1. RURAL ASSOCIATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

PROGRAMME DE PARTENARIATS AVEC LES ASSOCIATIONS RURALES

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

That Council approve the Rural Association Partnership Program for rural business organizations, fairs and farmers markets, along with the associated Guidelines and Application Form, as outlined in this report.

Recommandation du comité

Que le Conseil municipal approuve les lignes directrices et le formulaire d'inscription ci-joints concernant l'établissement d'un programme de financement des organismes d'affaires ruraux, des expositions et des marchés fermiers devant s'appeler Programme de partenariats avec les associations rurales.

Documentation

1. Deputy City Manager, Planning and Growth Management report dated 14 March 2006 (ACS2006-PGM-ECO-0007).

2. Extract of Draft Minutes 23, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meeting of March 23, 2006.

Report to/Rapport au :

Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee

Comité de l'agriculture et des questions rurales

and Council / et au Conseil

14 March 2006 / le 14 mars 2006

Submitted by/Soumis par : Ned Lathrop,

Deputy City Manager/Directeur municipal adjoint,

Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Michael Murr, Manager,

Economic Development and Strategic Projects/

Développement économique et Projets stratégiques

(613) 580-2424 x25195, michael.murr@ottawa.ca

Rural Wards/Quartiers ruraux

Ref N°: ACS2006-PGM-ECO-0007

SUBJECT:	RURAL ASSOCIATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
OBJET :	PROGRAMME DE PARTENARIATS AVEC LES ASSOCIATIONS RURALES

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

That the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee recommend that Council approve the Rural Association Partnership Program for rural business organizations, fairs and farmers markets, along with the associated Guidelines and Application Form, as outlined in this report.

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

Que le Comité de l'agriculture et des questions rurales approuve les lignes directrices et le formulaire d'inscription ci-joints concernant l'établissement d'un programme de financement des organismes d'affaires ruraux, des expositions et des marchés fermiers devant s'appeler Programme de partenariats avec les associations rurales.

BACKGROUND

In 2005, people from every part of Ottawa’s rural community worked with the City to help promote greater understanding between the City’s rural and urban citizens and to identify specific ways in which the City could improve how it delivers services to rural residents and businesses. This process culminated in November 2005 with Ottawa’s first Rural Summit - a two‑day event that identified key priorities and proposed solutions to be considered by the Rural Summit Task Force.

The Rural Summit Task Force has worked since the end of the Rural Summit to refine the Summit recommendations, set priorities and work with staff to put realistic action plans in place. Recommendations of the Rural Summit Task Force were approved by City Council as part of the 2006 Budget process. This included a number of initiatives being led by the Economic Development and Strategic Projects branch to support rural business organizations and the agricultural community:

- Work with federal and provincial partners to increase broadband access to rural businesses and residents (BI-1);

- Support rural business organizations in their activities to promote local business through funding, facilitation, project management and co-ordination. Consult with the rural business sector, Rural Chambers of Commerce and BIA’s to identify their needs and create a program involving community/business members (BI-2);

- Review and alter the City procurement policy to allow award of rural contracts based on smaller dollar amounts, geographic distribution, and reduced security and insurance requirements to allow small rural companies to bid on City contracts (BI-3) Delivered in conjunction with Glen Ford, Manager Supply, Supply Management Division;

- Provide funding for fairs and farmers’ markets to ensure these remain viable (AG-3); and

- Support the expansion of Farmers Markets and the creation of Ottawa grown brands to promote locally grown products (AG-4).

The purpose of this report is to seek Committee and Council approval of a funding program to satisfy action items BI-2 and AG-3 as listed above. This approval is necessary prior to launching the proposed program.

DISCUSSION

The Rural Association Partnership Program is structured as a pilot program and has been designed to achieve the following goals:

· Support the rural economy by providing funding for rural business organizations, fairs and farmers markets;

· Ensure that public monies are reaching their intended targets and are being distributed in a responsible manner;

· Create a framework using a common sense approach that is not overly bureaucratic and provides enough flexibility for community organizations to undertake projects that will address their individual needs and the needs of their community;

· Ensure that the process is easy to navigate for applicants;

· Create measurable results that will have a lasting impact for the rural community.

