Georgina business community identifies three key business issues during this election.

Permitting, Licensing and Red Tape reduction:

As the owner of a local contracting/construction company these issues are very straightforward to me. If elected as mayor, I pledge to immediately start using Canada’s Cloudpermit permit portal.  I have seen firsthand how quick and seamless it can be.  Wait times becomes weeks versus months.  Business owners are able to open their doors sooner benefiting the community as a whole.  It also holds the town accountable by letting you know when the items are received, reviewed and approved. This is a critical step for anyone looking to open a business in Georgina.  It also allows the client to be a part of the process and witness things as they proceed.

Business development, attracting new business and economic growth:

Let’s face it, Georgina is being viewed by outsiders as a bedroom community.

If elected, I plan on reviewing permits and development costs to see how they can be reduced. This, in turn will help potential business owners choose Georgina as a place to plant their flag.  Not only will it benefit them but most importantly the community by keeping jobs closer to home and reducing the carbon footprint with less commuting.

Economic/business friendly policies:

If elected as mayor, I feel it is my duty to make certain there are business friendly policies in place. As a business owner myself it is extremely important to make sure your doors stay open for customers in order to turn a profit.

Furthermore, the policies in place need to be made much simpler and easier for businesses to open their doors. From health to safety, cleanliness to sign permits these are very important steps to open seamlessly and successfully.

• Permitting, licensing and Red Tape Reduction

Hands on approach working with staff, fielding residents' case by case inquiries and following up on them. A personal understanding of current protocols and their failings is key in this and the Mayor's office can use plenty of resources to improve the situation. Constituents want answers and whatever the causes need to be conveyed appropriately as we have many members of our community that can offer insight as well on the ground. There is clearly a disconnect that exists I would want to address immediately.

• Business development, attracting new business and Economic Growth

Time and again the issue talking with business owners is lack of commercial space, causing the demand to greatly outstrip supply and therefore increase cost of rental. This coupled with a perceived slower process to building changes. I have expressed this election as well as the previous one that an expediated process needs to be put in place when time is a factor for the type of service, size or local benefit. But as Mayor I would also not hesitate to reach out directly to prospective businesses about choosing Georgina.

• Economic/business friendly policies

More commercial space, expediated process based on time and benefit to the community. Infrastructure, amenities and transit improvement will have a direct impact as well on accessibility and local traffic raising prospective clients. 

Georgina needs to be more efficient and coordinated when it comes to issues with permits, licensing, and “red tape reduction.”  I want to work with the permit office to help find these efficiencies and collaborate with them on how to streamline the entire process for our residents and businesses.  

As we begin to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and as a small business owner myself, I have been right in the trenches alongside other owners who have been struggling as we have seen our cash flow and savings disappear.  I have gone through it – my business is still trying to get back to where we were pre-COVID.  I will listen to business owners, entrepreneurs, and other workers to see how we can come alongside the business community to both recover – and thrive.  My top priority as your mayor will be to consult with the business community to strategize how we can grow and attract (and retain!) new businesses.  It is essential that we make doing business so amazing right here in Georgina there is a compelling reason both to come here and to stay here!

We have had a mayor who for 8 years has not listened to the business community and cannot relate to the struggles we have gone through.  Her solution?  Hire expensive out of town consultants which only adds to the red tape we have been struggling with.  As your mayor, I will listen and follow-up with real action.  No more lip service.  It is time for results.  

I will be out in the community acting as your ambassador – I am the voice of the people and the only mayoral candidate with vision to take us from where we are to where we need to go.

• Permitting, licensing and Red Tape Reduction how will you commit to helping the community, specifically the business community with this key issue?

With regards to the issue of permitting, licensing and red tape reduction I want to see expanded hours for inspections and permit applications, with some weekend and early evening inspections and appointments.   I would also want to expand our current Business Class/Concierge Program to help guide people and small businesses thru the permit application process.  Many small businesses are unfamiliar with the process and can get very frustrated with the back and forth between themselves and staff on what appears to be a relatively simple application. I would also want  guidance for groups hosting events.  Town staff can  set up meetings  with them near the beginning of their planning to assist them with information on  the various permits that events require.   I would also want  the Town to host information sessions for event organizers  with agencies such as York Regional Police and York Region Health to  help to clarify their  processes and help to  make for successful events that bring people to our community.

The Town has increased the online resources for the permit application process, we need to continue that and provide the necessary IT resources to improve and expand those functions.

We need to accelerate the application process for items such as decks, pools, plumbing only permits, for example.  Reallocation of staff to assist in the peak times of permit applications, ie spring will help avoid backlogs and delays.   

