Frontenac County Economic Development review

Jeff Green | Oct 14, 2020

The Frontenac County Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) met on October 8 with two consultants from Blackline, a Toronto based consulting firm which is conducting an Economic Development Service Review for Frontenac County.

The consultants were seeking input for a review of the economic development department.

The review, which is being funded by the Ontario Municipal Modernisation Fund, is on a tight timeline. It must be completed this year, and as Richard Allen, the manager for economic development for Frontenac County explained during the meeting, “we intended to get this underway in the spring, but it did not seem pressing in March, April, and May, when we were all dealing with a lockdown.”

Ian Shelley and Graham Pressley came to the meeting seeking the collective opinion of the CDAC on the direction that has been taken by the two-member department. CDAC is made up of community members with an interest in economic development from across the county, as well as Frontenac County Council members Alan Revill from South Frontenac, and Mayor Dennis Doyle from Frontenac Islands.

Dennis Doyle kicked off the discussion: “From what I have observed as a member of Frontenac Council for the past 10 years, in our township we see the economic development department as a K&P Trail management group, that’s how we see it. We keep trying to get out of it to get into more stuff. We keep trying to get North Frontenac and Frontenac Islands involved, but we really haven’t gotten beyond the South and Central Frontenac boundaries.”

Taking the cue from Doyle, Barry Gilbert from Frontenac Islands said that augmenting new business opportunities with improved docking facilities would be helpful for Wolfe Island, where he lives.

Ian Shelley from Blackline, intervened to say that their role in this project is “not to provide an opinion as to what kinds of economic development objectives the department should take on, we look at the capacity of the department to accomplish the goals that is has set out, does it have the infrastructure it needs, the human resources it requires?”

Betty Hunter, chair of the CDAC, a resident of North Frontenac and former member of North Frontenac Council, returned to the points made by Dennis Doyle, saying that North Frontenac has been hoping for support in its own trail initiatives, and help in securing funding to build an observatory, without success.

Wilma Kenny, the Vice-Chair of CDAC and a resident of South Frontenac, said that it makes sense that the department has focussed efforts in South and Central Frontenac where 80% of Frontenac County residents live, but she “agrees with Dennis and Betty about the concerns of the more remote parts of the county. Transportation is certainly an issue.”

Richard Allen, whose job it has been to implement the trail strategy, asked a far-reaching question of the group.

“One of the questions we are trying to understand is what is appropriate for the regional role, the county, and what is more appropriately a role for others, the townships, the CFDC [Community Futures Development Corporation], the Regional Tourist Organisations, etc.”

Alan Revill from South Frontenac said it would be beneficial to evaluate the economic impact of the K&P Trail, and added that he thinks the branding initiative undertaken by the department has been a success and is a “key to attracting investment”.

CDAC member Mary Kloosterman referred to the long process that was required to approve a spa in Glenburnie, within the jurisdiction of the City of Kingston. “What is Frontenac County doing from a bylaw perspective to make those sorts or projects easier to be approved.”

CDAC member Lisa Henderson said that in her working life she draws up plans for additions to residential dwellings for so-called granny suites or bed and breakfast uses. Henderson said while she gets an order almost every week to draw a plan in Kingston, she gets no orders from Frontenac County because the bylaws to permit that kind of construction are not in place.

Finally, Alison Vandervelde, community development officer with the economic development department, also asked a question about the general direction of the department: “Where should our focus be. Should we be focussing on tourism, should we be shifting to helping business. Should we be shifting to bringing new business or should we be shifting to other activities. There is no clear priority. Are there thoughts from the committee on what that direction should be from us?