Building a community outside the ordinary...
By: Sandra Dueck, Policy Analyst, Peterborough Chamber of Commerce
The City and County of Peterborough are exceptional places to build a business, raise a family, and enjoy all Mother Nature has to offer. In the past several months Peterborough has been recognized as 2nd best for real estate investment and one of the friendliest communities. The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce represents approximately 900 businesses in the city and county employing about 25,000 people. Our mission is to be a leader in advocacy, networking and education for our members and community at large. We also act as a catalyst to enhance business growth and opportunity, innovation, partnerships and a diverse business community. The start of a new term of council is an opportunity for reflection as well as a time to set goals for the next four years. Recently, the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce released the ‘Building a Community Outside the Ordinary’ platform for the upcoming municipal election. The platform outlines three pillars of a strong, resilient community and includes ten recommended actions that are needed to support the development of opportunities for everyone in the City and County of Peterborough. The ‘Building a Community Outside the Ordinary’ platform has been developed through consultation with Chamber member businesses who identified several factors that are limiting our ability to provide opportunity for our citizens. To become a city and county for everyone, we need our candidates and the next council to support a “culture of forward and full circle thinking”.
The ‘Building a Community Outside the Ordinary’ platform calls for:
Strengthening Peterborough’s Competitiveness, Economic Growth and Job Creation Through commitments to:
• Developing Official Plans that reflect the most flexible zoning possible
• Seeing the Tax Ratio Reduction Program through to completion
• Investing in areas of economic growth
• Planning measures that are future focused and proactive and bridge city and county geographical lines
Building Whole Communities
Through commitments to:
• Building resilient infrastructure
• Building a transportation network that works for all
• Increasing housing stock by supporting the building of a variety of types
• Working with stakeholder groups to develop long-term strategies for addressing mental illness, addiction, and crime in the same way the 10-year Homelessness Strategy was developed
Improving Government Accountability
Through commitments to:
• Building the business community into the community engagement process
• Creating advisory or subcommittees when bylaws impact the business community
“We are asking all candidates for City and County Councils to endorse our ‘Building a Community Outside the Ordinary’ platform,” says Stuart Harrison, President & CEO, Peterborough Chamber of Commerce. “We believe that by adopting the pillars of strengthening Peterborough’s competitiveness, economic growth and job creation, building whole communities, and improving government accountability, our next Councils can build a community outside the ordinary for everyone.” All said, there is interconnectedness between the themes and recommendations of this platform and all citizens in our community. Action on these recommendations helps us all. We are all in this together. More: peterboroughchamber.ca/ municipal-election-2018