I know there are frustrations with the current processes and we need to make changes, we have made progress but there is still more opportunity.  In order to do that and to hear from the business community directly to staff I would set up Roundtable Groups to learn from key sectors in our business community on the concerns as they see them.  Informal Roundtable discussions with sectors such as local builders,  Real Estate Agents,  tourism and the Chamber  (for example)  to hear directly  from them  on where the road blocks are, what processes they find repetitive and where they have experienced frustrations.  This same roundtable process could be instituted for the other two issues, both Business Development, Attraction of new business and Economic Growth and Business Friendly policies.  The Town would benefit  from hearing directly from the business community on those two issues.  These roundtables could start off with one larger group and break into segments dealing with all these topics.   I realize that this would be a time commitment from our local businesses  but by working together and with the Chamber providing information from their members it would be of great benefit.  Working together on these needed changes will make the end result more effective.

• Business development, attracting new business and Economic Growth how will you commit to helping the community, specifically the business community with this key issue?

It takes money to make money and the same for the attraction of new businesses and the growth of existing businesses.  We need to increase the development rebate program which currently sits at 100k per year.  Investment of this kind will help to make us more attractive to new businesses and also assist our local businesses that want to expand.  Expanded investment in the rebates on building permits, site plan, rezoning and official plan amendments would make it less costly and make Georgina more attractive to invest in.

Over 70% of new employment is created by existing businesses and with that in mind we need to continue to devote staff time and resources to assisting our business community.  The partnership with York University’s YSpace needs to continue to provide programs for entrepreneurs and business owners.  Plus we need to promote and utilize the programs at York Region and the York Small Business Enterprise Centre.  Support and training for topics such on-line sales, business plans and social media training and marketing, etc,  will help keep our local business community competitive and growing. 

We also need to tap into the services of Toronto Global to work on attracting international  companies to Georgina.

Celebrating the successes by local businesses in E-newsletters, social media channesl and local media  will help to brand our community as an ideal location to invest and grow.

While we currently do attend some trade shows we need to increase that and have a stronger presence at shows such as the Outdoor Show and the Boat Show.  I have personally attended the Motorcycle Show to promote our Charity Ride and have had many great conversations with people not familiar with Georgina.  Learning about us is the first step, we are an untapped jewel, unknown to many people and we need to change that.

High speed Broadband is key to the success for many businesses and we lack that resource in many areas of Georgina.  As Chair of YorkNet I have been advocating for high speed, reliable and affordable broadband internet for Georgina.  YorkNet has been successful in receiving funding from both the Federal and Provincial governments and that will allow them to bring fiber to currently unserviced  or underserviced areas in Georgina.  The Town is actively working with YorkNet for the “last mile” connections by third party Internet Service Providers.  In Udora we have been successful in bringing  high speed broadband to residents and businesses and  I will commit to continuing to advocate for all areas in Georgina  for this necessary business element.

A healthy downtown is often seen as the heart of a community and an indicator of the economic well- being of a community.  I will continue to support the downtown revitalization efforts and focus on obtaining the financial resources to continue the current efforts.

• Economic/business friendly policies how will you commit to helping the community, specifically the business community with this key issue?

As mentioned in the first answer Roundtables with various business sectors would help to provide Council and staff with suggestions on how to make our policies more business friendly.  Sometimes a simple fix can make a huge impact, for example within the sign bylaw is there something there that could help make the process easier?  Listening to the business community and acting on those comments/suggestions  is key. 

I believe we need to look for ways to say “yes” instead of reasons/policies to say “no”.

I will continue to support the technology and staffing required to further enhance the customer service experience, in particular as mentioned earlier, the Business Class/Concierge program.  Let’ s make it easier, faster and less frustrating for businesses to operate and grow in Georgina.

I will also continue to support efforts to brand Georgina as a key location for investment with a focus on efforts that result in economic impacts for our businesses.

1. • Permitting, licensing and Red Tape Reduction
2. • Business development, attracting new business and Economic Growth
3. • Economic/business friendly policies

If elected, how will you commit to helping the community, specifically the business
community, with each of these key issues?

1. The reality is that we work within the parameters of the Ontario Building Code. Permitting and licensing are important tools the municipality uses to protect the public interest. Permits and licenses help with regulating to ensure build quality and safety measures are held to a minimum standard. Associated fees ensure that  costs related to the use of town resources and town staff time in the course of processing permit and license applications are not passed on to the taxpaying public.

What I will commit to is to continue to work closely with town staff and the business community, including the Chamber of Commerce and the three B.I.A.s, to take a close look at how processes can be further streamlined to do a better job of administering, to reduce unreasonably long wait times and to reduce red tape.

2.  As Mayor, I  will commit to working tirelessly to ensure that Georgina prioritizes business development by way of innovative business retention, expansion and attraction initiatives. I will continue to support the town's Economic Development Dept., the Georgina Chamber of Commerce and the Business Improvement Areas, making sure that they have the resources and funding necessary to assist our existing local  businesses through consultation, grants, programming and in-kind services.  I will continue to personally be involved with the Economic Development Committee, the Chamber Tourism Committee and the Tourism Mastermind group, so that I can keep my finger on the pulse of the business community, including the very important tourism-related business sector.

