City council has approved a new working group to help formulate the city’s new economic development strategy.
Proposed by Coun. Tim Lauer, the working group also includes councillors Whitney Smith, Ralph Cipolla, and Mayor Don McIsaac.
Council approved the working group at last Monday’s meeting.
During the 2023 budget process, council approved $55,000 for a consultant to develop an economic development strategy for the city, and the working group will work alongside consultants and city staff to develop the strategy.
"The need for economic development is unquestionable but the method of delivery can take a multitude of different forms," Lauer told OrilliaMatters in a statement.
"The city is embarking on an economic development study that will be performed by a qualified firm. It is important that council and the business community closely monitor that process to ensure that we end up with a plan that is customized to fit the Orillia reality."
The city’s economic development strategy has not been reviewed since 2014/2015.
In Lauer’s report to council, he notes “there have been many changes in the ways business is conducted” over the past decade, including changes wrought by the pandemic and the rise of remote work, which “has changed the economic development landscape."
"There are a few new realities affecting job creation. Workforce availability, different employment expectations, wage levels, as well as remote work, all present new issues that may not have existed the last time we looked at our job creation strategy," Lauer said.
The new strategy needs to be informed by the city's low supply of land, as well, he said.
"Orillia is also challenged by a shortage of developable land, and given the ongoing boundary expansion process currently underway, industrial intensification needs to be a part of any new economic development direction," Lauer said.
Despite pitching it to council, Lauer said the the working group needs to proceed "with caution" to ensure it effectively generates economic development.
"(Economic development) is costing the taxpayers of Orillia somewhere around the million dollar mark every year," he said. "There is often, in my opinion, the potential for a lot of smoke and mirrors. Politicians often rely on superficial efforts that are lacking any relation to real results."
The working group will provide recommendations on the future of economic development in Orillia by Oct. 31, 2023.
