Bay Area Economic Summit
What a Great Tuesday at our Beautiful Royal Botanical Gardens!
Huge Shout Out to Keenan and Keith, from the Hamilton and Burlington Chamber of Commerce, Respectively. They did a Fabulous job of coordinating Successful and Inspiring Speakers, at the Gorgeous Royal Botanical Gardens on Plains Rd in Burlington.
The day flew by, there was tons to Learn about our the Economic Health of our Communities!
I will shed light on a few of the Pannelists that I attended.
The day actually started with a Speech from our Premier, Mrs. Kathleen Wynne. The Provincial Government pays a Huge Role in our Local Economic Health.
The Former Minister of Transportation stressed the connectivity between the Municipality and the Province, as the Province is Developing Road and Transit Infrastructure through such measures as GO Transit and Hamilton’s LRT.
She Complemented the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area as Being a Highly Educated and a Highly Skilled Workforce, and how those traits will continue to work in our favour in the Future of our Economic Development.
She Continued to Promise on going Provincial Money for Education, and Infrastructure. She also Promised to have a Loud Voice with the Fed’s, to Positivity Influence NAFTA Asks in Ontario’s favour.
Have you Heard of a Super Cluster?
If you’re reading this in the GTA or GTHA you’re in one!
Our “Super Cluster” is a term used to describe how our Southern Ontario Economies are Connected ( aka GTA Innovation Corridor):
Hamilton/Halton
Toronto
Kitchener/Waterloo
Niagara
(Picture the Triangle of the GTA Corridor)
SuperCluster Affects
Ask you can see from the Above Diagram, our Population is ever Growing! (And Ever Aging)
Some good news is, that for the first time ever, there are More Millennials then Baby Boomers in the Hamilton/ Burlington Area!
1) JOBS
With More Immigration, and more Younger People in the Area, It will Create more Opportunity to Brings Employers to the Greater Hamilton Halton Area.
That Coupled with New Regulations to Prohibit Growing into our Precious Green Belt, will force Halton and Hamilton to Intensify their Residential and Commercial Communities, Rather then Sprawling to Create Smaller Communities.
You can read more about that here:
Toronto Sun Article
Cootes to Escarpment Green Plan
Tech Talk was HUGE
The GGHA has potential to be a World Leader in Technology. We have Truly Brilliant Minds coming out of McMaster, Mohawk and Waterloo, and the Municipal and Provincial Government want to keep that Talent here in Ontario after students Graduate.
One of the Companies in attendance is creating 3000 jobs for recent grads in the next decade! Very powerful action taken on a Grassroots Level.
The Mayors of Hamilton and Burlington are asking for CIVIC ACTION! They LOVE Millennials because we Love being Entrepreneurs, and that is whose going to Fuel our Economy in the Coming Decades!
Did you know that 40% of all Jobs in Canada came from a Start up less then 5 Years old? There is Amazing Entrepreneurial Spirit in our Millennials, and Tech Industries, and let’s Hope it Keeps Up, or Our Local Aging Population maybe be a Big Problem!
TechPlace in Burlington just Opened its Doors to Welcome a Creative and Collaborative Working Environment for those in the Tech Industry.
“The vision for TechPlace revolves around the creation of energy between people and organizations; energy that drives economic growth through investment, talent, and collaboration,” said Claire Green, Manager at TechPlace
IBM & Hamilton Health Sciences just Collaborated and is going to make Huge Waves in Healthcare Innovation!
“We’re applying our respective expertise in health and technology to find innovative solutions to today’s most pressing healthcare challenges,” said Rob MacIsaac, president & CEO of HHS. “This centre will serve as a launch pad for work that will change how we provide health care in Ontario, and beyond.”
The Mayor of Burlington and Hamilton continue to Encourage Entrepreneurial Spirit in our Communities by Supporting Awesome Resources like TechPlace and Innovation Exchange, to Retain our Talent Pool after they Graduate. The City of Waterloo is an Inspiration!
Hamilton and Burlington are two Separate Municipalities, but we still work Together!
Burlington can offer Great Business Opportunities in the Tech Work Place, where Hamilton has an array of Booming Industries, fit for Strong Economic Growth:
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Education
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Advanced Manufacturing
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Life Sciences and BioTech
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Rich Culture and Local Food & Arts Scene
2) LAND USE AND PLANNING
THERE WILL BE MORE INTENSIFICATION, GET USED TO IT!
There were a few debates of YIMBY & NIMBY (Yes in my Backyard, or Not in my Backyard)
The fact is, the Greenbelt is in our backyard. This is a Land we must protect, because once we Develop it, we will never get it back as Green Space. The Ontario government is restricting Urban Sprawl, by requiring we Intensify our Cities to Accommodate our Population Increases.
That and, We are Welcoming a Crapload of People into our Country! They have to go somewhere you know….
Any future projects on undeveloped land will have to accommodate more people and jobs — a minimum of 80 per hectare, up from the current 50 — and there will be higher density targets around GO Transit and subway stations, light rail and bus rapid transit.
Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Mauro said that the objective of the plan is “building complete and more compact communities, that support transit, create jobs, reduce sprawl and protect our environment.”
Learn more about the Provincial Plans here
That Means, Building more Low-Mid Rise Apartment Buildings in Different Communities, whether you like it or not. Why? :
- Our Population Increase in the coming 25 years, compares moving the Entire Population of the Greater Montreal Area moving to Hamilton
- Smaller Housing means More Affordable Housing
- Millennials want different things in the Suburbs then the Co Horts before them (more Communal & Social), (And they are the Largest Demographic EVER!)
- Knowledge Based Employment could Offer More Options to Work from Home
BE INFORMED! TALK TO YOUR LOCAL MP IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM OR DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS!
3) CLIMATE CHANGE
Personally, being a Tree-Hugger and a Realtor is sometimes tough, because I see the disparity of People needing a Place to Live, but I don’t want them to Cut Down Trees to have to House them… It’s a Battle, but one that has Many Solutions, including Intensification.
Climate Change has been a running Topic since the Bay Area Economic Summit started 3 years ago.
Since then, there have been Powerful Programs put into Action, through the Municipality, Local Industries, and Government, to Ensure our Green Space Remains Green.
To Be Continued….