City hall wants to hear what people think should be prioritized in an economic development master plan for Sarnia.
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A survey, asking for opinions on Sarnia’s economic strengths and weaknesses, visions for the community, local workforce development opportunities and areas best positioned for growth, recently opened at speakupsarnia.ca/edmpsaid economic development director Kelly Provost.
“The data and the input collected… is really going to help focus our economic development efforts on areas that matter most to the community in the future,” she said.
“So we really welcome everyone to… share their input.”
The plan, assessing the local economy and laying out a growth plan for the next 10 years was one of the recommendations in a competitive market analysis of city research and business parks.
Toronto’s urbanMetrics was contracted over the summer to create the $125,000 plan, Provost said, noting the award is under budget.
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It’s still early in the process, after background information and analysis, she said.
The online survey continues until 4:30 pm Dec. 2, an in-person open house is 7-8:30 pm Nov. 26 at Clearwater Arena’s lower hall, and an online open house is 7-8:30 pm Dec. 3 , with registration details pending, according to the project page.
One-on-one interviews with council members and local organizations, and industry focus groups are also planned, officials said.
A draft of the master plan is expected for council’s consideration before the end of March, Provost said.
Plan goals include attracting new and diverse industries, expanding and strengthening existing businesses, leveraging public assets to facilitate growth, and building and sustaining partnerships to help, the project page says.
“Planning for economic growth and resilience really requires continuous effort, a long-term commitment, and a plan for the best chances of success,” Provost said.
“We’re really excited to be undertaking this project at this point to help guide us over the next 10 years.
A city economic development community improvement plan is also in the worksto entice more development on city employment lands with incentives. Sarnia has about 400 vacant hectares.
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