BRAMPTON, ON – Brampton City Council has approved a new Economic Development Master Plan, setting targets and tactics to attract jobs and investment to Brampton.

The City’s goal is to position Brampton as a global leader in innovation, talent, jobs and investment, with specific targets – including the addition of 140,000 jobs, in Brampton, in the next 20 years. It lays actions around key areas of innovation, talent and competitiveness and investment. Some of the actions recommended are already underway, with others requiring re-distribution of resources or investment to be addressed in budget deliberations. The plan also builds on opportunities from the City’s partnership with Ryerson University and Sheridan College, and a new downtown campus and Centre for Innovation.

The Economic Development Master Plan addresses the need for collaboration and partnership with the private and public sector, including activity to build economic linkages with the Greater Toronto Airport Authority to focus on job and investment creation.

Concurrent with the approval of the plan, City Council authorized staff to turn available vacant space downtown into a business incubator and co-working space, with Ryerson University sharing best practices and lessons learned from the University’s extensive experience with innovation and incubation.
 
Brampton’s Economic Development and Culture Office began the process to develop this plan in 2017 with a review of historic economic indicators and an analysis of Brampton’s current economic situation. Supported by consultant E&Y, the City also looked at six comparator cities to understand lessons learned and best practices from cities with experiences similar to Brampton. A Steering Committee made up of Brampton business representatives, NGOs, City Councillors and staff guided the work and supported the final plan and recommendations.

As a next step, Economic Development staff will develop performance metrics for job creation, investment, innovation and entrepreneurship. Work will be done to identify roles for key partners and groups, and as the action plan is implemented, and results are measured, staff will ensure the appropriate communication with key audiences. 

Quotes

“Brampton seeks to become a significant competitor to other Canadian and global cities. This report speaks of major economic storm clouds on the horizon - the good news is we’ve already taken some bold steps to increase our competitiveness and plan for the future. Ultimately this report encourages us to embrace measured risk-taking, step up our investment activity and lead partnerships with the business community and academia in order to achieve increased innovation and competitiveness in the City of Brampton.”
- Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey

“As the Economic Development Master Plan process unfolded, we’ve heard about priorities and ideas from many stakeholders within and outside Brampton. The plan is bold, and success will require ongoing input and partnerships, with clear and frequent measurement against the City’s goals.”
- Councillor Jeff Bowman, Economic Development Chair

“Partnerships and collaboration are now more important than ever to achieve our goals. The plan recognizes the need to develop strong working relationships with our business community, with organizations like Toronto Global, with academic partners like Ryerson and Sheridan and to build economic linkages with the GTAA.”
- Bob Darling, Director, Brampton Economic Development and Culture

Economic Development Master Plan Facts:
• Six comparator cities: Surrey, BC; Austin, Texas; San Jose, California; Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; and Oslo, Norway
• Steering Committee Members: Cliff Benson, VSETA Engineering and Brampton Mastermind; Joe Crump, The Crump Group, Inc.; Natalie Francis, Marketing Strategist; Kanwar Dhanjal, Just Instruments Inc.; Evan Moore, Prouse, Dash & Crouch, LLP; Rod Rice, Rice Development Corp.; Heather Strati, Deloitte Private, and Chair, Brampton Board of Trade; Shalini da Cunha, Executive Director, Peel Halton Workforce Development Group; Councillor Jeff Bowman; Councillor Doug Whillans
• Key Areas of Focus: talent and workforce; investment; innovation and technology; employment lands; and competitiveness
• The Master Plan has a strong connection to Brampton’s 2040 Vision, and is implementing activity that builds on the Vision and what sets Brampton apart, with an emphasis on innovation, downtown development, new ideas around Bramalea and a new “Uptown.”
• Actions already underway include the incubator/co-working space in partnership with Ryerson, the development of an investment attraction strategy, talent and capacity development related to the Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster, the launch of an online networking platform for Brampton business people and entrepreneurs, and outreach to the GTAA to build economic linkages

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​Brampton is thinking bigger. We are a future ready organization with a sharp focus. We know our community’s growth, youth and diversity set us apart. We sit at the centre of Canada’s innovation super corridor, encouraging investment and growing our global success. We are building vibrant urban centres that ignite opportunity and instill pride in the people who live and work here. We are moving Brampton forward to be a connected city that is innovative, inclusive and bold. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Learn more at www.brampton.ca.