From the Ground Up - gs2025 : Consultation for Greater Sudbury’s Economic Development

Dec 18, 2014

The Greater Sudbury Development Corporation (GSDC) has launched the planning and consultation process for the city’s next 10 year economic development strategic plan. “From the Ground Up – gs2025” is piloted by a 24-member Economic Development Strategic Plan Steering Committee, representing a cross-section of the community and its economic sectors, for publication in June 2015.

“I’m proud of what we have accomplished to fulfill the objectives of our existing strategic plan,” said Dr. Darren Stinson, Chair of the GSDC Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. “A renewal of our strategic vision with input from economic stakeholders will build on an established momentum to create new opportunities for sustainability.”

“We’re here to lead the development of an economic road map for Greater Sudbury by creating conditions for success,” said Jim Marchbank, a Community Representative and Co-Chair of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. “From the Ground Up - gs2025 signifies that we will begin the strategic planning process with a clean slate, while recognizing the value of previous research and achievements.”

The consultation process for the new Economic Development Strategic Plan will begin on January 22 with “gs2015 MEETS gs2025”, a fast-paced series of presentations and networking opportunities to ignite creative thinking, ideas and a public passion for the future of Greater Sudbury. Community engagement will continue with one-on-one interviews with 50 community leaders, breakfast meetings with representatives of key economic sectors, public consultation in various locales, special opportunities for youth and online forums.

“From the Ground Up - gs2025 fits well with my plan to develop a new Vision 2025 for our city,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor and GSDC Board Member, Brian Bigger.  “The information collected for an economic strategic plan will provide a solid start for a community-wide process I will outline later in 2015.  I am impressed with the calibre of the membership of the steering committee and I look forward to working with them throughout this process.”

The overarching goal of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee is to stimulate the creation of a local economic climate that generates significant employment opportunities, attracts education and talent, provides a high quality of life and a higher than average standard of living.

Economic development plans chart a course of strategies and actions to leverage existing strengths and to identify and respond to new opportunities. The City of Greater Sudbury’s economic development plan is used as a resource by Greater Sudbury Council and the GSDC to guide municipal decisions and actions.

In 2003, the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation (GSDC) published “Coming of Age in the 21st Century”, the community’s first economic development strategic plan. The plan has been revised twice to reflect changes in the economic landscape with the subtitle “Digging Deeper”. Since 2009, the guiding principles of “Digging Deeper” have been used to leverage opportunities in economic engines for growth.

Mining Supply and Services: The GSDC supported the creation of the Mining Supply and Services Export Assistance Program which provides mentoring to assist local companies in taking their products and expertise to the international market. With support from the provincial and federal governments, this program has helped dozens of Sudbury companies seek out and secure business in the United States, Western Canada and Latin America.

Advanced Education, Research and Innovation: The GSDC supported the development of the Laurentian School of Architecture by providing seed money to get the community project steering committee off the ground and to leverage provincial and federal funding to build a compelling curriculum that secured support for this new educational facility.

Health Services Expertise: The GSDC has helped support the development of an expanded health research sector in Greater Sudbury. Municipal funds are poised to assist the Advanced Medical Research Institute of Canada to create a world-class vaccine and geriatrics research facility in Greater Sudbury.

Arts and Culture: The GSDC has actively supported the development of the film and television production sector for more than a decade. These efforts, combined with support through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, have resulted in many film productions choosing Sudbury.

More information about the Economic Development Strategic Plan Steering Committee and processes for community engagement are available at www.gs2025.ca

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