Attracting new business and economic growth will require a targeted, strategic approach.  

Firstly, I believe that Georgina, being on the shores of Lake Simcoe, in close proximity to a market of millions to the south and with the 404 at our doorstep, is ideally positioned to be able to successfully promote itself specifically to marine-related industry and businesses. With the Keswick Business Park starting to take shape, now is the time for Georgina to market itself to boat manufacturers, boat parts distributors and aftermarket marine suppliers. A cluster of marine-related businesses located here would provide a variety of good paying jobs and would positively impact our economy.

Lastly, to attract new business and spurn economic growth Georgina must invest in our infrastructure. Specifically, Georgina's downtowns and business areas from Keswick to Sutton, Jackson's Point and Pefferlaw need a shot in the arm by way of improved and enhanced supporting infrastructure such as new roads, sidewalks, street lights, signage, ample free municipal parking and an expanded municipal harbour.

3.  As Mayor, I will commit to helping the business community by continuing to work directly with them and by relentlessly stressing to town Council and staff the importance of refining our economic/business policies to make sure that they are fair, equitable and easily navigable. One specific example is the matter of legalizing ATV use on select roads in Georgina to allow for accessing Lake Simcoe during ice fishing in the winter and to facilitate connection with trails inside and outside of Georgina in the Summer. I will continue to advocate for this, as I believe strongly that  there is a demand and that the vast majority of riders are responsible and respectful in the operation of their off-road vehicles on-road. 

If elected, I will collaborate with Georgina Council, Town Administration & Staff, the Georgina Chamber of Commerce, York Region Council, appropriate agencies and businesses and other communities’ representatives, in order to determine successful strategies implemented by other Municipalities and to fulfill the measures I have outlined below:

1) Permitting, Licensing and Red Tape Reduction: This is a must for small business start-ups. Sign permit costs should be reduced, which could be offered at the rate of cost recovery. Businesses, which have already completed the registration / permitting processes, should be invited to participate in a survey about their experience, to identify opportunities for process improvement and re-engineering. Promoting and facilitating business support from South Lake Community Futures, York Region Small Business Enterprise Centre and Georgina YSpace would help entrepreneurs and business owners plan and prepare for easier implementation. Existing businesses, through community outreach (e.g. home-based, mobile, private contractors, building trades, consultants, caterers, retailers etc.), should be asked what would encourage them to join the Georgina Chamber of Commerce, local BIAs, Ratepayers Groups & Associations and what can be done to support them and facilitate their operations.

2) Business Development, Attracting New Business and Economic Growth: Reliable, universal high-speed internet access is a necessary component for long-term planning. The advent of satellite (e.g. Starlink) is also opening up new horizons. All potential options must be investigated. Developing innovative strategies and creative proposals would allow us to seek, target and attract clean industries and, potentially, healthcare practitioners. New concepts, for example, the creation of a community-shared office multi-hub / start-up space could offer options for business expansion and storage. Actively seeking opportunities, soliciting industry, commerce and institutions like College / University Campus satellites, distance-learning, IT companies, e-commerce and complimentary businesses like shipping warehouses, could all be explored. Transportation and transit would have a role to play. Perhaps this is the time to open up discussions with Via Rail, about rail transit, to this side of the lake. We already have existing rail lines. We should also investigate why the Georgina portion of the 404, which should have been completed by now, is not done; much of the land was expropriated years ago. This would open up a more central corridor, for Georgina commuters, allow for the freer movement of goods and services, open up potential new locations for clean industry and commerce and provide relief from the overwhelming traffic through the commercial area of Keswick and the hamlet of Ravenshoe, among others. Of course, protections for environmental impact, green space and sustainability must be safeguarded. Appropriate solutions (such as underpasses) must be offered to farmers, whose land may be intersected. Holding free, fun summer Commerce Fairs (inside and outside), inviting prospective businesses, may encourage them to choose Georgina. Local food trucks / vendors / caterers could provision the events, without charging for permits and insurance. A tour of the town, to showcase its amenities, could be included.

3) Economic / Business-friendly Policies: There is evidence, from town residents, businesses and other partners / stakeholders that interactions with the town are often found to be challenging. Focus groups (conducted by a 3rd-party), inviting participants from various sectors, would help identify gaps in process and opportunities for service delivery enhancement. Inspiring a positive, welcoming culture, embracing training, to drive excellence in customer service delivery and enhancing the town brand & reputation would make it more desirable for business to open / relocate / thrive here. Removing barriers to and accelerating the process for building permits and development approvals would support business expansion. Attention to town beautification, parking, street-cleaning and revisiting policies (e.g. sign by-laws, regarding business sandwich boards) would reduce operational concerns. Fees and insurance costs must be reduced, as they have and continue to be a barrier and a deterrent to participation by individuals, organizations and businesses at local events, and at local facilities. Georgina is the closest waterfront community to the GTA and we need to focus on strategies that capitalize on our main attraction – Lake Simcoe. Making waterfront services, amenities, information and facilities available, like kayak / canoe / paddleboard rentals, food, water toys and incorporating boat and watercraft launches into the Waterfront Parks Master Plan would make relocation, for business owners, their employees and, again, healthcare workers, more desirable.

