About a year and a half since it was formed, Sarnia’s economic development department has helped bring in $2.5 million in grants, and craft plans for things like the waterfront and the city’s airport, the department’s director says.
It has also created investsarnia.ca to help would-be investors take more notice of the municipality, has hired a contract position to help local downtown and Mitton Village businesses growis working on supply chain mapping with Lambton College through the Sarnia Civic Lab partnershipand works with the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP) to attract new investments in the community, said Kelly Provost in a recent update to city council.
But it’ll take more funding for staff and travel costs if the city wants to more aggressively court companies to invest locally, she said.
“If business retention and expansion is intended to be the focus within this department, it is adequately resourced to be able to do so currently,” she said about the three-staff department, including the year-long contract position until February 2023.
“If there are additional expectations above and beyond that, then it would be at council’s discretion to prioritize when it comes to the budget deliberations,” she said.
Those comments came in response to a question from Coun. Mike Stark about whether the department could be doing more, given the municipality hasn’t seen the level of business investment attraction places like London and Strathroy-Caradoc have.
“What we are responsible for is creating an environment that is conducive to attracting industries, which apparently, based upon our results, we haven’t been doing a very good job of,” Stark said.
The department is still “in its infancy” and is raising awareness in the community that it exists as a support, Provost said, noting the department follows up on leads about potential community investment that come in through SLEP and the website.
“In terms of investment attraction, it is a long-term game, it’s a costly game, but it’s one that has high rewards when there are successes,” she said.
Business retention and expansion is a key focus for the department, she said.
“This is where the bulk of effort in our department needs to go as this is where communities would traditionally see the bulk of new investment and job creation,” she said, adding that means creating a conductive environment for private investment.
Other department highlights in Provost’s recent strategic priorities meeting presentation included a harbor feasibility study currently underway with research help from Laurier University MBA students, June 10 plans to create a community space in the Mitton Village municipal parking lot with eight painted picnic tables and donations to local charities on the artists’ behalf, and working with the community on things like resident attraction, physician recruitment, tourism and community sustainability.
Plans are to draft funding plans for recommendations in airport, waterfront and business park plans for the 2023 budget process, she said.
“The city’s economic development initiative the last couple of years has been just excellent and strategic,” although the details of what’s happening behind the scenes in many cases can’t be made public yet, Mayor Mike Bradley said.
“But it’s a much more coordinated, strategic effort, and I’ve seen a huge difference,” he said. “So that’s appreciated.”