To develop the funding guidelines, Economic Development staff used the City’s existing Partnership Program for Fairs, Festivals and Special Events as a starting point, and then made modifications based on a review of other funding programs and feedback from a focus group held on 1 March 2006 (see Consultation Section for details).

The resulting program will meet the needs of the target groups and ensure that there is no duplication of city funding. Specifically this program will differ from the existing program in the following ways:

Rural Association Partnership Program	Existing Program for Festivals and Fairs
Project Based Funding	On-going operational funding
Fairs, rural business organizations and farmers markets are eligible	Only fairs, festivals and cultural events are eligible
Eligible organizations need not be incorporated, with potential support for fledgling organizations	Eligible organizations must be incorporated and established for more than 2 years.
Targets initiatives that supports economic development	Targets organizations that support cultural development

There are several key components outlined in the guidelines:

· Funding is project based, with a defined beginning and end and measurable outcomes;

· Maximum funding per project will not normally exceed $7,500 to ensure that all rural regions will have an opportunity to access the funding;

· Funding will be granted on a matching basis. By requiring recipient organizations to invest an equal cash amount will demonstrate that the projects are indeed addressing priorities of the rural communities. In-kind contributions will strengthen an application but City contributions will not exceed 50% of total cash costs;

· Applications will be assessed on a competitive basis, using a peer evaluation process. The assessment jury will be made of community members with experience or knowledge in at least one of the funding categories. Every effort will be made to select a jury that reflects and represents Ottawa's rural regions (i.e. geographically). Assessment will be based on the following general criteria, (greater detail provided in proposed funding guidelines): Merit of Project, Economic and Community Impact, and Organizational Effectiveness.

It should be noted that based on stakeholder consultation, the Rural Association Partnership Program has been designed as one common funding program with a total budget of $75,000 that will support action items BI-2 and AG-3 as listed in the background section above. With the normal maximum funding of $7,500 per project, there will be a minimum of ten projects funded. This will provide an adequate opportunity for different groups to access funds while ensuring that the projects with the greatest impact will be awarded funding.

If approved, the Rural Association Partnership Program will make application forms publicly available through the website and client service centres following the Council meeting of 12 April 2006. Based on feedback from the stakeholder consultation, a thirty day period prior to the application deadline will be appropriate, providing adequate time to complete application forms while also ensuring that the funding will be available in a timely manner. It is expected that final decisions would be made within 2-3 weeks following the application deadline.

RURAL IMPLICATIONS

The proposed funding program will have a positive impact on the rural communities and support rural economic development. The Proposed Program meets two of the program goals identified as an outcome of the Rural Summit Process.

CONSULTATION

The initial direction of this program is a result of the Rural Summit and was also listed as a priority action item through the Rural Task Force Report No.1.

Stakeholders representing rural business organizations, fairs and farmers markets were consulted at an information session held on the evening of March 1, 2006. Feedback from this consultation has been taken into consideration for the proposed guidelines and application forms as they are presented in the attached document. Further, discussions have been held with the Cultural Services Division to ensure that this is not a duplication of their efforts. The funding program guidelines for Fairs and Festivals has also been used as a foundation for the proposed funding program guidelines for the Rural Association Partnership Program

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The $75,000 funding for this pilot program was approved as part of the Rural Task Force recommendations made during the 2006 Budget process.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Document 1 Proposed Program Guidelines for Rural Association Partnership Program

Document 2 Proposed Application Form for Rural Association Partnership Program

DISPOSITION

Economic Development staff to take action as appropriate.