The Georgina Chamber of Commerce has outlined three priorities for the municipal election based on feedback from the business community. As a small business owner myself, and your Ward 1 candidate for council, I am thankful for the opportunity to address these issues and pledge my commitment to the business community in Georgina as it relates to red tape reduction, business development and economic growth and effective policy development and review.

Cutting red tape is an issue at all levels of government and needs to be addressed in a timely, thought-driven process. Creating a committee, empowering the town of Georgina employees, and streamlining the processes involved will help reduce the time, effort and costs associated with permits, licensing, and other business-related paperwork.  Immediately, residents and businesses are deterred when they log on to the town of Georgina website to find out information about licensing and permits. It directs them to contact the town clerk. If you look at neighbouring municipalities, they make it extremely easy to navigate and find out what is needed to plan a project, confirming whether the project needs a permit and which zoning laws, and requirements are applicable. If elected, my commitment is to ensure that cutting red tape is top of mind for the council and advocate for a process reengineering strategy to streamline steps in the permit and licensing process. This will immediately start with requesting that the website is updated with relevant information, making it easier for individuals and businesses alike to have the answers they need at their fingertips. It is 2022 – time is precious and having to wait for an answer that can be made readily available online is an easily accomplished task. My commitment is to make that happen and to ensure that employees have the best technical tools at their disposal to speed up their work process, and to ensure that employees are involved in what their decision-making boundaries should be to improve internal flow of daily work. 

Georgina is growing and poised to have a population growth of nearly 40% within the next 30 years. That’s a lot of data, but how wonderful is it to live and work in a town with this potential. To drive economic growth, we need to build ventures with large businesses such as the tech, manufacturing, and goods processing industries. Obviously, this doesn’t happen overnight, but I am committed to getting the process started. And it starts with inviting and attracting these businesses by highlighting our growth potential, promoting our skilled and educated workforce through several hiring events, and reminding potential investors that Georgina is geographically one of the largest municipalities in York Region and is known for our strong sense of community. Building economic alliances from around the world will strengthen our profile and my commitment is to be involved in recruiting new businesses, presenting Georgina as the best place to invest, grow and flourish and be part of the various hiring events. More than 70% of the town’s workforce commutes beyond our boundaries and encouraging big businesses to open here will keep residents working and living in the same town and contributing back into the local economy as they will have more time to shop and dine in town instead of spending hours commuting. As a small business owner, this is exactly what shopping local and supporting local businesses means.

Without the appropriate business environment, efforts to attract new businesses in key sectors will go unnoticed.  What does that mean? First impressions matter. I am committed to creating a business environment that is conducive to investment beginning with streamlining processes whilst remaining flexible. I am committed to ensuring that new policies that are developed by the town are favourable, or at least do not negatively impact small businesses. Inflation is commanding our attention and our small businesses are feeling the pain. We saw generous support to help small businesses during the pandemic, and now they need solutions to help them weather a looming recession. As a small business owner, myself, and as a member of the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses, I am committed to ensuring that small business concerns are listened to and advocated for. I am committed to helping small businesses stay open and serve our community, because community is what Georgina is known for.

My commitment is to work with council members and the town to help our small businesses flourish after years of disruption. Business friendliness isn’t something that can be measured; however, Georgina can develop and/or modify policies that will welcome industries, build stronger alliances, and support existing independently owned & operated businesses and I am committed to being part of the solution.  

1) Review with town staff our current licensing and permit applications to eliminate redundancies and bring in to line with other business friendly communities.. Review and update business related bylaws. Meet with members of the local current business community to address their needs and concerns

2) A dedicated staff liaison , educated in our towns policies and bylaws to attend franchise trade shows with a member of The Georgina Chamber of Commerce to promote our community and answer licensing, bylaw and community lifestyle questions. This person should be available to offer “ concierge “ guidance to new business interested in our market. We need to remember that retention of current businesses in operation is as important as attracting new business and less expensive to maintain. There should be ongoing communication with local business owners and revitalization loans and grants available.

3) Revamp our town business website to make it more user friendly and easier to navigate. The city of Edmonton has an outstanding model for business support in their website which could be adapted for use in our community.

1. Business development is critical to the sustainability of our community.  While we have some current businesses that found the process of opening fairly easy to maneuver, others were frustrated by the amount of time, and the cost involved to move their requests forward.  The province of Ontario undertook an initiative to cut the red tape several years ago to  make doing business more economically feasible and reducing the regulatory burden on small businesses opening.  I don’t think we in Georgina need to reinvent the wheel we need to leverage the work done and fit it into our model.  Another focus of improvement is on writing our materials in plan language, we need to make the by-laws, applications, and process materials easy for everyday people to understand.

