no-cost activities for youth and how to keep safe during COVID while still having fun.

Huron County Immigration Partnership is working with other area immigration partnerships to create regional webinars for employers on hiring and retaining newcomers. The Partnership has collaborated with Immploy, an immigrant employment agency, to develop and host the webinars.

Additional resources have been added to the Huron County Newcomer Settlement page, including resources in many languages about safety at work and preventing the spread of COVID-19 that are specific to different industries.

COMMENTS:

OTHERS CONSULTED: All Economic Development Staff & Recovery Staff

FINANCIAL IMPACTS Managed within existing budget.

ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Upload Date File Name Economic Development HC_Ec_Dev_Update_- Department July Correspondence 7/30/2020 _July_2020.pdf 2020 Update

Huron County Economic Development

July 2020 Update

The following is an update of major projects and initiatives led by the Huron County Economic Development department over the past month.

RECOVERY

Data and Research Recovery Team The Data and Research Recovery Team provides the Recovery Team and County Council with reliable, current insights on the state of our economy and communities. During the month of July, the team ran the Bringing Employees Back to Work survey, which helped identify challenges businesses were having recalling furloughed staff. The team also conducted a round of micro- interviews with business owners to better understand discretionary spending patterns. The County-wide residents' survey on which the team is working on in conjunction with Dr. Leith Deacon, Assistant Professor in Rural Planning and Development at the University of Guelph continues to move forward, with roll-out targeted for mid-August.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP & BUSINESS

Since the program’s launch on June 22, 150+ businesses have registered for the workshops, 122 attended and 86 have taken the pledge.

Summer Company In July, five students were busy operating their businesses, continuing to make sales and working closely with a Business Coach at Huron County Economic Development. The student-run businesses are listed below and can all be found on Facebook for a list of products and services. Each business will also receive an individual spotlight post on the Huron County Economic Development Facebook page. • The Whistling Woodworker owned by Josiah Peterson (15 years of age, Clifford) • Brody’s Builds owned by Brody Nesbitt (15 years of age, Blyth)

• Blake Street Bakery owned by Sydney Pollock (18 years of age, Goderich) • Menesetung Lawn Care owned by Callum Robinson (20 years of age, Goderich) • Swimming with Vienna owned by Vienna van Veen (21 years of age, Wroxeter)

WORKFORCE

AGRICULTURE

Ag Ec Dev Forum Huron County Economic Development and OMAFRA are looking forward to hosting the first-ever virtual Municipal Agriculture Economic Development and Planning Forum on November 18-19, 2020. The theme is ‘Growing a Better Future: Agri-food & Municipal Collaborations in the 2020s’, with a focus on how industry and local government can work together to foster innovation, food security, and resilience in uncertain times. Registration and speaker details will be available in August.

TOURISM

• Dianne Brandon & Rob Boyce are taking photos for the campaign. These photos will be available for use by tourism partners in the future. • Adam Sipione is creating 12 x 20 second videos to highlighting different tourism theme areas that will be part of the In Your Backyard campaign. • The campaign has been adapted for use by some different municipalities (ACW, Howick, South Huron/ Experience Exeter, and Blyth Community Betterment) in Huron County.

IMMIGRATION PARTNERSHIP

CORPORATION OF THE COUNTY OF HURON

Administration TO: Chair and Board Members FROM: Brittany Wise, Entrepreneur and Business Program Coordinator DATE: 8/12/2020 SUBJECT:

RECOMMENDATION: RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board receives the report by Brittany Wise, Entrepreneur and Business Program Coordinator, dated August 12, 2020, titled Digital Main Street Squad Grant as presented for information.

BACKGROUND: A second round of Digital Main Street – Digital Service Squad funding was announced in June 2020, with funding from the Province o f Ontario and the Federal Government in partnership with the Ontario Business Improvement Area (BIA) Association. The program seeks t o help small main street businesses across Ontario improve their adoption of technologies to better promote themselves online, sell online and even run back-office processes online.

There are two parts of the program:

A program (Digital Main Street) designed to provide individual businesses who complete an assessment and develop a digital plan with a grant of up to $2,500 to implement their personalize plan; and

A program (Digital Main Street Squad) to hire dedicate people (on contract) with the appropriate skills and experiences that BIAs can access to provide to their business members.

Like in the first round of funding, BIAs and Small Business Enterprise Centres, or Municipalities (or County) o n their behalf, can apply for a Digital Main Street Squad. In addition these ‘areas’ could submit a joint application (which is what Huron County Economic Development has done) to receive a larger grant. These joint applications improve the efficiency of the grant and ensure a uniform service is delivered across the region.

Huron County Economic Development managed a successful Digital Main Street – Service Squad program in 2019/2020 and has received funding to manage a second round of the project. In this successful grant application, Huron County Economic Development brought all 9 Municipality’s, and the BI As and Chambers within them agreed to submit a joint application.

We received word o n July 30th that our application for had been approved for $90,000. Since the program has a very tight deadline we are now seeking approval from Council to proceed with the program.

Other than in-kind administration (e.g. finance, supervision and management) the grant covers all the costs related to delivering the program. As noted in the application our target with this program is to work with 360 businesses in Huron County to:

Provide main street business owners a comprehensive plan to guide their digital transformation; and Provide main street businesses with the digital literacy skills they need to execute their digital transformation either through a do- it-yourself approach and/or being a smart consumer when purchasing these services.

COMMENTS:

OTHERS CONSULTED: • Blyth BIA • Clinton-Central Huron BIA • Community Futures Huron • Exeter BIA • Goderich BIA • Huron Chamber of Commerce • Municipality of Bluewater • Municipality of Huron-East • Municipality of Morris-Turnberry • Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh • Township of Howick • Wingham BIA

FINANCIAL IMPACTS Receive $90,000 to cover staff and equipment costs. Program administration managed within budget.

ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Upload Date File Name DMS Application Backup for Huron Material 8/6/2020 DSS_Application_Huron_County.pdf County 2020 DMS Funding Agreement Backup 8/6/2020 Digital_Service_Squad_Grant_Agreement_2020.pdf 2020 for Material Huron County Digital Service Squad Grant

Attachment A

Name of BIA/Municipality/ Chambers/SBEC County of Huron – Economic Development Department (Huron Applying: Small Business Enterprise Centre)

Address: 54 West Street, Goderich, ON N7A 2K3

Contact Name: Brittany Wise

Title: Entrepreneurship and Business Program Coordinator

Phone Number: 519-525-6240

Email: [email protected]

Total Grant amount requested $90,000.00

New Applicants Only (continue on page 2) Number of Businesses in the eligible area(s) N/A Number of Main Street Small businesses in the eligible area(s) N/A Number of Main Street Small Businesses to serve through this project by N/A area(s) Former DSS Grant Recipients Only (continue on page 2) Has your project been completed and have you submitted your final report and all supporting Yes receipts for expenditures. Is your project still ongoing? No Do you have grant funds to spend? No Indicate how you will wrap up your current program

