------u Petawawa Economic Action Strategy FINAL March 26, 2018 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................. 5 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 11 1.1 Striking a Path for the Future ................................................................................................. 11 1.2 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 12 1.3 Articulating Petawawa’s Value Proposition ........................................................................... 13 1.4 A Vision for Economic Development ...................................................................................... 17 1.5 Strategic Objectives for Economic Development ................................................................... 18 1.6 Petawawa’s Economic Action Strategy .................................................................................. 20 2. Where have we come from? ......................................................................................... 37 2.1 Background Review – Summary of Findings .......................................................................... 37 2.2 Economic Base Analysis – Summary of Findings .................................................................... 37 2.3 Deep Investigations ................................................................................................................ 39 2.4 Retail Gap Assessment ........................................................................................................... 42 3. Where do we want to go? ............................................................................................ 46 3.1 Consultation Results ............................................................................................................... 46 3.2 Strengths Opportunities Aspirations Results Assessment ..................................................... 46 Appendix A – Background Review and Economic Base Analysis ............................................. 52 Detailed Background Review ............................................................................................................ 52 Detailed Economic Base Analysis ..................................................................................................... 58 Demographic Portrait ....................................................................................................................................... 58 Labour Force ..................................................................................................................................................... 65 Business Patterns Assessment ......................................................................................................................... 74 Tax Competitiveness ........................................................................................................................................ 80 Quality of Life Considerations .......................................................................................................... 81 Appendix B – Deep Investigations ......................................................................................... 82 Defence Sector Investigation ............................................................................................................ 82 Aerospace Sector Investigation ........................................................................................................ 87 Recreational Trails Development & Tourism Investigation .............................................................. 96 MDB Insight – Petawawa Economic Action Strategy Page 2 Retail Gap Assessment Detailed Findings ....................................................................................... 105 Appendix C – Consultation Results ....................................................................................... 108 Online Community Survey Findings ................................................................................................ 108 Online Business Community Survey Findings ................................................................................. 110 Local Business and Tourism Stakeholder Focus Group .................................................................. 110 Staff and Administration Focus Group Discussion ......................................................................... 112 Council One-on-One Interview Themes ......................................................................................... 114 One-on-One Business Interview Themes ....................................................................................... 117 MDB Insight – Petawawa Economic Action Strategy Page 3 [Chapter Divider Page – Insert Image that is coming from the Town] Executive Summary MDB Insight – Petawawa Economic Action Strategy Page 4 Executive Summary The Town of Petawawa has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years, thanks in part to expansions at Garrison Petawawa. Growth in the town has led to increased household income and disposable income, a generally young population, and growing purchasing power. In addition, Petawawa is positioned to benefit from tourism, as people become more familiar with the diversity of activities available in and around the Town which can draw from larger urban populations such as Ottawa. While Petawawa’s growth has netted many positive results, there are nonetheless some challenges facing the community. The growing population has not been accompanied by proportionate growth in retail, restaurants and personal services, and economic leakage is present with people travelling to Pembroke to spend money. There is also uncertainty about what to do with local assets to ensure they are capable of producing economic growth, such as private-sector opportunities associated with the Garrison, aerospace and the Pembroke and Area Airport, and maximizing trail assets and tourism opportunities more broadly. Presently, Petawawa’s economy is on the verge of a large transformation. The potential for growth and development is imminent. It is not a question of when, but how the transformation will unfold. Building an Economic Strategic Plan that Works for Petawawa Creating a strong and coherent Economic Action Strategy charts a course for developing the local economy in a way that is both intentional and flexible. When a community has grown significantly, many opportunities can present themselves, but they may not always be congruent with where members of the community envision it to be going. A clear path aligns community strengths and assets in an organized way, while addressing identified challenges in ways that illuminate opportunities for enhancement. This Economic Action Strategy has been developed to guide Petawawa in its growth ambitions by focusing on things that are most likely to result in impacts. Above all, it is an action-oriented strategy with clear directions informed by thorough and inclusive consultation efforts, data analysis, and industry best practices. Methodology The methodology underpinning the strategy is based on two forms of information gathering: . Secondary data gathering and analysis comprised of background documents, economic base statistics, sector-specific deep-dives into defence, aerospace, and tourism and trails, and a retail gap assessment . Primary data gathering and analysis comprised of one on one interviews with Petawawa’s Council and business community, focus group discussions with Town administration and local business/community leaders, and surveys of local residents and businesses. Consultations were also done with Garrison Petawawa, Pembroke and Area Airport, individual municipal senior administration, and County of Renfrew administration. MDB Insight – Petawawa Economic Action Strategy Page 5 These above-listed data gathering and analysis efforts provide input for a Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results (SOAR) assessment. The SOAR assessment represents a model of appreciative inquiry, which helps to go beyond where things currently stand in Petawawa and make important links to where the community wants to go in the future. It allows the action plan to be rooted in the desires of the community by identifying components of a vision and how best to understand if they are being met by actions undertaken. From the SOAR analysis results, a vision for Economic Development in Petawawa is obtained, and a series of strategic objectives are created that align with aspirations identified in the SOAR that are grouped by theme. A series of actions that will lead Petawawa toward meeting each strategic objective is created. For each action item, a timeline is provided as well as considerations about partners to be involved, performance measures for monitoring progress, and cost considerations are provided. In addition, a distinction is also made between “core” and “non-core” activities, the latter of which represents opportunities for the economic development officer to support an initiative without leading it. These different components are summarized in the graphic below. Project Methodology Flow Chart Background Document Review Economic Base Analysis S Deep Investigations: Strengths Defence, Aerospace, and Tourism & Trails Action Retail Gap Analysis O Strategy: • Vision