SUNDRIDGE - Council members here have called for more action from Almaguin Community Economic Development (ACED).
ACED is asking each member municipality to provide $10,000 and a one-time payment of up to $5,000 at the discretion of each council in its budget.
A previous draft budget had asked for $14,000 from each member municipality.
“I’m confident that, with the revised budget, we will still be able to provide good quality services,” ACED director Dave Gray told Sundridge council at a recent meeting.
“We have a great team, we’re used to working within some tight budgets and I think we still produce positive results.”
Gray and board chair Tim Bryson made a presentation to council on ACED’s progress.
But Sundridge council voted not to allocate the additional funds.
Coun. Stephen Rawn said he needs to see more action before the municipality contributes more money.
“I have a problem with the amount of the budget, putting another [few] thousand dollars in there,” said Rawn.
“I thought I would see more things happening as far as development goes,” he said, saying ACED “seems to piggyback off of the [Almaguin Highlands] Chamber of Commerce. I’m not too happy with it.”
Gray said the chamber is part of the ACED board and doesn’t have staff support of its own.
Programs, Gray said, are being developed “largely with staff from ACED and with administrative support from the Chamber of Commerce.”
The partnership benefits both groups, Gray said.
“We always actively seek partnerships with the Chamber of Commerce because it’s a good value add for the Chamber and the Chamber members,” said Gray “You’ll see their logo and co-operative efforts going forward.”
But Gray said he wouldn’t call it piggy-backing.
Programs like the delivery service program for businesses, which helps them ship products to customers during COVID-19, was created by a task force of ACED and the Chamber.
Rawn said he was concerned that, once the money runs out, so will the benefits of the programs in the community.
Bryson said the branding strategy from ACED is intended to help businesses stay afloat after program funding ends.
“It’s to make people aware of what we have here.”
Gray said the annual report on how ACED has benefitted existing and startup business “speaks volumes” of the work it has done.
The ACED website also highlights businesses and attractions to tourists in support of local businesses.
“I would be worried about two things; driving economic growth and doing everything I can to make sure that the communities I’m going to be asking $10,000 from know exactly what we’re doing and what we did the previous year and what we’re doing this year,” Coun. Steve Hicks responded.
A website isn’t enough to show the work ACED is doing, Hicks said, claiming ACED should be doing more to show communities what it is doing to help them.
“If members on council don’t know about this, and we’re fairly involved, how does a community know about this?” Hicks asked.
“I just don’t feel like things are moving.”
Mayor Lyle Hall said council needs to think long term. Change isn’t always month by month, he said, but comes in small increments.
“It can take years for results, especially with a new organization,” Lyle said. “I can sympathize with you guys not having something to roll out all the time with bells and whistles.”
But the mayor agreed with councillors that he would like to see more success, as well as more ties to the community when it comes to activities and programs in Sundridge.
Hicks said he understands the focus cannot always be on Sundridge, but said he hopes to see a change happen across the Almaguin Highlands.
Mackenzie Casalino, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The North Bay Nugget.
Local Journalism Initiative reporters are paid by the Government of Canada.