• Completion date to expend all current grant funds N/A

• Will your current squad member continue into the next grant project N/A

• Will you be able to provide your final report within 5 days of completion, with all N/A supporting receipts for expenditures • Will you be running both programs in tandem and hire new squad members? N/A Eligible Businesses to Serve

# of Businesses in the Area(s) # of Businesses Served in first project # of Business to Serve in new project Overall: 651 small businesses # of Businesses Served in first project - (See breakdown in “Business Count” overall: 259 360 enclosed)

1 (County – 128; Goderich – 40; Huron East – 91)

Detailed information of the: • Applicant and the area it serves • City/Town demographics to include population • Include a map or boundary lines of the area you will be serving

Huron County Economic Development (home to the Huron SBEC) is submitting a Centralized Project Partnership application on behalf of the participating Municipalities and BIA’s for the following 9 Municipalities and Townships, which represent 6 BIA’s, 2 Business Alliances and 2 Chamber of Commerce organizations in Huron County:

Municipality / Township Business Associations Within (if applicable) Municipality of Bluewater • Bayfield Chamber of Commerce • Zurich Chamber of Commerce • Hensall Business Alliance Municipality of Central Huron • Clinton-Central Huron BIA Municipality of Huron East • Seaforth BIA Municipality of Morris-Turnberry • N/A Municipality of South Huron • Exeter BIA Town of Goderich • Goderich BIA • Huron Chamber of Commerce Township of Ashfield-Colborne- • N/A Wawanosh Township of Howick • Gorrie Business Alliance Township of North Huron • Wingham BIA • Blyth BIA

The population base in Huron County is approximately 60,000. We have identified a minimum of 651 qualified “main street” businesses and we are planning to serve 360 businesses in our project period. As requested, please find the following enclosed: • Community profile data (including population) for each of the lower-tier municipalities; • Business counts for each “main street”; • Maps for all commercial areas included in our business counts.

In summary, every Municipality – BIA and Chamber of Commerce in Huron County will be covered by this Digital Main Street Squad Program. The Huron County Economic Development department on behalf of all the Municipalities, BIA and Chambers, is taking an active role in the partnership and management of the program.

Please note: • In our previous DSS project, there were two Municipalities within Huron County that were excluded – the Town of Goderich and the Municipality of Huron East – because they ran very successful projects on their own. In this project, we intend to have a project steering committee with representatives from those projects and other areas to share success and challenges and deliver an effective DSS program across the County. • If useful, we have and can provide maps for all other smaller communities / commercial properties that may not qualify for the Digital Transformation Grant, but the DSS team could provide services too after giving eligible businesses priority.

2 Project Scope

• Outline the project action plan • If this is a collaboration between several organizations, supply detailed information of the collaboration, or letters of support from the areas the applicant intends on covering

Huron County Economic Development will act as the project manager for the DSS program, on behalf of all partnering communities. After receiving approval, we will work quickly to hire 3 DSS team members to successfully execute the program over the 7 month term.

This Centralized Project Partnership includes 9 Municipalities and Townships, which represent 6 BIA’s, 2 Business Alliances and 3 Chamber of Commerce organizations in Huron County. Community Futures Huron also supports this application. Please find letters of support from the following partners enclosed: • Blyth BIA • Clinton-Central Huron BIA • Community Futures Huron • Exeter BIA • Goderich BIA • Huron Chamber of Commerce • Municipality of Bluewater • Municipality of Huron-East • Municipality of Morris-Turnberry • Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh • Township of Howick • Wingham BIA

To manage this project, the Project Coordinator from Huron County Economic Development will lead a steering committee with all partner organizations once a month to review business outreach, discuss challenges and best practices. This will allow the DSS members to have more local level knowledge about the businesses and give the partner organizations more insight into the program objectives and outcomes.

The Project Coordinator will also review DSS results and the program budget on a monthly basis (minimum) to ensure that the project outcomes are being met.

Please find an Action Plan attached that outlines actions, timelines, outcomes and more.

Project Management • Indicate who will have project oversight • Indicate who will be responsible for hiring squad members and who will be the administrator • Indicate who will be the financial oversight and detail how expenditures will be recorded and maintained

• The Huron County Economic Development department (specifically the Entrepreneurship and Business Program Coordinator), will act as the Project Coordinator and provide oversight for this Centralized Project Partnership (CPP).

• The Huron County Economic Development department (specifically the Director of Economic Development and Project Manager), will work with the County’s Human Resources department to hire squad members and provide administrative support.

3 • The Huron County Economic Development department (specifically the Project Manager and Office Manager) will work with the County’s Finance department to provide financial oversight and provide detailed financial reports on all expenditures including payroll, mileage and other program expenses.

• A DSS Project Steering Committee will be formed of representatives from partnering Municipalities / BIA’s / Chamber’s of Commerce to help guide the project and deliver positive outcomes.

Hiring Strategy • Indicate partnerships with local University or Community Colleges for recruiting • Detail hiring strategy and methodology for recruiting

Huron County Economic Development will work with the County’s Human Resources department to successfully recruit 3 Digital Service Squad members. We will use the job description template provided and adapt for municipal requirements.

We will post the job on the County’s website and will work with Universities and Colleges in Southwestern Ontario to have the job listed on their job boards. We will also post to the Facebook Jobs page and a local job promotion outlet, Huron County Jobs. If needed, we will add to larger job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn.

Furthermore, we will work with local employment services agencies including The Centres for Employment and Learning and Conestoga Career Services as well as leveraging the Fanshawe College Online Learning Centre.

Through the hiring process, we aim to hire local University/College students or recent graduates as our squad members.

Number of potential hires 3

Project Timeline:

Anticipated Launch Date of Project July 24, 2020

Estimated start date for recruiting DSS member/s August 17, 2020

Estimated training date for DSS member/s August 18, 2020

Estimated active date for DSS members/s August 24, 2020

Estimated completion date for DSS member/s February 28, 2021

4 Attachment B

Eligible Contribution Amount = $250 X # of Eligible Businesses to be Served

# of Businesses to be Eligible Area # of Businesses x$250 served

Huron County 651 360 $90,000.00

Digital Service Squad Salary

% of time applied to the Pay Rate Per Months applied to Salary Cost Charged Position program or # of MERCs Hour program to Program hours/week

Digital Service Squad Member $23.37 35 7 $4,809.55 $27,212.15

Total $81,636.45

Hardware (see eligible costs)

Computer $600.00

360 Camera $400.00

Camera Accessories $400.00

Cell Phone & Accessories $150.00

Note: We will use the previously purchased equipment for 2 squad members. We need items for the other member.

Total $1,550.00

Other

Travel (based on posted gov travel rates) $2,500.00

Cell phone (max $50/mo) $50 x 7 months $350.00

PPE $500.00

Zoom/comparable platform/Hot spot $20/month x 3 staff x 7 months $420.00

Misc. $43.55

Total $4,000.00

Marketing

Printing / Distributing Postcards Flyers $500.00

Digital Advertising $1,000.00

Radio Advertising $1,000.00

5 Misc. $500.00

Total $3,000.00

$90,000.00 Project Total

Partner Resources / Matching / In-Kind Funds

Overhead $1,500.00

• Director – 1h/month x 7 months • Office Manager – 1h/month x 7 months • Finance Dept – 1h/month x 7 $3,500.00 Administrative Support months • Project Coordinator – 90+ hours (onboarding, general supervision & support, steering committee meetings, etc.)