PROPOSED PROGRAM GUIDELINES FOR RURAL ASSOCIATION

PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM Document 1

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY	ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS (page 4-5)	LEVELS OF FUNDING
Special Project Funding	Service Organizations operating Rural Fairs	Maximum grant is generally limited to $7,500 per project.
	Organizations that operate rural farmers markets
	Rural business Organizations such as Chambers of Commerce and Business Improvement Areas

NOTE: The Rural Association Partnership Program is a pilot project resulting from Ottawa’s Rural Summit. The current funding allocation is one time funding for the 2006 budget year. Future funding programs will depend on 2007 budget deliberations with terms and conditions that may change based on the findings of this pilot project.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

§ To provide project based funding that supports the main priorities for rural organizations.

§ To contribute to the City’s rural economic health by supporting projects that will assist Ottawa’s rural business organizations, fairs and farmers markets achieve sustainability and capitalize on the proximity to Ottawa’s large urban market.

§ To assist in promoting Ottawa’s rural identity to both residents and tourists

§ To provide economic benefits to small and medium sized enterprises in Ottawa’s rural communities.

§ Assist rural communities to overcome the business development challenges associated with smaller local population base.

§ To increase the capacity for rural communities to provide a quality visitor experience.

SUMMARY 2

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES 3

ELIGIBILITY 4 – 5

FUNDING CATEGORIES 6

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 6 - 7

APPLICATION PROCESS 7 -8

HOW FUNDING DECISIONS ARE MADE 8 - 10

IF YOU ARE AWARDED FUNDING 10

REPORTING and FOLLOW-UP 11

GLOSSARY OF TERMS 11

CONTACTS 12

PROPOSED

Who Can Apply?

Not-for-profit organizations, based in rural Ottawa, that contribute to rural economic development, and that fall into one of the following three categories:

RURAL BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS	Organizations, based in rural Ottawa that are recognized as being active in supporting local retail and service sector businesses, promoting commerce and representing local business needs
FARMERS MARKETS	Provide seasonal, multi-vendor, community-driven (not private) organizations selling agricultural, food, art and craft products including home-grown produce, home-made crafts and value-added products where the vendors are primary producers (including preserves, baked goods, meat, fish, dairy products, etc.) located in rural Ottawa
FAIRS	Present and promote a major agricultural and/or heritage fair, that celebrates a distinct aspect of the local Ottawa character

General Eligibility Requirements for all categories

1. Organization to be based and have an ongoing presence in rural Ottawa, with project activities that occur within rural Ottawa.

2. Not-for-profit

3. Have a publicly accountable structure with an active Board of Directors that meets regularly

4. Contribute to the economic development of Ottawa’s rural area through the implementation of new or enhanced projects.

PROPOSED

o Individuals o Educational or religious institutions

o Government agencies o For-profit organizations/ventures o Political parties

Who cannot apply for funding?

What activities are ineligible?

o Competitions o Conferences, workshops and other forms of training o Production and distribution of films, recordings, books, magazines o Fundraising projects and initiatives o Activities already funded through other City programs

o Pre-professional development or training projects o Sports and Recreation Tournaments and Events o Trade shows and Trade fairs o Parades o Projects or activities that have been completed on or before the application deadline date o On-going operations deemed to be business as usual o Projects that create a dependency

• Funding will be provided for approved project on a matching basis (50%) for eligible project expenses.
• While in-kind contributions will strengthen an application, City funding will not exceed 50% of eligible cash costs.
• Program contributions will not normally exceed $7,500 per project.

PROPOSED

All project funding applications are assessed on the basis of the following three criteria.

• Merit of Project is the principal assessment criterion. The jury will be looking for clear goals and objectives that reflect the organization’s mandate, high standards in the development of the proposed project, appropriate strategies to realize the project and a successful track record of project management and or development initiatives.

• Economic and Community Impact – applications should demonstrate their impact on the following two target groups:

• Rural Ottawa Business (potential to contribute to increased sales activity and/or customer base for local businesses, leading to increased employment opportunities in the rural areas)
• Ottawa Residents (community participation, audience development, accessibility of programming and /or activities, community-based partnerships, etc.)