2. As I mentioned on the Rogers debate, I believe and will work toward attracting new business in the same manner as a company goes about recruiting new employees.  We need to get out there, get in front of businesses to promote Georgina, and our skilled labour force.  Business will not come to us; we need to be proactive in reaching out.  I feel the first step is to step back and access the gaps in our community, what products and services are people having to drive out of Keswick to obtain.  We can’t buy lumber, furniture and appliances or rent a car in town, and it would be great to broaden our choices in automotive dealers, sporting goods, books, and clothing.  We can also explore going beyond retail and look to manufacturing and consulting services.  We could even dream big and see about partnering with the colleges and universities to see if we can get a satellite campus in Keswick. Our goal should be to keep money in town and be in a position to offer meaningful jobs to our residents.  While we look at incentives and as we have heard said “the white glove treatment” to bring businesses into town we have to ensure that we retain those we already have.  We have a gold mine here with a reasonable cost of living, a great labour pool, proximity to the 404, and being able to say I live and work in cottage country!

3. As a town we seem to be open to adjusting the bylaws to accommodate residential development, we need to do the same for businesses.  Let’s bring back our street festivals, the uptown businesses counted on larger than normal revenues due to the increased foot traffic associated with these special events.  Why can’t we do what other local communities do (Newmarket, Aurora, Braford) and close off areas of uptown without the use of security detail. Why can’t we host side walk sales or other events like we see in Sutton on the Queensway. Why do businesses need to purchase and store concrete barriers to set up sidewalk patio areas, could the town not supply these even at a cost to the businesses.  Let’s remove some of these barriers to make life better for our current businesses and residents.

You said it best “Shopping and supporting local just makes sense! Think about it… every dollar you spend in Georgina, stays right here in our community. Local business owners are your neighbours and friends and when you support them, they support the community too - by hiring more, purchasing more from local businesses and giving more to local charities and teams. Shopping local means less travel, less crowds and a more personalized shopping experience. By shopping in Georgina, you are investing in our community, reducing your carbon footprint and creating a flourishing community. “

I will commit to making this quote a reality by being relentless in my active pursuit of recruiting new and needed businesses to town, by taking steps make it easier and more economical to do business with the town and to continue to strive for that hometown charm in our uptown core.  

Question 1-There should be some updates to the website. Make it current and not so comber-some.

Start the permit process. Let the applicant know that these are the requirements. Once they start to fill it in. Proceed. Also, let the applicant know during the process(best you can) that there are further requirements that may be required.

Question 2- The prior 2ish years have been difficult for all. Ward 2, has seen very good growth in business activity this year though. Major upgrades to grocery  locations has occurred. Also the diversity of food products, either pick-up or delivery services in this area is getting better all the time. 

Question 3- Economics in this area are fantastic. The Business Park lands run from the East side of Woodbine south to  The Business park, from Riverglen to Biscayne on the east side off Woodbine has began. No retail on the East side of Woodbine. Commercial, Institutional or Industrial . Then just north of Raven shoe there is a major trucking company. Will the progress on those lands inspire other land owners north of there to move forward. Very busy  times ahead.

Permitting, licensing and Red Tape Reduction – We need to update our permit process, by doing this we can have a very quick and effective system. Nearby Townships are doing it better we need to learn from them, with over 400 municipalities in Ontario I assure you we can get this right it starts with council and I will work towards achieving this when elected.

Business development, attracting new business and Economic Growth – By fixing the Permitting, licensing & red tape, as stated in the previous question, this will help expedite the process for businesses to get started in Georgina. I believe we need to market ourselves as a growing community that is the place to be. We have much to love in this community and we should easily be able to attract new businesses. When elected I will work together with the other Council Members to get things moving in the right direction.

Economic/business friendly policies – When elected I will advocate to have our policies not only friendly but to also reflect where we are at and where we are heading. We have for too long been stuck in the past, its time for change and time to move forward.

As councillor I plan to simplify the business registration process and speed up business permits by providing a “Doing Business in Georgina” portal for all applicants and business owners incorporating the following practices:

●      A concierge service providing one to one coverage/support for new and existing businesses to help them with applying for permits and licenses.

●      A  “Business First” office/executive responsible for overseeing initiatives to market, provide incentives for and establish new businesses in Georgina.

●      Provide a “cut red tape” feedback initiative on the Town Website to allow Businesses to provide real-time feedback 24/7 with ideas and suggestions for moving businesses forward.

Permitting, Licensing and Red Tape Reduction

●      Identify and create a list of best practices.

●      Invite and incentivize  established businesses in Georgina to share their experience and provide guidance in assisting new and existing businesses through the rigors of the permitting and licensing process.