Misc $0.00

Total $5,000.00

6 CONTRIBUTION AGREEMENT ADDENDUM

WHEREAS, the purpose of this Contribution is for the implementation of a Digital Service Squad member in the Participant’s community.

WHEREAS, funding for activities performed under this Contribution are provided by OBIAA, through an initiative of Her Majesty The Queen In Right Of Canada (“Her Majesty”) represented by the Minister (the “Minister”) responsible for Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (the “Agency”).

WHEREAS, as part of the Regional Economic Growth Through Innovation program, the Minister has established the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund to support rural communities and small and medium-sized enterprises to enable their recovery from economic disruptions associated with the COVID-19 outbreak.

WHEREAS, this Contribution is awarded through an application process administered by OBIAA pursuant to which the Participant submitted an application (Application).

WHEREAS, Participant has submitted a proposal which has been accepted by OBIAA including a plan or scope of work, which is herein incorporated by reference.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein below specified and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties herein agree to the following:

OBIAA shall:

1. Advance funds to the Participant, upon approval of the Digital Service Squad Plan in compliance with contribution guidelines and all Applicable Laws.

The Participant shall:

1. Implement the Digital Service Squad Plan (DSSP) as outlined in Attachment A which is on file with OBIAA.

2. Be advanced funds in accordance with the approved budget narrative which pertains to this Contribution (which approved budget narrative is attached hereto as Attachment B).

3. Maintain information on all businesses contacted and/or served by the Digital Service Squad on the HubSpot platform.

4. Submit the Final Report including receipts for funds expended within the reporting period.

Under no circumstances shall the maximum amount payable under this Contribution exceed Contribution Amount for the Contribution period.

By signing this Contribution, the Participant affirms that, for the duration of this Agreement and the Contribution, it will not violate any Applicable Law. SECTION 1 INTERPRETATION OF THE AGREEMENT

1.1 Definitions. The following capitalized terms shall have the meanings set out below unless there is something in the context inconsistent therewith:

“Agreement” means this agreement, the Application, Guidelines, appendices and any amendments to these documents;

“Applicable Laws” means all federal, provincial, territorial, municipal, and other applicable laws, including without limitation, statutes, regulations, by-laws, rules, ordinances and decrees. This includes legal requirements and regulations relating to environmental protection and the successful implementation of and adherence to any mitigation measures, monitoring or follow-up program, which may be prescribed by federal, provincial, territorial, or municipal bodies;

“Centralized Project Partnership” (CPP) means a community partnership which may include BIAs, Municipalities, Chamber of Commerce or Small Business Enterprise Centres;

"Contribution" means financial assistance in the amount of up to the Contribution Amount shown on the Signature Page to this Agreement to be disbursed by OBIAA to the Participant in the manner provided in this Agreement;

“Digital Main Street Program” means the program continued for purposes of creating a supportive and dynamic business environment, and the Minister’s priority of supporting rural communities and small and medium-sized enterprises to enable their recovery from economic disruptions associated with the COVID-19 outbreak;;

“Digital Service Squad” means a hired group of technical experts to set up squads in municipalities to assist their main street business community with digital adoption;

"Digital Service Squad Plan" (DSSP) means the working document submitted by the Participant with the Application and approved by OBIAA (as outlined in Attachment A);

“Digital Transformation Plan” or “DTP” means the working document submitted by the Participant with the Application and approved by OBIAA;

"Disbursement" means any advance of funds authorized by OBIAA on account of the Contribution;

“Effective Date” is the date the Agreement takes effect;

“Expiration Date” is the date the Agreement expires;

"Guidelines" means the guidelines provided to the Participant with the Application, which set out the terms and conditions for the Digital Main Street Program, as may be amended from time to time without notice; and "Term" means the period of time beginning on the Effective Date of this Agreement and ending on the Expiration Date or the termination of this Agreement, whichever is shorter.

SECTION 2 PARTICIPANT COVENANTS

2.1 The Participant shall satisfy the targets set out in the DSSP and shall notify OBIAA promptly in accordance with paragraph 7.08 in the event the Participant desires to make any material changes to the Project plan or is unable to meet the targets set out in the DSSP or the Milestones identified in Attachment A.

2.2 If the Participant is a BIA, they shall provide a copy of the Municipal By-laws enacting the BIA upon request.

2.3 If the Participant is a community partnership and have developed a Centralized Project Partnership (CPP), this Participant will provide a copy of the partnership agreement and/or Memorandum of Understanding signed by all parties including the local BIAs (if applicable and upon request).

2.4 The Participant shall comply with and duly observe all Applicable laws.

2.5 The Participant agrees that it will provide the Minister with reasonable access to any site at which the Participant owns, controls or operates in whole or in part, for the purpose of ensuring that the terms and conditions of any environmental approval are met, and that any required conditions, mitigation measures, monitoring or program follow up have been carried out.

2.6 The Participant agrees that any assets acquired, constructed, rehabilitated, or improved with the funds provided under this Agreement will not be sold or otherwise disposed of without OBIAA’s prior written approval for the term of this Agreement.

2.7 The Participant shall provide the following in accordance with their individual DSSP:

(a) Reporting including timelines, budget tracking, contracts with local Digital Service Squad members and receipts for all expenses within 10 days of the Expiration Date of this Agreement.

SECTION 3 PARTICIPANT’S REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

3.1 The Participant represents and warrants that:

(a) the information supplied in the Application and the DSSP or in support of the DSSP by the Participant is true and accurate. The Participant acknowledges that OBIAA has relied upon the truth, authenticity and accuracy of the information in authorizing the Contribution; (b) the Participant is a corporation duly incorporated, organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of Ontario or Canada;

(d) the Participant has fewer than 10 employees (or fewer than 25 employees if it is a café, restaurant, or bar); and

(e) the Participant is located on, or close to, a main street of a community.

(f) if a Centralized Project Partnership (CPP) is formed, and a formal contract has been entered into by all parties it must:

(i) be consistent with this Agreement

(ii) not conflict with this Agreement

(iii) incorporate the provisions of this Agreement to the fullest extent possible;

(iv) require all parties to that Contract comply with all applicable laws; and

(v) authorize OBIAA to perform audits of the parties to that Contract in relation to the Project as OBIAA sees fit.

(g) the Participant has not previously received a Digital Service Squad Contribution from the Province or Digital Main Street;

SECTION 4 THE AWARD

4.1 Subject to and in accordance with all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, and in reliance on the representations and warranties in Section 3, OBIAA agrees to provide a Contribution to the Participant to a maximum amount of «Contribution_Amount» to assist the Participant to carry out the DSSP.

SECTION 5 TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF DISBURSEMENT

5.1 The Contribution shall be disbursed to the Participant as follows:

(a) the disbursement of the Contribution shall be upon execution of this Agreement by both parties;

(b) provided that the Participant is and has at all times throughout the Term been in compliance with the terms, conditions and covenants of this Agreement and has provided OBIAA, with the following documents on or before the end of the Term.

