Feb 4,2015 EDC Meeting

EDC Meeting

Agenda           Minutes

2.1 Minutes
 
EDC15/001
Moved, seconded and CARRIED
THAT the minutes of the Economic Development Committee meeting held Thursday, November 13, 2014 be adopted as circulated.

 

4.1 Terms of Reference - Review
Terms of Reference, Economic Development Committee / File: 01-0360-20-03
Councillor Dilworth provided an overview of the Terms of Reference and responded to questions from members.

The agenda was reordered to address items in the following order:

4.4, 4.3, and 4.2.

4.4 Mayor¡¦s Report

Mayor Clay provided an overview of the economic initiatives undertaken by the City over the past few years, noting that there were several events held last year for businesses. The Mayor
reported on the following plans for this year:

„h Shop Local Initiatives ¡V The City is hoping to put on a pilot shop local event in the summer, working in collaboration with an event planner and the Shop Local group in Port Moody. A consultation meeting with representatives of local businesses will be held in late April to determine details for the summer event.
„h Connecting Us Event ¡V A number of events will be held along the same lines as were held last year, including the Speakers Series breakfast meetings and afternoon business barbeque events
„h Planning/Development staff will be talking with the development community over the next few months to look at ways to bring more business development to the City It was noted that there may be some benefit for the Shop Local initiatives to partner with the LOCO BC initiative to foster networking with businesses from other parts of the province with the aim of better promoting local businesses.

4.3 2015 Work Plan

Report: Economic Development Committee ¡V 2014 Annual Report, dated November 13, 2014 / File: 0360-20-03
Councillor Dilworth provided an overview of the work done by the Economic Development committee in 2014, touching on some events that have become regular events in the city, including the Spike Awards, Business Roundtables, Food Cart Program, Innovative Marine Research Science Centre, Tourism Subcommittee, etc.
Discussion ensued with regard to suggested focus areas for 2015and the following suggestions came up:
. Wayfinding ¡V review the City¡¦s existing initiatives/plan,identify opportunities and make recommendations to Council ¡V MARCH
. Business Attraction and Retention ¡V host roundtable with existing businesses; research background (why did they choose Port Moody, what was the set-up like, what would help, etc.) ¡V APRIL, OCTOBER
. Youth Engagement ¡V explore opportunities for strengthening connections between local businesses, students and young people (e.g., career mentorship program, internship opportunities, roundtable) ¡V MAY
. Spike Awards ¡V plan and host the 2015 awards event ¡V JUNE, JULY, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER
. Tourism Strategy ¡V review of subcommittee report and recommendations back to Council ¡V MARCH
. Shop Local Event ¡V working with Mayor¡¦s office to develop a large scale shop local event ¡V APRIL
. City Website ¡V review business section of the website
. Official Community Plan ¡V review the City¡¦s OCP sections pertaining to Economic Development, including land use and zoning considerations ¡V MARCH
. High Tech / Marine Research Centre ¡V planning for stakeholder engagement session ¡V APRIL, JUNE
. Strengthen Partnerships and Collaborations ¡V explore opportunities to strengthen partnerships (Chamber of Commerce, Shop Local, Newport, etc.) ¡V JULY
. Beautification Subcommittee ¡V review report ¡V MAY

EDC15/002
Moved, seconded and CARRIED
THAT the following items be included on the Economic
Development Committee 2015 Work Plan:
. Wayfinding Initiatives
. Business Attraction and Retention
. Youth Engagement
. Spike Awards
. Tourism Strategy
. Shop Local Event
. City Website
. Official Community Plan
. High Tech / Marine Research
. Strengthen Partnerships and Collaborations
. Beautification Subcommittee

4.2 Economic Priorities
Roundtable Discussion ensued in conjunction with the Work Plan discussion.

5.1 Economic Profile Presentation
This item was deferred to the March meeting.

5.2 Roundtable
Councillor Dilworth reported that Rocky Point Ice Cream has been shortlisted in the top five for BC Business of the Year.