●      Invite the business owners to a Town Hall meeting where they can share their experiences and suggestions for improving the processes in the town.

●      Introduce a net zero increase in regulation commitment and keep the number of overall regulatory requirements for businesses in Georgina below the provincial average (i.e. if you introduce a new regulatory requirement, you must take one away to incorporate it).

Business Development, Attracting New Business and Economic Growth

●      Ensure current business owners and potential business owners/entrepreneurs are informed about existing investments and guidance available to businesses in Georgina.

●      Leverage CFIB to guide and assist businesses through startup and on-going business operations as well as business development and governance challenges.

●      Ensure we are offering a competitive tax rate and incentives for businesses to relocate/expand to Georgina.

Economic/Business Friendly Policies

●      Do an in-depth analysis of the town's current practices and policies to identify strengths, weaknesses, and impediments to business operations and growth.

●      Further develop and promote the already successful “Georgina Shop Local” campaign and encourage more tourism related initiatives such as the Georgina Studio Tour, Farmers Market, Field to Table, Taste of Georgina, and many more of our community events.

• Permitting, licensing and Red Tape Reduction

This is an area where significant Provincial legislation exists that the Town must comply with. For example, The Planning Act, The Lake Simcoe Protection Plan, The Ontario Building Code Act, etc. are all pieces of Provincial legislation that the Town must comply with.

Having said that, the Minister responsible for some of the above pieces of provincial legislation, Steve Clark recently wrote to members of Council throughout the Province to advise that The Planning Act was under review.

This is good news as this is something Municipalities across Ontario, including in Georgina have been calling for. Not only to streamline development approvals, but also to create and stimulate economic activity and reduce red tape, but also to increase the supply of affordable housing.

That’s why it is critical to have experienced and demonstrated collaborative leadership to work with our Provincial elected officials to ensure that we are achieving the goals that we all want to see.

In terms of issues that the Town does have jurisdiction over, we need to continue to review – and commit to such review on a continual and on-going basis – is areas for which we do have jurisdiction such as: licensing by-laws, sign by-laws, minor variance applications and ensure that we have a culture of supporting both business and the public at large to ensure that we have a streamlined, collaborative and customer service focused policies. 

One such review that I have called for and is currently underway is to examine our planning and zoning policies that create unnecessary red tape through the minor variance process. 

• Business development, attracting new business and Economic Growth

One area that I have pushed to have integrated service is within the Planning and building departments as there is significant overlap between the two areas when both individuals and businesses alike are starting out, growing or expanding. The creation of the Business Class Concierge program is one such example and has proved effective as evidenced by the fact that the Keswick business park is currently underway.

I believe this program needs to be further expanded with further integration for one stop shopping that also focuses on small and medium sized business and most certainly for individuals and families who struggle to navigate an unfamiliar system and simply wish to keep a parent in their house to age in place or for those who simply wish to do small home improvement projects.

In terms of attracting new business and building economic growth, in addition to the above, we need to ensure that we carefully line up the redevelopment of our downtown areas in conjunction with York Region as they have some upcoming infrastructure projects in our downtown areas – especially in downtown Sutton.

We now have new and modern streetscape standards and ensuring that we capitalize on federal and provincial dollars to leverage these redevelopments will also be critical. As we know, small business is responsible for 70% of new job creation and so we need to make sure our downtown areas are modern, safe and conducive to local business and local commerce.

Lastly, and with the aforementioned review of the Planning Act by the Province of Ontario, I believe it’s time to integrate local and regional planning to reduce layers of unnecessary burdens that cost money and cause significant confusion and end up causing frustration and barriers for all.

• Economic/business friendly policies

-See above responses as they are all relevant to this question, however, I would also like to see local planning authorities create a culture of how to get to YES in much more efficient way that also respects, protects and maintains environmental and social responsibly and Lake Simcoe protection.

The 3 key issues identified are: 

• Permitting, licensing and Red Tape Reduction 

I have been here for 33 years and the entire time I have heard about the difficulty getting through the red tape for permits or different licensing regarding builds or new businesses. I think we should have a more streamlined system, maybe someone employed as sort of a concierge that specifically helps builders or businesses to navigate the complicated process. Simplifying and reducing some of the red tape that is unnecessary should be an option as well. 

• Business development, attracting new business and Economic Growth

I think we have forgotten about our “downtowns” and we are focussing our growth on an outward expansion that is just unsustainable. If elected, I would focus a lot of growth into the already developed but forgotten areas of our town. The downtown strip has always been a financial engine to a sustainable town. Right now we have a band in that. We need a downtown core that has a high density of businesses preferably within walking distance between each other and we need apartments or offices above those businesses. Both of these solutions would help with attracting businesses and creating low cost high density housing. 