Specifically jurors will look for applications that address the following criteria:

• Local support, participation and benefit.
• The number and types of partnerships attained (e.g. goods-in-kind, sponsorships)
• Initiatives to attract visitors with quantifiable results;
• The project and organization’s financial performance and demonstrated economic benefits to the community.
• The level of potential to achieve increased economic benefits and activity in rural Ottawa

• Organizational Effectiveness - Refers to infrastructure development, capability for long range effective planning, fiscal responsibility, financial stability, diverse funding sources (fundraising, sponsorship, self-generated, in-kind donations, etc.), management and staff organization (expertise and knowledge, effective roles and responsibilities), professional standards and active leadership by the Board of Directors.

Please Note:

Applications from startup organizations will be assessed with a reduced importance on historical performance

Financial Need is considered in addition to the assessment criteria. It is determined according to the organization’s financial stability (ability to generate and access other sources of revenue, level of community support, commitment to ensuring the presentation of their program), and whether there is an accumulated deficit or surplus.

Funding received from the Partnership Program may not be used to increase a surplus or offset an existing financial deficit.

PROPOSED

All applicants must complete the relevant application forms and attach all required documentation. Two authorized members including one member of the Board of Directors must sign the application.

All application and activity report documentation is collected in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Privacy Act.

Funding can only be used for the purposes specified in the original application to the Partnership Program funding. Any changes to the scale or activities, including changes in budget, program and other aspects, must be reported in writing and receive approval of the Program Coordinator.

You may wish to include the following support material items that support the account of your activities such as media coverage, promotional material, program brochures, photos, annual reports and publications, videotapes or hard copies of web pages. (1 copy only please)

If you wish to have your support material returned, please enclose a self-addressed envelope with the required postage. Do not send originals. The applicant agrees that the City of Ottawa is not responsible for the loss or damage, however caused, of applications or support materials.

Peer Evaluation Principles

The City of Ottawa’s Rural Association Partnership Program involves both independent assessors and jurors in a peer assessment process. Peer assessment implies the use of local community members who have knowledge of Rural Business Organizations, Fairs and Farmers Markets to assess grant applications. If required, external assessments in specialized areas that are beyond the range of a particular jury’s expertise are solicited and taken into consideration.

Jurors and outside assessors are selected for their knowledge and recognized expertise and productivity within specific assessment criteria items (agricultural, community development, marketing, tourism, events programming, logistics, etc.) Committee members represent various facets of the rural community they are assessing (but not any particular group) and have an awareness of a broad range of Rural Business Organizations, Fairs and Farmers Markets.

Key principles of the jury member selection are to ensure balanced representation: 1) The inclusion of a range of sector experience and specialization, and 2) fair representation of official languages, gender, and geographic areas.

PROPOSED

The Program Coordinator is responsible for the selection of jurors and independent assessors and will consult with members of the rural community, farmers markets, fairs and the tourism and business sector. City stakeholders and applicants are encouraged to recommend qualified names. If you are interested in participating as a juror, please send your resume to our mailing address or derrick.moodie@ottawa.ca

The City appreciates the contributions made by jurors and assessors for volunteering their efforts.

Assessment Process

The assessment process is a competitive system that uses a peer-evaluation process. This process ensures that organizations are assessed democratically and that funding to organizations (who are successful in their application) is disbursed according to the level of merit of their programming. Staff do not direct the jury in their decisions about which organizations should receive funding nor the amount they should receive.

Once the deadline has passed, staff process and categorize all applications, verifying that activity reports from the previous year have been submitted. The Program Coordinator reviews each application to ascertain eligibility and to become familiar with the organization, its activities and funding request. During this process, the Program Coordinator may contact your organization for additional information or clarification on certain items. Names of individuals mentioned in applications (Board, staff, participating businesses and talent base) are noted in order to avoid any potential conflict of interest when selecting jurors.