(i) final reports; (ii) a detailed expenditure statement and accounting, satisfactory to OBIAA for the expenditure of the Contribution including a statement of all costs incurred and paid by the Participant on account of the Business together with, invoices and other appropriate records supporting the said expenditures and proof of payment thereof organized; and

(iii) any additional documentation required or requested by OBIAA.

SECTION 6 TERMINATION

6.1 The OBIAA shall have the right to terminate this Agreement if the Participant:

(a) fails to observe, perform and keep each covenant, agreement, provision, stipulation and condition contained in this Agreement;

(b) upon 15 days written notice to the Participant:

(i) all obligations of OBIAA to make Disbursements on account of the Contribution shall be immediately extinguished; and,

(ii) OBIAA may, terminate this Agreement and all disbursements made pursuant to this Agreement shall be immediately due and payable by the Participant together with interest at Prime plus 1% per annum as established by the Bank of Canada.

SECTION 7 GENERAL

7.1 Audit and Access

(a) Subject to any limitations or restrictions placed on the Participant by the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56, the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25 and any other federal, provincial or municipal legislation, regulation, by-law, or policy or procedure concerning municipal record- keeping, records retention or information management, and any amendments to any of the foregoing, .all contracts, papers, correspondence, copies, books, payrolls, records, accounts, invoices, statements, accounting records and other information and material of the Participant relating to the expenses incurred by the Participant pursuant to this Agreement shall be open to audit and examination by the Minister or as the Minister directs or by OBIAA or its agent at all reasonable times during the Term of this Agreement and for a period of 7 years thereafter, during which period the Participant shall maintain all such records.

(b) The Participant agrees that the Minister has: a right to monitor the implementation of this Agreement or to have a third party with the required expertise to so monitor same; and a right of access to the Participant’s site and its books and accounts consistent with the monitoring and audit rights contained in provision. (c) The Participant agrees to OBIAA, upon request and in a timely manner, for the purpose of releasing to the Auditor General of Canada, all records held by the Participant, or by agents or contractors of the Participant, relating to this Agreement and the use of funds; and such further information and explanations as the Auditor General, or anyone acting on behalf of the Auditor General may request relating to any part of this Agreement or the use of funds.

7.2 Governing Law - This Agreement is to be governed by and interpreted in all respects in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the laws of Canada.

7.3 Entire Agreement - This Agreement, including the Application and Guidelines, and Digital Service Squad Plan forms the entire Agreement between the Participant and OBIAA and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings. In the event of the expiry or termination of this Agreement, the following provisions shall survive such expiry or termination: 6.01, 7.01, 7.03, 7.05, 7.06, 7.07 (second sentence), 7.08, 7.11, 7.12, 7.13, 7.16 and 7.17.

7.4 Time - Time is of the essence of this Agreement.

7.5 Assignment - This Agreement may not be assigned by the Participant without the prior written consent of OBIAA.

7.6 Limitation of Liability and Indemnification

(a) OBIAA shall not be responsible or liable for any direct, indirect, or consequential damages whatsoever sustained by the Participant or any of its employees, customers or any other third parties, in connection with this Agreement or the operation of the Participant's Digital Service Squad, howsoever caused and the Participant hereby indemnifies and saves harmless OBIAA, its elected and appointed officials, officers, employees and agents from any loss, liability, damages or costs that OBIAA may incur in connection with this Agreement and the operation of the Participant's DSSP as a result of action by Participant.

(b) The Minister shall have no liability under this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Minister shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages, or damages for loss of revenues or profits of the Participant.

(c) The Participant shall at all times indemnify and save harmless OBIAA and Her Majesty, its officers, officials, employees and agents, from and against all claims and demands, losses, costs, damages, actions, suits or other proceedings (including, without limitation, those relating to injury to persons, damage to or loss or destruction of property, economic loss or infringement of rights) by whomsoever brought or prosecuted, or threatened to be brought or prosecuted, in any manner based upon or occasioned by any injury to persons, damage to or loss or destruction of property, economic loss or infringement of rights, caused by, or arising directly or indirectly from: (i) this Agreement and the Contribution, their operation, conduct or any other aspect thereof;

(ii) the performance or non-performance of this Agreement,, or the breach or failure to comply with any term, condition, representation or warranty of this Agreement by OBIAA, their officers, employees and agents, or by a third party or its officers, employees, or agents;

(iii) the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and repair of any part of the Project; and

(iv) any omission or other wilful or negligent act or delay of the Participant or a third party and their respective employees, officers, or agents, except to the extent to which such claims and demands, losses, costs, damages, actions, suits, or other proceedings relate, in the case of the indemnity of Her Majesty, to the negligent act or omission of an officer, official, employee, or agent of Her Majesty, in the performance of his or her duties, and, in the case of the indemnity of Her Majesty, to the negligent act or omission of an officer, official, employee, or agent of Her Majesty, in the performance of his or her duties.

7.7 Insurance - The Participant shall carry all necessary and appropriate insurance that a prudent person in the business of the Participant would maintain. No protection will be afforded to the Participant by the Government of Ontario or OBIAA for any claims arising in connection with this Agreement or the Participants’ operation of the Business.

7.8 Notices - Any notice, request, demand, consent, approval, correspondence, report or other communication required pursuant to or permitted under this Agreement must be in writing and must be given by personal delivery, or transmitted by email, fax or other electronic message system which provides a hard copy, or be sent by first class mail, postage or charges prepaid, and addressed to the party to whom it is intended at, in the case of the Participant, the address set out in the Application and in the case of OBIAA, to the address set out below:

Ontario Business Improvement Area Association 92 Lakeshore Rd. E., Suite 201 Toronto, ON L5G 4S2

Any such notice shall be deemed to be received, if personally delivered or sent by email, fax or other electronic message on the day it is sent and if such notice is sent by first class mail it shall be deemed to have been received on the date that is five days after the date of mailing.

7.9 Non-Agent - Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as creating a partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship between the Participant and OBIAA.

7.10 Conflict in Documents - In the event of any conflict or inconsistency in this Agreement, (a) the main body of the Agreement shall govern over the Appendices to the Agreement; (b) the Agreement (including its Appendices) shall govern over the Guidelines and the Application; and (c) the Guidelines shall govern over the Application.

7.11 Conflict of Interest - The Participant shall ensure that all persons associated with the Business, in any capacity, shall carry out the Digital Service Squad Plan, in all its aspects, without a conflict of interest. For these purposes, a conflict of interest includes any circumstances where (a) the Participant; or (b) any person who has the capacity to influence the Participant’s decisions; has outside commitments, relationships or financial interests that could, or could be seen to, interfere with the Participant’s objective, unbiased and impartial judgment relating to the Business and the use of the Contribution. The Participant shall (a) disclose to OBIAA, through the Project Manager, without delay any actual or potential situation that may be reasonably interpreted as either a conflict of interest or a potential conflict of interest; and (b) comply with any Terms and Conditions that OBIAA may prescribe as a result of the disclosure. The Participant shall ensure that: (a) in the event that it uses lobbyists, they are registered in accordance with the relevant lobbying legislation and that no actual or potential conflict of interest exists nor any contingency fee arrangement; and (b) any former public office holder that derives benefit from this Agreement will be in compliance with the Conflict of Interest Act and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector.