• Economic/business friendly policies

Adjusting the zoning, especially on routes that public transit pass by should be a top priority for attracting businesses to the area. Right now we live in a town that if you don’t drive a car, you can barely participate functionally. Additionally allowing a mix between residential and commercial properties should be further looked into.

If elected, how will you commit to helping the community, specifically the business community with this key issue?

If elected I would really like to speak to the people who live in the community and ask them their opinions. I’m not going to pretend to be the person that has all of the answers, but I can promise I have more available time than the additional candidates and I will be able to make myself available to the public on a full-time schedule. I would look towards simplifying the existing system. There is a reason small businesses have such a problem surviving in this community, it’s not because people are inherently bad at running their business, it’s because they have so many restrictions holding them back from expanding. Densification and simplifying the existing system, I think this is something that the community and businesses would greatly benefit from. 

Permitting, Licensing and Red Tape Reduction

In the course of my work with contractors and shop owners, they are unanimous in saying that “Georgina is the worst municipality to deal with” when trying to get a new building or business established.  As an engineer, I understand the difficulties and have ideas for improving the system; I will commit to help the community, specifically the business community, by pushing for the following improvements.

1.Georgina should offer a “concierge” service to anyone applying for a building permit.  The “concierge” is the single point of contact person who will manage the project on behalf of the applicant, doing all the behind the scenes work between the different departments at the Town and other jurisdictions, such as the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority.  This will substantially improve the application process from the “customer” perspective.

2.The zoning requirements in the Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) are impediments to revitalization; they need to be more flexible.  Most of the buildings in the BIAs were built decades ago when zoning requirements differed.  Accommodation should be made for existing BIA areas to allow renewal and rebuilding of stores so we don’t end up with a situation like the empty lot beside Eustace Pharmacy – a lot that, according to today’s requirements and zoning by-laws, is too small to build on.  Allowing relief within the BIAs will support development within existing areas.

3.Georgina should adopt a Community Planning Permit System (CCPS) in the BIAs.  CPPS is a land use planning tool that: 1) streamlines the  development approval processes; 2) makes new and affordable housing available quicker; and 3) creates certainty and transparency for the community, landowners, and developers.  Basically, the proposed CPPS provides specific details about what is and is not allowed on a specific site.  This way, building permits can be issued without going through the committee of adjustment or requiring zoning changes. 

4.Hand-in-hand with the “concierge” service, Georgina must prioritize the permitting process for small and medium businesses by moving them ahead of other applications.  While the Town currently does this for large developments, such as at the Keswick Business Park, smaller businesses that cannot afford the planning consultants to shepherd an application through the permitting process need more support from the Town.

5.The Building Code Act is the statutory law controlling building in Ontario.  It has established specific timelines for approval of a building permit, ranging from 10 days for a house to 30 days for a complex building.  These timelines must be adhered to and should be one of the key performance indicators for the building department.  As it currently stands, those timelines are abandoned if the Municipality considers a permit application to be “incomplete”.  These timelines must also be adhered to when submissions come back for subsequent reviews.  This is a policy and procedure mandate that is entirely within the purview of the Town Council and Building Department.  I consider development of this policy vital to reducing the time for getting a permit to build in Georgina.

Business Development, Attracting New Business and Economic Growth

To bring new businesses to Ward 4, High Street and Jackson’s Point must be made attractive to businesses.  Both areas need rejuvenation to draw tourists and residents, alike.  While I have some ideas to improve these areas, any upgrades or improvements to the BIAs should not be done without the input of the existing merchants.  I commit to involvement and being a booster of both the Sutton and Jackson’s Point BIAs.  Some of the ideas I will bring to these groups for consideration include the following:

1.Improved Parking.  I have heard complaints about lack of  parking on High Street.  I would like to see the Town purchase the property beside the Mansion House (though currently overpriced) and convert it to parking.  This would allow parking to be limited to one side of the street while the sidewalks on the other side could be widened to allow seating areas, sidewalk dining, trees, etc., making the street more attractive, which would encourage more foot traffic.  Alternatively, patio access in front of food services establishments could spill into the street, as is being done in communities across the province.

2.Bury the Overhead Wires on High Street.  High Street is a regional road, but the sidewalks are the responsibility of the Town.  To get the wires buried would involve a cooperative effort between Hydro, the Region, and the Town.  The Region has scheduled High Street for repaving in 2024, so I will start trying to make this happen as soon as I am elected.

3.Get Rid of the Weeds.  There are weeds growing out of the sidewalk cracks in Jackson’s Point as well as on High Street, which make these areas look unkempt.  I believe that even a simple thing, like steam-cleaning walkways and curbs would make these areas more appealing and draw new businesses.  Steam cleaning with a high-pressure wand is costly, so introduction of “Weedless Wednesdays”, where the merchants and I actively remove weeds will keep them under control and the appearance maintained is another option. 

