Summit Consulting Strategic Planning Project Management Board Development Research & Evaluation ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY TO GUIDE FUTURE GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT in the MUNICIPALITY OF TEMAGAMI Submitted to: Mayor, Council and the Economic Development Committee October 28, 2003 November 3, 2003 141 Eric Court, Sudbury, Ont. P3E 6G1 Tel. (705) 523-2576 Fax. (705) 523-0663 e-mail: [email protected] South Temiskaming Community Futures Development Corporation Adopted November 3, 2003 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This report would not have been possible without the dedicated commitment and determination of the members of the Temagami Economic Development Committee with funding support provided by FedNor, and South Temiskaming Community Futures Development Corporation. Through their collective efforts they provided the necessary leadership, guidance and support to facilitate the development of this Economic Development Strategy and their time and energy is greatly appreciated. As well, I would also like to take this opportunity to personally thank all residents, community officials, and municipal staff who participated in the planning process by attending community focus group sessions, providing useful information via one-on-one interviews, completing the on-line survey or providing written submissions to the Economic Development Committee. This input was invaluable and revealed that the majority of Temagami residents have a passion for their unique community and a will to succeed. This collaborative process and collective determination will serve the community well as it seeks to bring this proposed strategy into action. Summit Consulting – Temagami Economic Strategy 2003 2 Adopted November 3, 2003 STRATEGIC PLANNING: The purpose of a Strategic Plan is to set achievable goals and priorities for the Municipality of Temagami. This plan has been prepared to: • Reflect on past successes • Establish directions/goals to build on our successes • Articulate opportunities • Describe the simple steps that can be taken to achieve these goals The process of identifying where we, as a community, want to be and what we must do to get there is known as strategic planning. It is important. Without a clear picture of where we want to be, it will be difficult to achieve intended objectives. The process of a strategic plan is a simple one, although each step requires considerable thought, debate and analysis. Here are the five basic steps of strategic planning. STEP ONE: Look to the past and examine where we have been. What has worked? What challenges have we faced? How did we handle those challenges? What have we learned? STEP TWO: Look to the present. Where are we now? Perform SWOT analyses on our present day situation. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. In doing this we need to be realistic. There are no communities without weaknesses or threats from outside sources. STEP THREE: Look to the future. What vision do we have for our Municipality in one year? Five years? Drawing on the data and knowledge we have obtained from steps one and two, we create a picture of what we want our Municipality to be. This step involves the development of a Vision Statement for the community. STEP FOUR: Draw up a list of realistic goals for the Municipality and the activities required to accomplish these goals. STEP FIVE: Identify our objectives. Our objectives are the actions steps we must take to meet/reach our goals. (Action Plan) The Strategic Plan will give us a step-by-step plan of action that will move us from where we are to where we want to be. Summit Consulting – Temagami Economic Strategy 2003 3 Adopted November 3, 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Executive Summary 5 2.0 Introduction 7 3.0 Project Methodology 7 4.0 Community Profile 10 5.0 Current Realities 13 6.0 Literature Review 17 7.0 Community Consultation Process 19 8.0 Identification of Viable Development Opportunities 26 9.0 Proposed Implementation Strategy [Action Plan] 42 10.0 Next Steps 56 11.0 Concluding Remarks 56 APPENDICES: Appendix A Inventory of Funding Programs Appendix B Community Profile Data Appendix C List of Documents Reviewed Appendix D Consumer Manufacturing & Retail Trends (Canada/North America) Appendix E List of Individuals Interviewed Appendix F Personal & On-Line Interview Questionnaire Appendix G Interview Format for Mayor, Council & CAO Appendix H Community Focus Group Summaries Appendix I The Living Machine Appendix J Definition of “Green Community” Summit Consulting – Temagami Economic Strategy 2003 4 Adopted November 3, 2003 1.0 Executive Summary The last 10-12 years have been particularly difficult for Temagami, as the community has struggled to recover from the loss of its major employers (Sherman Mine and Wm. Milne and Sons saw mill). Since this time, there has been no such large-scale industrial activity and the local offices of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Provincial Police and Provincial Courthouse have also been closed and centralized in larger Northern Ontario communities. Consequently, a large proportion of available employment for area residents is found outside of the community and many families have left the community to find work. Over this same time period the community has maintained itself by continuing to serve as a tourism destination, addressing the needs of its significant base of summer cottagers, and providing goods and services to travelers on Highway #11. This has not created significant economic growth for the community and the seasonal nature of the business cycle means local restaurants and businesses have to endure long shoulder seasons where they continually struggle to survive. In response to these developments and in an effort to pursue economic stability and growth in Temagami, the Municipality’s Economic Development Committee (EDC) identified viable options for stimulating economic development in the community. To this end, the services of Summit Consulting were formally retained in March 2003 to carry out the requisite planning, research and community consultation to prepare an Economic Development Strategy for the Municipality of Temagami. The DRAFT Summary Report was completed by July 31, 2003. The final summary report will serve as a blueprint for guiding future economic growth and development in Temagami. At the outset of the project the consultant met with the Temagami EDC to receive extensive background information and orientation to the assignment. The consultant then worked with the EDC to develop a clear workplan and schedule for project completion which included: developing a vision to guide the project, conducting research and reviewing internal and external economic development literature, conducting an extensive community stakeholder consultation process (which included more than 50 one-on-one and on-line interviews, six community focus group sessions and a number of meetings with community stakeholders), identifying priorities for development and developing a comprehensive summary economic strategy report. The consultant met regularly with the EDC throughout the duration of the project to share information and discuss viable opportunities for development. As a result of this extensive data collection and analysis, a summary list of priorities for economic development in Temagami was established with a corresponding action plan for implementation. This list includes the following key priorities: ♦ Exploring Opportunities for Growth Within Natural Resources Sector ♦ Developing Temagami’s Land Base ♦ Developing a Unique Stand-Alone Economic Development Corporation ♦ Supporting Local Business Development Growth & Retention Summit Consulting – Temagami Economic Strategy 2003 5 Adopted November 3, 2003 ♦ Expanding and Diversifying Tourism in Temagami ♦ Promoting Partnerships with the First Nation Community ♦ Becoming a Model for Sustainable Development ♦ Promoting Temagami’s Art, Culture and Heritage ♦ Roads ♦ Improving the Visual Appeal of Downtown Core & Waterfront ♦ Promoting the Development of Additional Accommodations ♦ Upgrading Temagami’s Telecommunications Infrastructure In terms of critical next steps in the implementation process, it is vital that this Economic Strategy document moves from planning to action. This would involve community mobilization and participation of citizens in the further exploration and implementation of identified development opportunities. To this end, it is recommended that this plan be used as the basis for securing additional public and private sector funding to undertake additional research, planning and follow-up activities to support new business development ventures in Temagami. These funding avenues would include private investors, foundations, and relevant municipal, provincial and federal government sponsored economic development funding programs. There is considerable potential for Temagami to transform itself into a thriving and vibrant community again. This Economic Strategy can serve as an effective action plan for change but it will require the commitment and dedicated support of Temagami’s political officials, local business community and residents to succeed. The opportunities are limited only by the imagination and energy of the community. Failure to achieve this vision will only come about by collective inaction. Summit Consulting – Temagami Economic Strategy 2003 6 Adopted November 3, 2003 2.0 Introduction “I would like to see an economic strategic plan developed for Temagami that would set the goals for our community