7.12 Amendments - This Agreement may not be amended, altered or modified except by a written agreement signed by both OBIAA and the Participant.

7.13 Waiver - The benefit of any provision of this Agreement may be waived in whole or in part by the party for whose benefit the provision operates and either party may waive any or all of its rights in the event of a breach of any provision of this Agreement by the other party. A waiver is binding on the waiving party only if it is in writing. A waiver may be absolute or may be limited in any way as to duration or scope.

7.14 Further Assurances - The Participant agrees at any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Agreement to execute and deliver such further acts and things as OBIAA may reasonably request in order to fully effect the purpose of this Agreement.

7.15 Force Majeure - Neither party shall be responsible for failures in performance resulting from matters beyond the control of the party, including acts of God, riots or other civil insurrection, war, strikes and lockouts.

7.16 Severability - The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this Agreement or any covenant in it will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision or covenant in it, and the invalid provision or covenant will be deemed to be severable.

7.17 Communication

(a) The Participant shall not use in its communications (including without limitation announcements, media releases, press releases, publicity or marketing literature) either OBIAA’s name or the name of ‘Toronto Association of Business Improvement Area (TABIA), or any marks or logos related to either of them (including without limitation ‘Digital Main Street’ or ‘DMS’) without first obtaining OBIAA’s written approval. (b) The Participant consents, acknowledges and agrees that the Minister may contact the Participant directly for the purposes of success stories, announcements, ceremonies, and other communications activities and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing:

(i) acknowledges the federal government's role in the funding provided through this Agreement and will include this acknowledgement in public facing materials and digital and other media content;

(ii) consents to a public announcement of its project by or on behalf of the Minister in the form of a news release and/or event;

(iii) agrees that the Minister, through the Agency and OBIAA, shall inform the Participant of the date the public announcement is to be made, and the Participant shall maintain the confidentiality of the funding agreement until such date;

(iv) consents to the participation of the Minister or the Minister’s representatives at the announcement event regarding this Agreement and/or the Contribution, and to have the event take place on a day mutually agreed upon by the Participant and the Minister or its representatives;

(v) agrees to a media/public event upon completion of this Agreement and/or the Contribution (or at another time determined by the Minister) with the Minister or the Minister’s designated representatives at mutually agreeable venue, time, and date; and

(vi) agrees to display promotional material and/or signage provided by the Agency at the event.

(c) The Participant also consents and agrees that OBIAA may post and maintain on its website a reference to this Agreement and the location and amount of Contribution amount provided pursuant to this Agreement.

[End of Contribution Agreement] CORPORATION OF THE COUNTY OF HURON

Administration TO: Chair and Board Members FROM: Brittany Wise, Entrepreneur and Business Program Coordinator DATE: 8/12/2020 SUBJECT:

RECOMMENDATION: RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board receives the report by Brittany Wise, Entrepreneur and Business Program Coordinator, dated August 12, 2020, titled New Small Business Grant: Huron Recovery Grant Program, as presented for information.

BACKGROUND: Following a commitment of $15,000 from Community Futures Huron, Huron County Economic Development staff will be delivering a micro-grant program called Huron Recovery Grant Program. This new program mirrors the existing Starter Company Plus program with a specific focus on existing businesses in Huron that have have to make significant changes to maintain operations and adapt to COVID-19 realities.

The Huron Recovery Grant Program will offer grants up to $2,500 for eligible businesses and the opportunity for training and skills development to all applicants.

The program will run in tandem with the Starter Company Plus program until a deadline of September 30th with grants awarded during small business week in mid-October.

COMMENTS:

OTHERS CONSULTED: Paul Nichol, General Manager, Community Futures Huron Cody Joudry, Director, Economic Development

FINANCIAL IMPACTS None at this time.

ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Upload File Name Date Huron Recovery Grant Backup 8/4/2020 Huron_Recovery_Grant_Program_Project_Outline.pdf Program Material Draft Details HURON RECOVERY GRANT PROGRAM

Huron County Economic Development is pleased to announce the Huron Recovery Grant Program. The program will be led by the Huron County Economic Development department, with $15,000 in funds provided through a partnership with Community Futures Huron.

Eligibility: The Huron Recovery Grant Program will focus on supporting existing small businesses in Huron County that have to make significant changes as they pivot to maintain operations and adapt to COVID-19 realities. Grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded to eligible applicants to help offset costs associated with this transition.

Priority will be given to innovative projects that improve the customer experience with a business, as they adjust to operating in the “new normal.” Projects could include enhancing health and safety measures, digital capabilities, product development and more.

Eligible costs may include and are not limited to: acquisition of required/mandated Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), workspace reconfiguration to accommodate physical distancing, hardware/software upgrades to enhance online capacity, client servicing and accessibility. Expenses cannot be operational in nature (ie. staffing, rent, etc.). To be eligible, expenses must occur after August 10, 2020.

PROGRAM OUTLINE: The Huron Recovery Grant Program stream will open on August 10 with applications due August 31. The training/mentorship program will run from September 1 to September 30. Businesses will submit final proposals and present to a review team. The winning businesses will be announced during Small Business Week (October 18 to 23, 2020).

Application Deadline: August 31, 2020 Applicants must have the following information prepared in order to apply to the program:  Business contact information (name, address, phone number, etc.)  CRA Business Number  Description of the project(s) you wish to undertake, timeline for completion and outcomes/impact to your business  Total budget required for all proposed project(s)  A document showing proof of legal name, business registration or, if incorporated, a copy of Articles of Incorporation.

Business Coaching & Training: September 2020  Huron County Economic Development will offer mentorship, connect business owners to advisors and training as well as directing participants to other important tools and resources.  Participants will be required to participate in a series of 4 webinars in September that will help them develop their idea, understand the return on investment, the project impact and making a great pitch.

Final Proposal Deadline: September 30, 2020  Updated written proposal (outline will be provided)  Annual sales for the last fiscal year (including online sales)  Financial statements (at minimum, a YTD profit and loss statement and consolidated balance sheet)

Make Your Pitch: October 5-12, 2020  Participants will be invited to pitch their projects to a panel of judges for the chance at winning up to $2,500.

Winners Announced: October 19-23, 2020  Huron Recovery Grant Program winners announced during Small Business Week.

Winner Check-In: January 2020  Huron County Economic Development will contact all winners to ensure that they have used the funds as presented and to learn if the project has led to the desired change. CORPORATION OF THE COUNTY OF HURON

Administration TO: Chair and Council Members FROM: Alexander Ripley, Economic Development Officer DATE: 8/12/2020 SUBJECT:

RECOMMENDATION: RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The Huron County Economic Development Board receives the report by Alexander Ripley, Economic Development Officer, dated August 12, 2020, titled Tracking the Recovery: A Data Update, as presented for information.

