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Home : Sustainable Communities : Urban Development Agreements
Urban Development Agreements
What are the Urban Development Agreements?
Urban Development Agreements involve a partnership between the federal, provincial and municipal governments to work in collaboration when addressing broad urban development issues. Whether it is inner city revitalization, strengthened innovation, or sustainable economic development, each urban development agreement is tailored to address the needs of the city it involves. These agreements are resourceful, flexible instruments that coordinate action among the levels of government and result in the seamless delivery of programs and services.
WD's urban development strategy recognizes that western Canadian cities are growing centres of economic activity. WD's Urban Development Agreements focus on realizing opportunities and addressing challenges in urban development in the seven major cities in the West, while ensuring the full economic participation from all sectors of society. Western Canadian cities have the infrastructure – key industries, supporting sectors, training organizations and research universities – to work together and share information, technologies and labour force skills.
What's the WD connection?
Urban Development Agreements are currently in place in Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg. WD participates as a federal partner in each agreement, allocating its funds toward projects and initiatives that support economic development in the respective cities.
What's been accomplished?
Winnipeg's Urban Development Agreements
In Winnipeg, the federal, provincial and municipal government have developed a tradition of successful tripartite cooperation and partnership to address the economic and social development issues facing Winnipeg. Four five-year urban development agreements have been implemented since 1981:
- Winnipeg Core Area Initiative I ($96M) – 1981-1986
- Winnipeg Core Area Initiative II ($100M)– 1986-1991
- Winnipeg Development Agreement ($75M)– 1995-2001
- Winnipeg Partnership Agreement ($75M) – 2004-2009
- May 2004 ( HTML | PDF )
Over a period of 20 years, the first three tripartite Winnipeg urban development agreements contributed $271 million to address Winnipeg's challenges and resulted in significant physical renewal in the downtown area, including redevelopment of two key areas: The Forks and the North Portage area, improvements to inner city neighbourhoods and business streets, community facilities, new and renovated inner-city housing, and delivery of innovative education and training initiatives directed to immigrants, Aboriginal persons, youth and women.
The purpose of the agreements was not to reverse the economic decline, rather to stimulate investment and employment and revitalize the inner city areas. The agreements were catalysts that levered significant private and public sector investment. A total of $196 million in Winnipeg Core Area Agreement (I and II) funding levered $600 million in additional public and private (at 40%) sector investment.
The $75 million in tri-partite funding from the Winnipeg Development Agreement levered another $77 million from the private sector and $49 million from other government sources.
The three governments have agreed that to be effective, urban renewal efforts are enhanced by a long-term commitment, collaboration and coordinated action in partnership with business, community and not-for-profit stakeholders and Winnipeg's citizens.
The new Winnipeg Partnership Agreement was signed on May 20, 2004 by the governments of Canada, Manitoba and Winnipeg. It will fund projects in four strategic programs:
- Aboriginal Participation: to enhance opportunities for Aboriginal people to participate fully in Winnipeg's economy and community life
- Building Sustainable Neighbourhoods: to enhance neighbourhood renewal and build human capacity to ensure economic viability
- Downtown Renewal: to revitalize Winnipeg's downtown as a centre of commerce, entertainment, education and urban-life
- Supporting Innovation and Technology: to build a knowledge-based economy and expand Winnipeg's national and international economic competitiveness
For more information regarding this initative, visit the Manitoba Intergovernmental Affairs Web site: http://www.winnipegpartnership.mb.ca 
Edmonton Economic Development Initiative
The Edmonton Economic Development Initiative (EEDI) was signed in September 1995 and has no scheduled termination date. The EEDI is an agreement between the governments of Canada, Alberta and Edmonton and is designed to support the long-term sustainable economic development in Edmonton, to streamline program coordination and delivery, and seek out resources to support proposed projects.
Over the last two years, WD has committed more than $1.5 million to projects in support of the EEDI.
Vancouver Agreement
This five-year agreement was signed in March 2000. The scope of the Vancouver agreement is broad and currently focuses on a specific area: the city's Downtown Eastside. This neighbourhood faces severe problems of poverty, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, crime, and a depressed economy.
Four areas have been identified as priorities for the Vancouver Agreement and these funds and contributions support initiatives in each area:
- Revitalize the Hastings Street corridor (the heart of the Downtown Eastside)
- Dismantle the open-drug scene
- Turn problem hotels, particularly those that offer single-room-occupancy housing, into safe, clean places to live
- Make the community safer for the most vulnerable, particularly women, youth and children
Once home to Vancouver's first public
library, the Carnegie Community Centre is
often described as the Downtown Eastside's
living room - a place where local residents
can come to participatea in a range of social,
recreational and educational programs
or to simply relax and socialize with others.
WD has supported a number of programs
offered at the Centre.
In April 2003, the federal and provincial governments announced they would each contribute $10 million to the Vancouver Agreement. The City of Vancouver is also contributing in-kind goods and services, including space in city buildings, zoning and development costs, and heritage preservation incentives.
Before the April 2003 announcement of a $20 million fund, the Vancouver Agreement partners coordinated existing resources between their respective levels of government. Prior to the April 2003 announcement, WD had contributed at least $7 million under the Vancouver Agreement toward economic development investments in the Downtown Eastside. These include: the Chinatown Millennium Gate, lighting projects in Victory Square and Chinatown, establishment of the Interurban art gallery, and support to employment and business development organizations like Fast Track to Employment and local Business Improvement Associations.
For more information, visit the Vancouver Agreement website: http:// www.vancouveragreement.ca
What's on the horizon?
In the future, Urban Development Agreements may be signed in a number of other western Canadian cities.
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