Peer assessment juries evaluate all applications based on the assessment criteria. The assessment committee consists of three to five members who assess applications according to the publicly stated Assessment Criteria. Jury members review funding applications independently. The committee then meets to review and discuss the applications together. For each applicant, the jury decides its funding priority and recommends an award amount.

An applicant’s success in obtaining funding depends upon the jury’s final recommendation and the funding available within the Partnership Program.

Conflict of Interest

The purpose of the peer assessment system is to select qualified and knowledgeable jurors and independent assessors from the local festival, fair, and special events sector. Jurors may well have professional and personal contact with many of the applicants, which could constitute a conflict of interest. All actual or potential conflicts of interest that exist must be disclosed by the potential juror and assessed by the Program Coordinator.

PROPOSED

Prior to the jury assessment meetings, jurors receive the Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Policy, with a form for declaring conflicts. All jurors must complete and submit this form before the committee meeting. If a conflict has been declared it is assessed by the Program Coordinator in order to determine if this potential juror can be allowed to participate in the process. If the conflict is deemed minor, the individual may participate as a juror however he/she must leave the meeting for the duration of the specific assessment and abstain from any discussion related to the application.

Situations of potential conflict exist when:

• a juror has a financial interest in the success or failure of an applicant’s program or project
• a juror has an interest based on the fact that an applicant's program or project involves a spouse/live-in partner or an immediate family member
• a juror has a personal interest in specific applications other than what is normally expected of interested members of the sector
• for any other reason, a juror is unable to objectively assess an application

Confidentiality

Assessors and jury members are required to treat both the contents of applications they review and the deliberations of the jury as confidential. At the end of the assessment meeting, all application materials are gathered from the jurors and shredded to protect confidentiality.

At the end of the funding allocation, the Economic Development Division will publish a summary of results, listing the names of all funding recipients, jurors and assessors. Until this list is published, the names of successful applicants, jurors and assessors will not be revealed. The identity of unsuccessful applicants remains confidential.

Allocation of Funding

An applicant’s success in obtaining Partnership funding depends upon the committee’s final evaluation and the funding available within the program.

PROPOSED

Release of Funds

If you are awarded funding you will receive a letter informing you of the amount funded. The result letter will also include the Terms and Conditions form which describes special conditions attached to your grant. Payments will be reimbursed upon submission of a claim form with supporting documentation, such as cancelled cheques, invoices etc.

Right to Reconsideration

All results are final. There is no appeal of evaluators’ decisions regarding the merit of your activities or their recommendation of an award amount. The Partnership Program allows for reconsideration; but only in specific cases where there is substantial evidence of procedural errors and/or when the original application was not assessed according to the publicly stated evaluation criteria.

Acknowledgement of Support

Grant recipients are required to acknowledge the support of the City of Ottawa as follows:

Print materials – By reproducing the City of Ottawa logo or making a written acknowledgement using the following formulation:

[Name] gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa.

Acknowledgement should appear in or on:

• publicity materials (posters, flyers, postcards), with the exception of advertisements
• promotional materials (giveaways, novelties)
• informational materials (newsletter, prospectus, program, agenda, schedule)
• press materials (press release, press kit)
• signage where appropriate

In verbal announcements - By mentioning support verbally in:

• public announcements and presentations
• press conferences and/or speeches

An electronic version of the City logo can be obtained by contacting the Economic Development division at derrick.moodie@ottawa.ca or by calling 580-2424, ext. 15134

PROPOSED

All successful applicants are required to submit an activity report detailing how they used the funding granted to them. This report must be submitted within three months of project completion.

Failure to provide a report will result in your organization being ineligible for subsequent City of Ottawa funding from this or any other City partnership programs.

Your activity report must include the following information:

• a detailed summary of the final project or program of activities, performances and/or presentations including any changes made to original proposal, challenges and achievements
• financial statements for program or project
• a summary of the volunteer contribution your program/project received (include numbers of volunteers and hours, where possible)

Rural Area – The area identified as outside the urban boundary on Schedule A of the City of Ottawa Official Plan:

http://ottawa.ca/city_services/planningzoning/2020/op/images/scheda.jpg

Ottawa–Based - An organization that is Ottawa-based has a significant percentage of its Board and staff living in Ottawa, and delivers it’s services and events within the Ottawa city limits.

