March 4,2015 EDC Meeting


Economic Development Committee

Agenda               Minutes

2.1 Minutes

EDC15/003
Moved, seconded and CARRIED
THAT the minutes of the Economic Development Committee meeting held Wednesday, February 4, 2015 be adopted as circulated
.

3.1 Council Update
Report: Economic Development Committee 2015 Work Plan, dated February 16, 2015 / File: 01-0360-20-03

Councillor Dilworth reported that the committee’s 2015 Work Plan was approved by Council on February 24, 2015, with no changes or additions.

3.2 Mayor’s Report
On behalf of Mayor Clay, staff reported that an Economic Roundtable breakfast, facilitated by Eric Vance, was held on March 4, with a variety of invited guests from the community. Two more sessions will be held on March 5 and 6. The roundtables are being viewed as research sessions for the City to learn more about economic development in the region. It was noted that staff will consolidate the information obtained during the sessions and present it to this committee and Council in the near future.

4.1 Wayfinding Initiatives
Staff provided a general overview of wayfinding initiatives in the City, noting that, currently, the city’s wayfinding basically consists of street signs, signage for specific attractions and amenities, trail signage, etc. It was reported that the city does not currently have a specific wayfinding strategy in place. Committee members were asked for suggestions and ideas about wayfinding initiatives that could possibly be undertaken in Port Moody. Discussion ensued, including the following points:
. Need consistency in signage
. “Welcome to Port Moody” signs could use some updating, upgrading, cleaning
. Signage denoting the Civic Centre needed
. Wayfinding kiosks / maps should be installed at new Skytrain stations
. Internally illuminated overhead street signs should be installed at major intersections for wayfinding at night
. There should be a requirement for commercial signs to include street addresses
. It may be better to group signs together, rather than having so many signs all over the city
. Need better signage on bike routes and trails to indicate  locations

5.1 Economic Profile Presentation
Staff provided an overview of the Port Moody 2015 Economic Profile, noting that the 2014 Economic Development Committee provided input during drafting of the document. It was noted that there is both a print version and a digital version, which will be made available on the city’s website once it has been approved by Council.
It was noted that the Economic Profile is meant to be a snapshot of the city at a specific point in time, in this case up to 2014, and has been designed to be a living document that can easily be updated as information changes.
It was noted that year-on-year comparisons would be a good addition for future iterations of the Economic Profile.

5.2 Roundtable
Committee members reported on their various events and activities