Council has approved a new Economic Development and Tourism Strategy, and an implementation plan is already underway.
With a proactive approach and vision for the municipality with its 2023-2027 Corporate Strategic Plan, the Town seeks to be the most progressive, inclusive and vibrant growing community on Lake Simcoe, with a balance of rural and urban character. The creation and implementation of an Economic Development and Tourism Strategy was identified as a key action to deliver on its goal of diversifying our local economy.
“This new five-year strategy ensures we are aligned with the goals for our community,” says Mayor Margaret Quirk. “It will guide the Economic Development and Tourism Division over the next five years as we collectively work to grow, sustain and build Georgina as a place where residents call home with pride, talent wants to live, businesses thrive and visitors return.”
During the summer of 2023, the Town engaged with 344 businesses, stakeholders and residents to provide their input. To develop the new strategy, one-on-one interviews, focus groups, a public open session and an online survey were held. Staff and the community then participated in a half-day workshop to validate themes and develop potential actions.
This extensive feedback has culminated in a final document that was created by the community for the community. The goals over the next five years are to:
- Grow the economy through investment attraction
- Grow the economy through the retention and expansion of the existing business community
- Grow tourism, arts and culture with a focus on leveraging these assets to create economic impact
- Create lively downtowns and public gathering spaces
More than 40 action items were recommended to deliver on the above-noted goals. They were developed and prioritized based on an achievable five-year timeline.
Several initiatives are set to take place in 2024, including investment attraction efforts to support the Business Park landowners in acquiring tenants, a formalized Business Visitation Program, and new skills training programs and tourism development projects intended to increase the economic impact of visitors.
To learn more about the Economic Development Strategic Plan, visit georgina.ca/EconomicStrategy.