Jobs, housing key to economic development

Clearview’s new Economic Development Advisory Committee held its inaugural meeting to introduce members and get an idea of their vision for the committee’s focus over the next couple of years.
The new committee is chaired by Mayor Doug Measures and includes the deputy mayor as council rep and three community volunteers who put their names forward and were appointed by council.
The committee has an annual budget of $50,000 and about $300,000 in reserves, leftover from the past economic development committee, which was dissolved in 2018.
Member Judith Crawford said she sees business attraction and retention as a key focus of economic development.
The practically lifelong resident is controller at Steer Enterprises, which currently employs 60 people at its Cashtown Corner heavy equipment repair facility. She said services and housing are barriers to how well businesses function.
“I have six staff members this year that have bought houses and only three could afford houses in Clearview Township,” said Crawford referring to people in the important demographic of 25- to 35-year-olds. “Those are the families we want to keep in Clearview because they are going to fill your schools, fill your arenas, fill your libraries. If we can’t employ them and house them in the township, that is economics to me.”
She said the economic spin-off of having well paid people living in the community is retaining essential services, in addition to restaurants.
Bill Roskar, a member of the Stayner Kinsmen and auctioneer out of Durham who has past economic development experience in Markham, said it’s all about jobs and the recruitment of specific target sectors.
“I don’t think it’s practical to just throw a blanket out there and say we just want people to come here and start-up,” said Roskar. “We’ve got to find a way to find what works and go out and find those people, industries, or business.”
Jennifer White, who moved to Creemore six months ago from Pickering, said according to the terms of reference the scope of the committee is very broad and it would benefit everyone to sharpen the focus.
“Otherwise we could be running in all sorts of different directions with a very big mandate and I think we all want to get some success under our belts so narrowing that down would be very helpful,” said White.
White is director of destination marketing for Hilton Worldwide in Canada and the north eastern United States.
She notes there is a three-pronged approach needed, including the evaluation of new and existing programs to triage the acute needs of local businesses as they emerge from the economic shutdown of the pandemic, longer term planning for affordable housing to bring in new families, “while laying the table for tourism support when it does start to come back because when it does, you are going to see this tsunami of tourism activity and we want to make sure that Clearview is top of mind for people when they do make that important decision.”
Deputy Mayor Barry Burton said he would like to create a cradle-to-grave quality of life for Clearview residents and the township needs to be prepared to put up money to invest infrastructure to attract small to midsized industry, and encourage entrepreneurship.
That means knocking on doors to attract businesses that pay good wages, he said, and addressing housing concerns in order to increase the residential tax base.
The new committee, whose term runs concurrent with the council term up until the municipal election in October 2022, meets again on April 6.
The committee is tasked with making recommendations to council on issues relating to economic development and investment opportunities to aid in the growth and progress of the municipality.
Its mandate, as set out in the terms of reference approved by council in October, contains a lofty list of goals including the creation and implementation of a comprehensive economic development plan, identifying economic development impediments and opportunities, business attraction and retention, pandemic recovery, sourcing funding and liaising with the community.
The committee is also open to a representative of the Clearview Chamber of Commerce and/or Creemore Business Improvement Area (BIA).