BACKGROUND: The Recovery Team's Data and Research Group sources and analyzes information on the measureable social and economic impacts of the recession and recovery. Our objective is to provide County leadership, staff, and stakeholders with the information they need to make evidence-based decisions as we continue to move forward.

Where possible, we have updated the indicators examined in the report presented to Council on June 24, 2020. We have also brought in some new indicators. While remains much too early to speculate about the overall progress of the County’s economic recovery, some clear trends do seem to be emerging. Unemployment remains high but may be levelling off as more businesses reopen and more people return to work, and 211 Ontario calls about income support declined in June and July from earlier highs. Without official numbers on CERB applications in the County, we cannot say for sure how many people are still furloughed. Our Bringing Employees Back to Work survey showed that many businesses that have called employees back are finding themselves short-staffed, and that the presence of CERB may be a contributing factor, as are concerns about the availability of childcare. These are issues we will continue to watch in the coming weeks and months.

Consumer spending appears to have roared back in the summer months, but spending patterns themselves have been redistributed. Outdoor recreation operators and retailers of large consumer durables like automobiles are enjoying good seasons, while hotels and restaurants continue to struggle. This suggests that, if consumer confidence has not yet fully recovered, it is more on account of restrictive public health measures than traditional economic factors.

Both the public health and economic environments remain uncertain, and future developments are difficult to predict. The recovery is uneven. Taken together, all these points underscore the need for continued observation, analysis, and reporting of the data at the heart of the crisis and recovery.

COMMENTS: None.

OTHERS CONSULTED: Chris Watson, Economic Development Officer, Huron County Cody Joudry, Director of Economic Development, Huron County Leith Deacon, University of Guelph Mary Fincher, Recovery Team Paul Nichol, Community Futures Huron Ruth Montgomery, Recovery Team Sarah Pelton, Four County Labour Market Planning Board Susanna Reid, Social Research and Planning Council

FINANCIAL IMPACTS None at this time.

ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Upload Date File Name August_DR_Group_Report_- Report Backup Material 8/4/2020 _ARIPLEY_-_Final.docx July_Updated_Baseline_Data_Report_- Slide Deck Presentation 8/4/2020 _RMONTGOMERY_JUL28_v3.pptx Introduction I. Objectives The Data and Research Team sources and analyzes information on the measureable social and economic impacts of the recession and recovery. This report updates much of the data presented to Council on June 24, 2020. It shows where Huron County is currently. Our objective is to provide County leadership, staff, and stakeholders with the information they need to make evidence-based decisions as we continue to move forward.

Just to reiterate from the baseline report, these are the six high-level objectives outlined in the Huron County Pandemic Recovery Plan. In general, our work focuses on finding reliable ways to measure progress against these goals.

II. Scope We continue to focus on sourcing and updating hard economic data, such as unemployment numbers. This report also features the results of our recent Bringing Employees Back To Work survey, and of the first round of micro-interviews conducted with the business community on consumer spending patterns. We continue to pursue verifiable data that is updated at routine intervals. We will continue to gather information and data over the coming weeks so that we can continue to give updates on the progress of the recovery. We also be collaborating with the University of Guelph to distribute a County-wide residents’ survey later this summer (see below).

Labour Market I. Unemployment Unemployment for the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula Economic Region reached 9.6% in June, up from 9.3% in May and 4.1% at the beginning of the year. This was still below the provincial average, and the lowest of any economic region in Ontario outside Ottawa. As discussed in the report the Data and Research Group presented to Council on June 24, over the last decade, the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula Economic Region’s unemployment has averaged 15-20% lower than the province-wide numbers. The most recent numbers show a continuation of this trend.

Unemployment data is the primary indicator against which we’ll measure the progress of Recovery Plan objective #1.

Unemployment, 2010-2020 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Jan-10 Jan-11 Jan-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jan-15 Jan-16 Jan-17 Jan-18 Jan-19 Jan-20 Sep-10 Sep-11 Sep-12 Sep-13 Sep-14 Sep-15 Sep-16 Sep-17 Sep-18 Sep-19 May-10 May-11 May-12 May-13 May-14 May-15 May-16 May-17 May-18 May-19 May-20

Ontario Stratford-Bruce Peninsula, Ontario Full Employment

Source: Four County Labour Market Planning Board; Statistics Canada (2020).

While unemployment increased 0.3 percentage points between May and June, there are early indicators that it may be stabilizing more rapidly in the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula region than in the province as a whole. During the first month of the pandemic, regional unemployment grew slightly faster than elsewhere in Ontario. Through the April-June 2020 period, however, unemployment across the province increased by 34%, compared to just 15.7% in Huron, Perth, Bruce, and Grey Counties. This suggests that the employment impacts of the pandemic in the region may have peaked.

Unemployment in 2020 13 12.5 12 11 10 9.6 9 8 7 6 5 4 Jan-20 Feb-20 Mar-20 Apr-20 May-20 Jun-20

Ontario Stratford-Bruce Peninsula, Ontario Full Employment

Source: Four County Labour Market Planning Board; Statistics Canada (2020).

Once again, it’s important to note that these are not Huron County-specific numbers. We hope to gather more detailed data on earnings and employment through the residents’ survey discussed at the end of this report.

II. Job vacancies: Bringing Employees Back to Work Statistics Canada has not yet updated their data on earnings or job vacancies in the region. As an intermediate measure, the Data and Research Group conducted a survey in July of 183 Huron County businesses. The Bringing Employees Back to Work Survey put hard numbers to anecdotal evidence that local employers were struggling to bring back furloughed staff. We found that 31% of respondents stated that they were experiencing labour shortages. Economic Development staff have followed up by email to offer a list of resources, and offer individual support where required.

The Bringing Employees Back to Work Survey enjoyed participation from across sectors and all nine municipalities. This allows us to confirm that the issues identified were not isolated.

BEBW Survey Responses by Sector

Other Business 42 Professional Services 34 Agriculture, Agriculture Services and Supplies 19 Manufacturing 8 Accommodations 0 Retail & General Goods 39 Community Services & Daycare 4 Recreation 4 Health Care & Pharmacy 12 Food & Drink 21 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

BEBW Responses by Municipality

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh 7 Bluewater 17 Central Huron 31 Goderich 48 Howick 9 Huron East 17 Morris-Turnberry 10 North Huron 13 South Huron 31

Source: Huron County Recovery Team “Bringing Employees Back to Work” Survey (July 2020).

Businesses reported that employees were not returning to work due to one or more of the following: Mental Health Concerns, including Anxiety or Stress; Health or Safety Concerns; Lack of Childcare;

Receiving CERB Benefits. “Lack of Childcare” and “Receiving CERB benefits” were the most commonly reported reasons employees had not returned to work.

Why Haven't Employees Returned to Work?

12%

Mental Health Concerns, including Anxiety or Stress 37% 19% Health or Safety Concerns

Lack of Childcare

Receiving CERB Benefits

32% Source: Huron County Recovery Team “Bringing Employees Back to Work” Survey, July 2020.

