Small business growth, renewal of TOP, creation of ‘Invest Ottawa’ among priorities

News Release

April 26, 2010

For Immediate Release

OTTAWA – Today Ottawa Mayoral Candidate Jim Watson gave the first of a series of talks on the major issues facing our community, addressing the need to step up civic economic development, at the Ottawa Rotary Club. Focusing on clear goal-setting and renewing teamwork to achieve outcomes, Watson put forward concrete initiatives to rally investment, attract visitors, improve the environment for small business and better integrate our post secondary institutions into our economic development strategy.

“City Hall is critical in creating the right conditions for economic health,” said Watson. “Neither the federal nor the provincial government are preoccupied with the nitty-gritty of Ottawa’s economic dynamism, they have responsibility for the bigger picture. It is our civic leadership that must take these concerns to heart and show focus. It is our Mayor who is responsible for setting the tone and setting the course for action.”

Watson pointed to the powerful advantages we have in Ottawa, including our academic and research institutions, but noted that many communities with less to offer are achieving more. For example, Ottawa’s rate of small business growth is two and a half times smaller than Toronto and less than half that of Guelph.

“We cannot afford to sit back as a ‘government town’ as though our economic health is guaranteed, will just happen on its own, or is someone else’s job. To succeed in today’s world any community has to work hard to make the most of what it has to offer. Business ideas can go almost anywhere these days and so can investment. Visitors choose from a long list of destinations with plenty of appeal. So we have to do more to ensure our local prosperity than once was required. Now local economic development is crucial and needs to be carefully, “diligently cultivated,” said Watson.
“With a potential downsizing of the Federal Public Service we must step up our efforts to better prepare for this possibility and further diversify our economy” he added.

The emphasis throughout the speech was on specific initiatives to achieve real results for Ottawa. Too often economic development is weighed down by vague, seemingly-endless process. Watson outlined a series of specific and achievable projects including creating a major youth soccer tournament, taking the lead on celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary, cutting red tape, leveraging Hydro Ottawa, renewing The Ottawa Partnership (TOP) and coordinating land use strategies with the Federal Government and the Ottawa Airport along with a range of other specific proposals.

The last TOP private sector chair, Chris Henderson of The Delphi Group, agreed with Watson noting, “TOP was an effective forum that brought all the economic players in the City of Ottawa together. It needs to be re-constituted and revitalized.” Henderson also stated “One Economic Team, A Sharp Economic Focus, An Agenda for Prosperity for Ottawa. That’s what a revitalized TOP can offer this great city.”

Watson, as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, initiated a series of hi-tech roundtables that have began to outline a series of specific initiatives that could be taken up by a newly constituted TOP.*

“We have an opportunity to make Ottawa a leader in the green jobs revolution that is sweeping the province,” said Watson. He added “If we don’t get out in front we will be left behind while other communities build the green jobs that will power our provincial economy in the years ahead.” Watson also stressed the need for our city's external marketing agency OCRI to refocus its activities to its core marketing business and suggested re-branding the organization ‘Invest Ottawa’ as a more accurate title for this important organization. “Most people in Ottawa and outside our community would be hard pressed to figure out what OCRI stands for, let alone what it does,” Watson stated.