On-going Presence (organization) – The organization Board and staff and/or core volunteers are active year-round and carries-out operations such as management and planning, human resources and program development, fundraising planning and/or events, etc.

PROPOSED

PROPOSED APPLICATION FORM FOR RURAL ASSOCIATION

PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM Document 2

Rural Association Partnership Program-Application Form

LEGAL NAME OF APPLICANT

OPERATING NAME

MAILING ADDRESS

CONTACT PERSON

TELEPHONE NUMBER

FACSIMILE NUMBER

E-MAIL ADDRESS

REGISTERED NOT-FOR-PROFIT - Y/N ?

INCORPORATION NUMBER (if applicable)

PROJECT TITLE

Organization Description: Provide a brief description of your organization including history, governance structure, role in the community, and projects of a similar scale that your organization has successfully implemented in the past.

PROPOSED

Project Description: Provide a full description of the project. Specify objectives to be achieved and critical issues that the project will resolve. Identify project activities, work plan and time lines. Outline partner information and mutual benefits. Note: projects that involve hiring a consultant must provide Terms of Reference for the recruitment and hiring of the consultant.

PROPOSED

Economic Benefits and Expected Impact: Describe how the project will benefit the local or regional economy. Outline the project measurements and expected results by identifying clear and measurable targets for the project.

Costs and Financing: Identify and substantiate detailed project costs. Provide the proposed budget details (expenses and revenues) regarding all cash and in-kind contributions attaching estimates/quotes where applicable. Provide a monthly cash flow projection for the project. If required, demonstrate the need for a cash advance.

Attachments: List in point form any attachments, which may include letters of support, financial information, quotes for capital projects, terms of reference for consultants.

PROPOSED

PAYMENT OF CITY OF OTTAWA CONTRIBUTIONS

Detailed instructions and claim forms will be provided to applicants after the City of Ottawa approves each project. However, applicants may find the following general information useful in their financial planning.

In order to receive payment, applicants must file a claim. The claim must include a listing of all the costs incurred for the project with supporting invoices.

Applicants may claim 90% of the approved City of Ottawa contribution upon completion of the project. The final 10% of the approved City of Ottawa contribution will be released upon submission of the required final report. Applicants are required to maintain proper books and records of the costs of the project, including invoices and cancelled cheques, and to provide City of Ottawa auditors with access to these records when requested.

The City of Ottawa will pay up to 50% of the approved cash costs of the project up to a maximum contribution of $7,500 during the agreement period.

If advance payments are required, please provide justification through your financial statements and any interim statements.

Any application not signed by proper authority of the organization cannot be processed. The undersigned certifies that all information provided to the City of Ottawa in support of this request for funding is true and complete, and undertakes to provide any further information that may be required for City of Ottawa to render a decision, in a timely manner. The undersigned also herewith provides consent for the City of Ottawa to make sufficient credit and other enquiries that may be necessary in the evaluation of this request for funding.

Signature: ___________________________________Name (print)_______________________

Organization: __________________________________________________________________

Position:_____________________________________Date:_____________________________

Do you have signing authority? YES__ NO__

Please return completed Application Form to:

Derrick Moodie

Economic Development

City of Ottawa

110 Laurier Ave W. 4th Floor

Ottawa, Ontario

K1P 1J1

PROPOSED

RURAL ASSOCIATION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

PROGRAMME DE PARTENARIATS AVEC LES ASSOCIATIONS RURALES

ACS2006-PGM-ECO-0007 rural wards / quartiers ruraux

Though the Committee chose to not have staff provide the full presentation, a copy of the presentation slides were circulated to Committee members and are held on file.

