Ontario Economic Summit » Investment-Ready Communities

Investment-Ready Communities

June to mid-August

Launch Meeting – ICF meets with management team from OCC with the goal of reviewing objectives and deliverables.
Interview Leaders – Interviews focus on a diagnosis of current conditions, investment readiness, and attraction issues across the six communities.
Develop a Schedule – Detailed schedule of the project developed.

Mid-August to mid-November

Identify & Interview Companies – ICF interviews select companies across the six regions to develop better understanding of investment decisions in the community.
Design Assessment Tool – Assessment tool designed to measure and benchmark the six community regions across important economic parameters.
Perform a Baseline Analysis – Baseline analysis tracks community regions over time, including outcomes, drivers, and inputs.
Conduct Benchmark Assessment – Set of North American community regions determined to be used as benchmark comparisons.
Initial Assessment Briefings – Draft assessment report completed, describing site selector perceptions and assessing the performance, industry drivers, and economic input of the six communities.

Mid-November to February

Prepare Best Practices Material – From research conducted ICF compiles a report analyzing the strengths of the six community regions.
Implement Work Sessions – Community region investment readiness work sessions executed.
Complete a Cross-Regional Session – Representatives from each community work group attend session to share investment readiness challenges and to determine actions and strategic direction for Ontario as a whole.

February to March

Review Outcomes – ICF reviews investment readiness outcomes from each community region and across regions.
Create Final Report – ICF prepares final cumulative report summarizing the findings of the study.

Investment-Ready Communities Strategy Building Blocks
Final Report by ICF International
31 Mar 08 [PDF 844 kb]

Leaders at the 2006 OES agreed that Ontario’s ability to compete internationally for new investment is critical for ongoing economic success.
Increasing global competition and the current challenges facing Ontario’s manufacturing sector also highlights the need for communities to strengthen their capacity to compete for new and expanding investment.
In partnership with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the OCC has contracted ICF International to undertake a comprehensive analysis of select communities’ capacity to attract and service new and expanding investment in their region.
This project will specifically focus on the following six communities: Sault Ste. Marie, Sarnia, Owen Sound, Hamilton, Peterborough and Kingston.

To examine factors critical for communities in Ontario to attract, retain and expand new investments.
To engage local business communities and encourage stakeholder collaboration to enhance Ontario communities’ ability to attract new and expanding investment.