4.Uneven and Cracked Sidewalks.  The sidewalks in both Jackson’s Point and High Street are in disrepair and a tripping hazard in many places.  Ideally full sidewalk replacement would be completed, but at a minimum isolated repairs are required.  I will push for this work to be scheduled in the spring.

5.Community Improvement Plan Program Grants.  I will work with the merchants in the BIAs and encourage use of the grants available through the Community Improvement Plan Program for façade improvements, landscaping and accessibility upgrades.

6.Rebates.  Provision of rebates on permit fees to encourage the types of businesses that will make the areas more appealing to tourists, who currently come only for the beaches.  I will support businesses that bring people into the BIAs to spend money. 

Making Sutton and Jackson’s Point a “destination” to support and attract businesses will also need a comprehensive marketing plan.  I will involve the Town in that plan, which would include attending “travel” trade shows, connecting with high-end commercial real estate agents, publishing marketing materials, and broadening the social media presence outside Georgina. 

Economic/Business-Friendly Policies

As a small business owner myself, I know the challenges faced by small business owners; the impact of taxes, availability of labour, stability of the customer base, growth incentives, are all vital to survival.  In addition to the specific actions on Business Development and Red Tap Reduction described above, the economic/business-friendly activities I will undertake include the following:

1.I will regularly visit all merchants to discuss their specific issues.

2.I will work with the merchants and encourage use of the grants available through the Town.

3.I will support rebates on permit fees to encourage upgrades to building.

4.I will support continued financial support of the Chamber of Commerce and “Buy Local” campaigns.

5.I will scrutinize the budget to keep municipal taxes in check to minimize the tax burden on businesses.

But mostly, I will make myself available to the businesses in Ward 4 to help them in any way I can.

1. Permitting, licensing and red tape reduction

When elected the next ward 5 Councillor, there will be tough questions and open dialogue to be had. We need to be able to say we love our community but, we can do better. We need to acknowledge that permitting and licensing have been an issue brought up for over a decade with residents, contractors and developers feeling that they have too many hoops and red tape to work through. As a business owner and investor I understand and have seen the issues first hand. We need a comprehensive, open and transparent review of this department including input from builders, contractors, residents and engineers. We share the province of Ontario with 444 other municipalities who all can provide best practices. We have to put executive pride aside to provide the great staff at the town of Georgina  with new and improved mandates and bylaws to move Georgina forward. It starts with a Council who is ready and open enough to publicly acknowledge there is a need for improvement. As your next ward 5 councillor I will do just that. 

2. Business development, attracting new business and economic growth

As a proud member of the Georgina chamber of commerce, a community advocate and a massive supporter of #shoplocal, I know business development and attracting new business is key to economic growth and the financial well being of Georgina and its residents. We need to do better when it comes to being an ambassador of Georgina with respect to attracting new business. No Council member should be above attending an industry trade show and no staff member should feel like they're provided with outdated practices. My belief is that we live in the best and most beautiful municipality in Ontario and should be using that to attract ICI (institutional, commercial, industrial) tax dollars. 

I believe we need to market ourselves with a real identity and work on avenues that share this vision outside the community. Keep improving relations and funding with great local economic drivers and organizations like the chamber of commerce will also foster a greater way to spread the word. Understanding that every department within the town plays a role in the ability to foster and attract new business. We must acknowledge the need for efficiencies and financial responsibility to bring Georgina's tax rates down for residents and businesses which will do the most to help attract and maintain new and existing businesses. Lastly, always remember, When you #shoplocal you are helping a Georgina small business thrive, survive and every dollar spent helps grow our local economy. 

3. Economic/Business friendly policies

When elected your next ward 5 Councillor, I will consult with the residents and the business community as I always have as a community advocate. We need to not only consider financial responsibility, residents input and best practices when deciding on a by law or policy but, the potential positive or negative impacts it may have on our local economy. Building economic development and business friendly mandates into everything we do. As I have said previously, We can love our community and also see the need and responsibility we have to always strive to improve. Georgina can be all the things we need it to be if we start with open, honest and sensible conversations.

• Permitting, licensing and Red Tape Reduction

If elected, how will you commit to helping the community, specifically the business community with this key issue?

I will be communicating with the business community and the expert within the Town to have a better understanding of what the issues are and if anything within the permitting, licensing and red tape areas can be modified, remove redundancies and request efficiencies where possible. Try to find ways to work around delays and expedite the process.

• Business development, attracting new business and Economic Growth

If elected, how will you commit to helping the community, specifically the business community with this key issue?

I will be communicating with the expert within the Town to have a better understanding of where the strategy currently is and where it is going.  We will want this to be a priority as the Business Park needs this support.

• Economic/business friendly policies

If elected, how will you commit to helping the community, specifically the business community with this key issue?

I will be communicating with the business community and the expert within the Town to have a better understanding of the policies and understand why we do what we do in this area.  Work with staff to find efficiencies in the policies to make this easier for all stakeholders.