Responding to questions from Councillor El-Chantiry, Mr. M. Murr, Manager, Economic Development and Strategic Projects, and Mr. D. Moodie, Consultant, Economic Development, explained that the funding proposed through this program was part of the package of funding support approved as an outcome of the Rural Summit and it would be over and above any funding currently received by local fairs or other rural organizations. It consists of project-based funding for which any rural organization will be eligible to apply, as long as the proposed project met the program criteria. One of the key principles will be ensuring that the funding is given to projects that will bring the biggest benefits to their rural community. Although geographic distribution would be one of the factors, there was no pre-determination with respect to equal distribution among the rural areas. Other factors would include: what type of benefits the project would bring to the local area; and whether the applicant organization was leveraging other partners.

In response to questions from Councillor Brooks, staff confirmed that the application forms and program materials would be publicly available immediately following Council’s approval of the report and that eligible expenditures had to be incurred only after the organization had received funding approval. Therefore, expenses previously incurred would not be eligible for re-imbursement through this program.

Councillor El-Chantiry referenced a paragraph on the second page of the report, which talked about staff in the Economic Development and Strategic Projects branch reviewing and altering the City’s procurement policy to allow award of rural contracts based on smaller dollar amounts, geographic distribution, and reduced security and insurance requirements to allow small rural companies to bid on City contracts.

A brief discussion of this issue ensued, with Councillors stressing, through various examples, the importance of making it easier for smaller, rural businesses to compete for City contracts. Mr. Murr indicated this issue was not specifically addressed through the proposed partnership program but that the paragraph (and others like it contained on the same page) had been included in the report in order to give Committee and Council a sense as to the number of fronts on which staff was working concurrently. He explained that the Economic Development and Strategic Projects branch had been working with the

Manager of Supply, who was leading a review to see how to best modify existing procurement policies in order to make the City’s procurement opportunities much more available to rural businesses. He noted that the process would take a few months and that, in the fall, staff would go out to the rural business community with workshops to ensure that they understood the new rules and the ways in which they could participate.

Responding to a question from Councillor El-Chantiry with respect to timelines and mechanisms for ensuring the initiative was effectively communicated to rural business people, Mr. Murr cautioned that it was a bit early in the process. However, he suggested inviting Mr. G. Ford to the Committee’s next meeting so that he could outline the game plan in terms of how he expected the process to unfold and the proposed timelines.

Councillor El-Chantiry suggested involving Ms. M. Winch, as well as the City’s Communications branch, in order to communicate to the rural business community that this item would be coming forward so that they could attend the meeting and provide their perspective.

Councillor El-Chantiry raised an issue with respect to signage on the new stretch of Highway 417. He noted that, if one was traveling on the new Highway, there were no signs to indicate that the community of Fitzroy even existed, much less to indicate how to access it from the Highway. He maintained that this was an issue for the community, particularly for businesses located there, and he wondered how it could be rectified. Mr. Murr agreed that if there was not sufficient visibility for one of the City’s rural villages, it had to be addressed. Therefore, he suggested that Committee submit a formal inquiry asking staff to investigate the situation with respect to signage on the 400 series highway as it pertains to Fitzroy, and directing staff to come back with an appropriate response.

Chair Jellett raised issues with respect to the proposed timelines, noting that the report would be approved by Council on April 11 and that the deadline for submitting an application was May 15. Mr. Murr stressed the benefits of getting the funds allocated in time for the spring/summer season. He indicated the focus group had discussed this issue at its meeting and that community organizations had been quite comfortable with the proposed timelines, given that the application form and process were straight forward. He assured Committee that, as soon as the program was approved by Council, staff would be ready with all materials, forms, and a communications plan in place and ready to go. Furthermore, he advised that staff had been communicating with rural organizations so that they were aware of it and could start planning for it.

The Committee then voted unanimously to approve the report recommendation.

That the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee recommend Council approve the Rural Association Partnership Program for rural business organizations, fairs and farmers markets, along with the associated Guidelines and Application Form, as outlined in this report.

CARRIED