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Canadian Rural Partnership
January 23-24, 2001
Chapleau, Ontario
ANNEX B — COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS' PRESENTATIONS
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Presentation 6 — Chapleau Regional Development Corporation
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Representatives: | Lucy Bignucolo, Director, CRDC
Ross Broomhead, Vice-President, CRDC/Chair, Economic Dev. Committee
Buddy Swanson
Marty Peterson, Economic Development Officer |
| Date: | Wednesday, January 24, 2001 |
BELOW IS THE WRITTEN BRIEF THAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE NORTHERN ONTARIO RURAL TEAM BY THE CHAPLEAU REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION REPRESENTATIVES.
Who we are
The Chapleau and District Business Association was established in 1990 and incorporated as the Chapleau Regional Development Corporation or the CRDC in 1996. This not-for-profit corporation is mandated the specific tasks of fostering and promoting local development and growth.
The planning and work of the corporation is accomplished through the use of volunteer committees. The CRDC and its sub-committees exist to carry out specific functions. These committee members, which represent the different sectors of the community, meet to share ideas, provide input, make decisions and set goals.
The Chapleau Economic Development Committee is a partnership between the CRDC and the Township of Chapleau. It was formed to assist in expanding, stabilizing and diversifying the economic base of Chapleau and Area.
Our role is to attract new and different business ventures. We do this by keeping abreast of government policies on grants, loans, etc and municipal policies on land use, zoning etc. along with promoting what Chapleau has to offer.
Our objective is to help create as many new businesses and/or industries that are feasible for Chapleau and Area.
1. Support actions and policies:
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- that maintain a viable forest product industry.
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- that support diversification by promoting other businesses and industry in our community
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- that maintain a viable rail industry in Chapleau.
2. Develop opportunities to expand the tourism potential by responsibly promoting our natural resources.
3. Promote activities and initiatives that support greater self-sufficiency of the community.
4. Take affirmative action to make our community more attractive and accessible through development and improvement of transportation links.
5. Promote investment in the future of Chapleau by ensuring that improvements are made to the basic infrastructure and services while maintaining fiscal responsibility through wise use of resources and actions to increase the assessment base.
Our Accomplishments
The CRDC has been very successful in its endeavours for economic development in the Township of Chapleau.
CRDC is working to develop the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve as a major tourism attraction in Northern Ontario.
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A Feasibility Study was conducted on the Eco-tourism Potential of the Game Preserve.
- The CRDC was successful in bringing together the stakeholders to hold discussion and planning sessions.
Assisted the Chapleau Arctic Watershed Snowmobile Club with trail development.
- Assisted with efforts to obtain Sno-Trac Funding for trail development.
- Trails to Dubreuilville and Thessalon were built with this funding.
- Lobbied to complete trail to Timmins.
- Successfully partnered with Trail Rider Magazine to financially support the Chapleau Arctic Watershed Snowmobile Club.
Successful in lobbying Bell to upgrade switching.
- Successfully lobbied to bring fibre optic connection to Bell switching system.
- Lobbied Ontario Hydro to replace 10 kilometres of transmission line between Wawa and Chapleau to stabilize our hydro-electric power supply.
Instrumental in achieving a paved taxiway at the Chapleau Airport through our membership's physical participation by providing staff and equipment.
CRDC assisted the community in successfully applying for NOHFC assistance to construct a sewer infrastructure to the north side of the Kebsquasheshing River. Project allowed for the construction of a much- needed forty-unit motel and the creation of 20 jobs.
Successful tourism marketing campaign launched with assistance from FedNor, MNR, the Chapleau Tourist Association, the Chapleau Arctic Watershed Snowmobile Club and local businesses.
Increased visitations by 70% in 1999-2000.
Worked closely with the Chapleau Tourist Association to help them become a stable organization and grow. Through this partnership the Chapleau Tourist Association has hired a coordinator and membership has grown.
The corporation has created two youth internship placements.
- The first youth is currently employed at Canadian Pacific Railway
- The second program has just started.
In the past three years 4 students have been employed to work in our tourist information centre.
The CRDC has assisted the small hamlet of Sultan to obtain $20,000 under the Community Access Program. This will allow students and residents in Sultan to learn about computers and the Internet.
The CRDC works with various local groups and organizations to support them in accessing financial assistance for their various projects. One such group is the Quatrain Arts Program, which has received praise from all levels of government.
Our Issues
Partnerships. The CRDC recognizes the importance of partnerships at the community level. However, building partnerships, or sustaining those that already exist, is becoming more difficult due to the increased pressures being placed on community resources. Although the time and resources that Chapleau residents can dedicate to their community is becoming increasingly limited, it would assist us greatly if governments would make long-term commitments to partnerships. All levels of government and rural communities should work cooperatively to establish long-term objectives to complete projects.
Economic diversification. Industry downsizing in single industry communities, particularly employment in the primary and resource sectors such as forestry, is a key driving force behind the need for economic diversification. The challenge for Chapleau is to identify or create economic opportunities to replace those that have been lost. Chapleau, as with many rural communities, does have the assets needed to generate new ideas but we lack the necessary financial resources and have only limited infrastructure to diversify its economy.
Despite these obstacles, Chapleau recognizes that there are opportunities for our community. In order to identify these, we recognize that our community needs to develop our vision of what we want to become. The CRDC is exploring value added and secondary processing business opportunities, acquiring new skills, encouraging new forms of business, exploring partnerships and working collaboratively.
The CRDC wants to find long-term sustainable solutions to our community's economic challenges. The CRDC would like to encourage the federal government to facilitate the exchange of success stories between communities and should coordinate efforts between the various players involved in economic development.
Beyond added skills, new ideas and partnerships, new business initiatives require access to capital. The CRDC feels that the government should provide start-up funding to new business ventures and should work closely with financial institutions to ensure that there is easier access to financing.
