More questions than answers on the reformed Economic Development Corporation; results are what people are looking for.

News 100 blueBy Pepper Parr

July 27, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON

There are many views on the reformed Economic Development Corporation that has just held its first Board meeting.  That occasion may have been the first time these men and women have met each other.

It takes time for a board to gel but Burlington doesn’t appear to want to give them even a little breathing room.  At a city council workshop on commercial strategies and how zoning could be used to entice development to the city, much was made of the role the EDC was going to play in all this.

Frank McKeown, then the Mayors Chief of Staff explains a concept to Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman.  McKeown was described as the 7th council member during the Strategic Plan sessions.

Frank McKeown, then the Mayors Chief of Staff explains a concept to Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman, when the city was developing its Strategic Plan.  Sharman is now in a race for his council seat, while McKeown serves as Executive Director of the reformed Economic Development Corporation of which Sharman is a city representative.

EDC Executive Director Frank McKeown was in the audience and he wasn’t taking any notes.  Much of the comment on what the EDC could do was coming from ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman who also sits as one of the city representatives on the EDC Board.   When that Board met a week after the city workshop there would surely have been much comment on where the direction for the EDC was to come from.

It is an arm’s length organization, funded by the city and responsible for carrying out the mandate the city gives it.  What hasn’t been spelled it in really simple language is just what that mandate is.

There are some who know what it is, but they’ve not said very much about how they intend to deliver on the mandate.

To be fair, the EDC board will need some time to get its act together.  The members of the Board do get paid for the work they do – there was some grumbling about that.   Should they be paid?  The private sector members are entitled to payment – those who hold elected office or represent a city agency should not be paid; that is called double dipping.

New marketplace a few blocks awayOne source, who has a considerable amount of experience with both the Planning Act and Community Improvements Programs, spoke on the condition that he not be identified, said that in “Burlington CIP’s are idea driven, not market driven . A CIP should not be presented without risk consideration – look around – the biggest empty office tower and shopping centre in downtown Hamilton was a community renewal plan; and so too, the downtown disaster mall in Brantford. At least for these projects we had three levels of government carefully reviewing the plans, full public participation is  required, and the funding risks shared among three levels of government – the feds paying 50 cents on the dollar. All the marketing research firms said these projects would not fail – same guys who built the Titanic I guess.”

Mayor Rick Goldring:  He does a pro-active mode and when he's confident he puts it to good use.  Time to get confident on this one Your Worship.

Mayor Rick Goldring: He has a pro-active mode and when he’s confident he puts it to good use. .

“So now, a new Burlington BEDC that has no cash flow, no experience, paying its Board, and modeled after the non-competitive Hydro utility which should be sold ASAP – go figure? Is it a panacea or political placebo?

“I have a lot of respect for both the Executive Director and the people in the planning department, but let’s not go in with rose colored glasses.”

Indeed let us go into this with our eyes wide open and with as much information as possible.  McKeown has said the EDC he runs will be transparent; the hope is that he will be forthcoming with information on a timely basis.

"I don't want to hear anymore delegations" said Councillor Jack Dennison.

Councillor Jack Dennison, running again in ward 4 serves as a city representative on the Economic Development Corporation.   Dennison has yet to see a deal he did not like.

McKeown works with an 11 person board with just one member kept over from the previous board that has Gary Graham, Chairman Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP;  Rick Goldring City of Burlington; Paul Sharman City of Burlington;  Jack Dennison, City of Burlington;  Ruta Stauskas, Boehringer Ingelhein (Canada) Ltd.;  Bonnie Prior;  Appraisal Institute of Canada;  Randall Smallbone Portland Investment Counsel;  Michael Hanna Kylin Developments Inc.;  Gordon Knack, MHPM Project Managers Inc.; Dr. David Conrath, Conrath Communications Ltd.;– President; Patrick Moyle City of Burlington.

We don’t know much about these people other than they applied to be members of the board.  Dr. Conrath appears to have a very interesting resume while Kylin Developments has a web site that says they will do almost anything you want and they will do it well.

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