Measures of Economic and Social Distress I. 211 Call Data As of July 14, 2020 211 Ontario has indicated a total of 233 needs in 2020 in Huron County.

The top five needs of 2020 in Huron County have been Health, Housing, Income Support/Financial Assistance, Legal/Public Safety & Mental Health/Addiction. Over the last 6 months the average number of calls have been 36.5 per month, with a spike in calls of 49 in May and 46 in June.

Source: 211 Ontario (2020)

In April and May there was an increase in calls identifying Income Support and Financial Assistance needs. Since March, there have been consistent needs identified in the housing, and other Government Services sections. Note in the following chart (“211 Indicated Needs”) how income support and mental health emerge as major needs starting in April 2010.

211 Indicated Needs 100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0% January February March April May June

Health Income Support/Financial Assistance Individual/Family Services Information Services Legal/Public Services Mental Health/Addictions Consumer Services Transportation Utility Assistance Food/Meals Housing Other Government Services Community Services Source: 211 Ontario (2020) II. Employment Insurance and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit The newest available data on Employment Insurance (EI) claims is for February 2020, when 1,570 beneficiaries were reported in Huron County. Long-term trends in demand for EI were addressed in our June report. As of March 15, 2020, EI was replaced by the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). Unemployment claims made after this time would be processed through CERB, but claims made before this date will be EI claims under regular EI rules. People who were receiving EI before March 15 were not rolled into the CERB program.

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) provides a taxable benefit of $2,000.00 per month to Canadians facing unemployment due to COVID-19. Eligibility was originally set to expire after 16 weeks, but individuals may now claim CERB for up to 24 weeks. As of the week of July 13, there have been 8.4 million unique applicants with a total of 21.36 million applications received. The total value for CERB

benefits paid to July 19, 2020 was $61.26 billion. Nearly 3.4 million Ontarians have received CERB, with the largest number of unique applicants falling into the 25-34 year old age bracket (795,600). Data on CERB applications at the census division (County) level has not yet been published by Statistics Canada, but is forthcoming. III. Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) was created to provide financial support for businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as prevent significant layoffs. Announced April 1, 2020, the program originally allowed eligible employers to receive a 75% subsidy on each of their employee’s wages up to $58,700.00 for 12 weeks retroactive to March 15. It was originally targeted at businesses who had suffered at least a 15% decline in business in March and 30% in May and June.

On July 21, with the passing of Bill C-20, CEWS eligibility was expanded. The revised program is now based on a sliding scale with the hardest hit businesses eligible for a 25% increase to the previous maximum amount.

As of July 21 st , a total of 724,000 applications have been approved. The breakdown by value is as follows: • Under $100K – 687,390 • $100K to $1M – 35,000 • $1 M to $5M – 1,460 • Over $5M – 150 A total of 736,420 applications have been received and of these, with 269,940 unique applicants approved. The total dollar value of the subsidies paid is $22.26 billion. CEWS statistics are not yet available at the census division level; this is a space we continue to watch closely. In lieu of official data on the uptake of CEWS, our Business Impact Surveys (previously presented to Council) shed light on how the payroll implications of the pandemic at local businesses.

IV. Regional Relief and Recovery Fund Another federal program, the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) provides interest-free loans to help support the fixed operating costs of SMEs whose business revenues have been affected by COVID-19. It also assists SMEs who did not qualify for other Government of Canada COVID-19 relief measures or are continuing to experience funding needs despite having access to other programs. The RRRF is valued at $962 million nationally and is delivered by Canada’s six regional development agencies. $675 million will go to support small and medium sized enterprises and $287 million will be allocated to the national network of Community Futures Development Corporations to provide funding to small businesses in rural communities. Via the RRRF, $213 million is available in southern Ontario through FedDev Ontario and $39.4 million is available as ring-fenced funding through Community Futures Development Corporations.

As of July 17, 2020, Community Futures Huron had received 53 RRRF applications for a total of $1,321,213. 15 of those are new applications since June 15 totalling $403,063. There have been a total of 49 approved applications for a value of $873,037, with $261,496 of that being approved since June 15 across 13 new applications. This program has contributed to 160 maintained jobs, with the majority of recipients being sole proprietorships or main street businesses. (At the time of our last report, the RRRF had helped to preserve 90 jobs in Huron County).

Signs of Recovery I. Discretionary Spending Activity One of the tests that the Huron County Pandemic Recovery Plan uses to gauge a “return to normal” is that residents widely report they plan to make discretionary purchases. Discretionary spending is a cost that is deemed “non-essential”, such as recreation or entertainment. We looked directly at the local market to determine how people were spending their money on discretionary goods.

To establish a baseline we came up with six different categories of what can be considered discretionary purchases: restaurants, outdoor leisure, accommodation, indoor leisure/home décor/jewelry, LCBO and automobiles. Businesses from throughout the county in each of these categories were contacted and asked several standardized questions:

1. How is business compared to this time last year? 2. Have you noticed any changes in buying patterns? 3. What challenges are you facing?

In addition to these questions, there were some questions specific to certain categories:

1. Are you more locals staying with you? (Accommodation) 2. Are there any products that you are surprised you are selling more of? (Indoor Leisure/home décor/jewelry) 3. Are there any products that you once sold that aren’t being purchased as much? (Indoor leisure/home décor/jewelry)

The initial round of outreach to businesses was conducted the week of July 6. Businesses will be followed up with every few weeks in order to track changes that are happening and, in turn, allow us to get data for this part of the economic recovery in Huron County. Gradually, this work will build a great picture of how discretionary spending is progressing in Huron County.

Restaurants: While business at restaurants is down relative to this time in 2019, there has been an upward trend since the reopening of the province began in May. If alcohol is sold at the establishment, sales for that have been up overall. Some have reported an increase in locals making purchases but that customers are ordering less food, as evidenced by a smaller spend per customer.

Outdoor Leisure: Golf courses report an increase in business (up to 50% when compared to last year) and that new people are playing the game. Generally, restaurant revenues are considerably down but this has been made up for in the increase of revenue from green fees.

Accommodations: This was the hardest hit sector surveyed. While there has been a definite decrease in revenue at the accommodations, reservations are slowly going up as the province reopens. Operators report an increase in traffic from area residents – people vacationing in their own backyard .

Indoor Leisure/Décor/Jewelry: Business is down overall but not as much as when the Great Shutdown happened. One business reported that customers are spending more at one time but making less frequent trips.

LCBO: Alcohol sales are up significantly. Consumers are buying more but making fewer trips.

Car Dealerships: While March and April were quiet compared to a year prior, June and July have had sales comparable to the same time in 2019. Demand for cars is high right now and dealerships are experiencing inventory issues due to the spring production shutdown. Consumers are also purchasing more higher-end vehicles, and leasing activity has increased.

These reports paint a picture of discretionary spending activity that is consistent with what has been observed nationally by Canada’s major financial institutions. 1

Trends to Watch The Data and Research Group tracks emerging trends observed in the news. We have used these observations to help the wider recovery team make informed decisions. The major issues we followed included those surrounding small businesses, such as consumer confidence, and issues with employees returning to work. The significant outcome of this work was our "Bringing Employees Back To Work” survey of the business community.