Opportunities for rural youth. The CRDC is concerned about the migration of our youth to urban areas. We recognize the value of FedNor's Youth Internship Program, but feel it does not provide a long-term solution. To support the retention of youth in, and their return to, our community, the CRDC feels that it is important to explore and share opportunities with them — opportunities that could lead to a viable future within the community.
The federal government has a role to play by providing financial support and by working with Chapleau to identify employment strategies that will most benefit rural youth.
Human resource leadership and community capacity building. The CRDC would like to sustain and promote leadership within our community. Currently, there is a fear that a "burn out" will affect the leadership factor since many of the people that have a leadership role in our community are volunteers who have fulfilled this role for a long time.
The federal government can play a role in supporting strong leadership by approaching community development from the "bottom up", rather than the "top down." It can act as a catalyst to help attract new leaders by supporting leadership development and mentoring programs, which would also serve to build community self-confidence.
With respect to community capacity building, the CRDC believes that some erosion in capacity has occurred due to government restructuring and the loss of existing alliances between levels of government. The CRDC feels that the most effective way that the federal government can assist in community capacity building is through financial support, including maintaining transfer payments to the provinces and providing a pool of funding to support community programming. The federal government can also assist by promoting the value and importance of rural affairs in Canada. Further to this, consideration should be given to relocating government agencies and ministries to Chapleau.
Rural infrastructure. The CRDC feels that Chapleau's infrastructure has eroded as a result of government downsizing and cutbacks and the decreasing size of the tax base in our community. Erosion is of particular concern in relation to transportation and water and sewer systems. Decision-makers lack an understanding of the consequences of this erosion on our community. This limited understanding may be driven by "city thinking," which results in government programs and policies not being adapted to rural realities.
The federal government can manage infrastructure issues by taking a long-term view when making infrastructure-related decisions. It should ensure that any infrastructure program put in place is comprehensive and will meet the needs of rural communities. Involvement from the grassroots level should be sought to identify solutions. The CRDC would like to suggest that the federal government could establish a long-term infrastructure program designed specifically for rural communities that is sustainable and that could be accessed by individual communities.
Access to rural health care. The CRDC feels there is a need to attract and retain health care professionals. Improvements to the infrastructure of our community such as transportation systems, recreation facilities and telecommunications is needed to recruit and retain health care professionals.
Access to rural education. The CRDC feels that financial resources should be made available to help maintain or improve access to post-secondary education in the community. The development of a telecommunications infrastructure and incentives to attract educators such as Sault College and College Boreal are also viewed as possible means of supporting education in rural communities.
Rural telecommunications and use of the information highway. Chapleau like many rural communities is struggling to catch up to the technology age. Infrastructure to provide the latest advancements is not available in our community and the high cost of installing it is prohibiting Chapleau from economic growth. Rural communities need high-speed data connections, cellular telephone, real-time video-conferencing etc. This could be accomplished if Industry Canada, FedNor, Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and private sector partner together to provide modern telecommunications at an equal level to all of Northern Ontario.
Access to information on federal government programs and services. The CRDC generally finds information on government programs and services difficult to obtain and interpret. We are learning about and accessing government programs and services after our urban counterparts.
The CRDC suggests that the federal government play a leadership role in establishing a single point of contact where our community could access all levels of government services and programs. The determination of this contact point should remain flexible and be based upon the needs and characteristics of each community.
Suggestions for Federal Government Actions
The CRDC would like to put forward suggestions for Federal Government Actions to create vibrant rural communities.
Develop a long-term vision for rural Canada. The CRDC recommends that the federal government establish long-term development to support the rebuilding of communities affected by the downturn in resource-based industries. The desire is for the development of sound sustainable initiatives, not "make-work" projects.
Promote rural and remote aspects of Canada. There is a strong desire for the federal government to develop various programs and activities to market Northern Ontario and promote awareness of our contribution to Canada.
Support the development and maintenance of rural infrastructure. The CRDC feels that action is required to ensure that our community has the necessary infrastructure to support and sustain development. Roads, railways, air services and communication systems are all identified as key components needing attention. The CRDC feels that the federal government should take action to ensure that priorities for infrastructure activities are identified to address the needs of rural communities such as Chapleau.
Define a list of minimum standards that apply to rural citizens. The CRDC would like to suggest that the federal government define basic levels of services and standards that should be available to citizens in each rural community. The federal government would also need to define financial assistance levels based on the levels of service defined.
Settle land claims and treaty rights for First Nations. The CRDC feels unsettled land claims and treaty rights are impeding the ability of the community to focus on economic development. One example is the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve, which could be a major attraction for Northern Ontario and provide employment opportunities for many citizens of the area.
Re-visit trade agreements. The CRDC suggests that the trade agreements with the United States and the European Union should be reviewed to assess their impact on rural Canadian citizens and communities.
Lumber prices are suffering. The federal government needs to look at the quota system imposed by the U.S. on Canadian lumber, yet significant imports from Russia is creating a surplus in the U.S. and driving prices to their lowest levels in 20 years. This is has a direct impact on Chapleau's economy.
Discussion Notes
The issue of sharing of success stories was discussed again at the end of the presentation and Lucy Bignucolo indicated that this can be done via the Internet but found that face-to-face meetings with counterparts from other communities were especially helpful. It allowed for a freer exchange of information, ideas and solutions to programs common to rural and remote communities. Trade shows are a good place to engage in such dialogues and it was suggested that the governments have a presence at all trade shows. Karen Streich advised that the Rural Fairs and Exhibits Program, which travels to fairs and trade shows, provides information on government programs and services. Some discussion ensued as to how to identify all trade shows and a suggested approach was to contact the CFDCs.
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