In August, we will continue to stay informed with funding announcements, as well as emerging issues in the following areas: schools, childcare, CERB and CEWS.

Next Steps Rural Response to COVID-19 Resident’s Survey The Data and Research Group has been working in partnership with Dr. Leith Deacon of the University of Guelph, who will be conducting a residents’ survey in Huron and Perth County later this summer. The intent is to better understand how rural populations are impacted by COVID-19. The survey results will enable us to have a better understanding of individual areas of anxiety.

The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are far-reaching and extend beyond the spread of the disease and efforts to quarantine it. With emergency management efforts well underway, opportunities exist to develop more effective and efficient response measures to increase the resiliency of our communities amidst this and future public health crises. Developing impactful resilience strategies requires a regional- and community-scale focus. Across Canada’s rural landscape are communities facing unique realities, complex challenges, and numerous opportunities. To increase the resiliency and wellbeing of all Canadian communities, it is important that small and rural areas are included within policy focused research, analyses, and emergency planning.

The survey will examine Huron and Perth Counties as case studies to explore what planning activities are required in small and rural communities to best support ongoing recovery efforts and to increase resiliency and well-being over the long-term. The project has four objectives:

1. Identify vulnerable populations in Huron and Perth Counties affected by COVID-19;

2. Determine priority programs to support vulnerable populations during and post-COVID-19 (e.g. mental health, income and food security, education);

3. Explore opportunities for the non-profit/charitable sector during and post-COVID-19;

1 Ex., https://thoughtleadership.rbc.com/covid-consumer-spending-tracker/

4. To identify emergent mental health and economic concerns generated by COVID-19.

Outcomes from this project will support rural communities to develop effective local policies and planning strategies to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and future disruptive events.

The survey will be mailed to every residence in Huron County with an introductory paragraph explaining that it’s an individual survey, including a digital link for each person to fill out. If they prefer to fill out the paper copy they can mail it back to us. The survey will be delivered in August 2020.

The data collected will be used to update out-of-date information in our Council reports (including many indicators of social cohesion and individual earnings), to track the progress of the County through the recovery process, and will help us make informed decisions about programming and resource allocations in the future. The University of Guelph will own the raw data with Huron County receiving the aggregated data broken down to the County level, as well as Municipal level, in Fall 2020.

Conclusions While it’s much too early to speculate about the overall progress of the County’s economic recovery, some clear trends do seem to be emerging. Unemployment remains high but may be levelling off as more businesses reopen and more people return to work, and 211 Ontario calls about income support declined in June and July from earlier highs. Absent official numbers on CERB applications in the County, we cannot say for sure how many people are still furloughed, let alone how many have lost their jobs permanently. What we can say, however, is that many businesses that have called employees back are finding themselves short-staffed, and that the presence of CERB may be a contributing factor, as are concerns about the availability of childcare. These are issues we will continue to watch in the coming weeks and months.

Consumer spending appears to have roared back in the summer months, but spending patterns themselves have been redistributed. Outdoor recreation operators and retailers of large consumer durables like automobiles are enjoying good seasons, while hotels and restaurants continue to struggle. This suggests that, if consumer confidence has not fully recovered, it is on account of restrictive public health measures rather than traditional economic factors.

Tracking the Recovery A Midsummer Snapshot

July 28, 2020 Recovery Plan Objectives

1) Unemployment rates have returned to historical levels 2) Social and community supports compare to those available in the recent past 3) Commercial and industrial vacancy rates are in traditional ranges 4) There are close to the same number of people in businesses as in the recent past 5) Residents widely report they plan to make discretionary purchases 6) Residents report their financial outlook is stable without emergency government supports. Source: Four County Labour Market Planning Board (2020) Source: Four County Labour Market Planning Board (2020) Source: Bringing Employees Back To Work Survey (2020) Source: Bringing Employees Back To Work Survey (2020) Source: Bringing Employees Back To Work Survey (2020) Measures of Economic & Social Distress

211 Call Data (2020)

• As of July 14, 2020 211 Ontario has indicated a total of 233 Needs in 2020 in Huron County. • The top five needs of 2020 in Huron County have been Health, Housing, Income Support/Financial Assistance, Legal/Public Safety & Mental Health/Addiction. Source: 211 Ontario (2020) Source: 211 Ontario (2020) Income Supports: EI and CERB

• As of March 15, 2020, EI was replaced by the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) • As of the week of July 13, there have been 8.4 million unique applicants with a total of 21.36 million applications received. The total value for CERB benefits paid to July 19, 2020 was $61.26 billion. Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

• Announced April 1, 2020, the program originally allowed eligible employers to receive a 75% subsidy on each of their employee’s wages up to $58,700.00 for 12 weeks retroactive to March 15. • As of July 21 st , a total of 724,000 applications have been approved. Regional Relief and Recovery Fund

• As of July 17, 2020, Community Futures Huron had received 53 RRRF applications for a total of $1,321,213. • There have been a total of 49 approved applications for a value of $873,037, with $261,496 of that being approved since June 15 across 13 new applications. • This represented the preservation of 160 jobs Discretionary Spending Activity

• Restaurants: Customers are ordering less food. But alcohol sales are up overall.

• Outdoor Leisure: Golf courses are reporting an increase in business (up to 50% when compared to last year)

• Accommodations: This was the hardest hit sector surveyed. However, operators are now reporting an increase in traffic from area residents – people vacationing in their own backyard . Discretionary Spending Activity

• Indoor Leisure/Décor/Jewelry: Business is down overall.

• LCBO: Alcohol sales are up significantly. Consumers are buying more but making fewer trips.

• Car Dealerships: March and April were down, yet June and July are comparable to 2019. Leasing activity has increased. Next Steps

Trends To Follow • Consumer Confidence • Issues with Employers Returning to Work • Indicators of Social Cohesion or Community Well-being • Funding Announcements, including CERB and CEWS • Return to School and Childcare

University of Guelph Survey • Residents’ survey led by Dr. Leith Deacon • Opportunity to update many indicators, add granularity to others CORPORATION OF THE COUNTY OF HURON

Administration TO: Chair and members of the Economic Development Board FROM: Lisa Harvey, Junior Accountant DATE: 8/13/2020 SUBJECT: The financial statements for the month ending June 30, 2020 will be reviewed.

Revenue Expenditures County Contribution Department YTD Actual YTD YTD Actual YTD YTD Actual YTD Budget Budget Budget EcDev Board $0 $0 $3,969 $36,498 $3,969 $36,498 Economic $135,238 $179,922 $540,636 $761,604 $405,398 $581,682 Development

RECOMMENDATION: RECOMMENDED MOTION: THAT: The financial statements for the month ending June 30, 2020 be received.

BACKGROUND:

COMMENTS:

OTHERS CONSULTED:

FINANCIAL IMPACTS

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Administration TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: The next meeting of the Huron County Economic Development Board will be a virtual meeting on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 5:00 PM.

RECOMMENDATION:

BACKGROUND:

COMMENTS:

OTHERS CONSULTED:

FINANCIAL IMPACTS

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