Growth Strategy and Economic Development

Growth Strategy and Economic Development is responsible for a broad base of community and corporate strategy.

The department oversees growth-related services including:

  • Infrastructure planning
  • Growth management and development
  • Community planning
  • Economic development

It also manages corporate strategic initiatives such as:

  • Indigenous relations
  • Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility
  • Corporate policy
  • Climate action

The department also includes the new Strategic Transformation Office. Its initial mandate is to focus on attainable housing, shared services and delivering the GO service expansion and station development.

Growth Strategy and Economic Development continues to grow Niagara by taking a Growing Better Together approach. This approach helps build community and corporate strategies that will benefit future generations living and / or working in Niagara.

Michelle Sergi
Commissioner


905-980-6000
ext. 3276
Email Michelle Sergi

Divisions

  • Economic Development

    Economic Development leads prosperity through boosting Niagara's visibility through strategic investments, prioritizing foreign direct investment and global marketing. It fosters crucial partnerships with government bodies, expediting investment decisions and shaping impactful policies for sustained economic growth.

    This division manages the following areas:

    • Business and Economic Research and Analysis
      • Interprets Niagara's economy through regional economic and business research. This ensures policy development and economic initiatives are grounded in the latest economic data.
      • Monitors and analyzes data on an ongoing basis to support alignment with economic and corporate priorities
    • External Marketing
      • Strives to position Niagara as a preferred destination for businesses through global marketing strategies
      • Showcases Niagara's attractiveness for both business and resident investment in key markets and sectors. This contributes to the transformation of Niagara into a globally renowned community.
    • Investment Attraction
      • Specializes in expanding and diversifying the economy
      • Attracts businesses in sectors where Niagara holds a competitive edge or where strong business cases for investment exist, including emerging sectors
    • Local Area Municipality and Sector Supports
      • Strengthens and supports key sectors of Niagara's economy
      • Builds capacity within local municipalities that do not have economic development resources
    • Strategic Growth Services
      • Guides businesses through grants, incentives and funding programs
      • Offers crucial information and approvals for informed decisions ensuring projects stay on schedule and fostering confidence in their expansion within Niagara
    • Strategic Initiatives and Advocacy
  • Growth Management and Planning

    Growth Management and Planning identifies where and how growth should happen. It is responsible for urban design, environmental and development planning as well as growth management and analytics in Niagara.

    This division manages the following areas:

    • Development Planning
      • Coordinates comments on various development applications and administers grant and incentive programs
      • Coordinates land use planning expertise with consideration for engineering review of major infrastructure. This includes Regional roads, water and wastewater, transit and stormwater.
      • Leads process improvement initiatives in Niagara to ensure consistency in the development approvals process
    • Environmental Planning
    • Growth Management and Analytics
      • Maintains and updates Regional population forecasts
      • Develops a growth management strategy that aligns location and timing of growth with future infrastructure planning in Niagara. This ensures orderly and fiscally sustainable development.
      • Responsible for the tracking of development and annual monitoring of the growth management strategy
    • Urban Design and Incentives
      • Promotes design excellence in development planning by encouraging best practices in urban design on projects. This includes roads, streetscapes, public buildings and spaces.
      • Collaborates with Regional projects and local cities / towns on urban design and landscape architectural projects
      • Oversees the approval and processing of incentive and grant programs administered by the department
      • Responsible for the review, efficiency and effectiveness of grant and incentive processes
  • Infrastructure Planning / Development Engineering

    Infrastructure Planning and Development Engineering is responsible for strategic infrastructure planning to support growth management, land use planning and development in a financially sustainable manner. It also handles private servicing and septic review and approval.

    This division manages the following areas:

    • Development Engineering
      • Reviews development applications for impacts on Regional infrastructure and provides consultation services to developers, residents and businesses
      • Reviews and analyzes Regional water and wastewater capacities for long-term growth and ongoing development applications
    • Private Sewage Systems Inspection
      • Approves and inspects private sewage / septic systems for local businesses and residents
      • Administers and enforces Part 8 of the Ontario Building Code for all cities / towns except Wainfleet, Welland and West Lincoln
      • Reviews and approves of private on-site sewage servicing for development applications
    • Stormwater
      • Coordinates with cities / towns in Niagara to administer the combined sewer overflow cost-sharing program and wet weather management
      • Reviews water and wastewater servicing, stormwater management and transportation studies
    • Water and Wastewater Planning
      • Oversees growth infrastructure, capacity and water and wastewater master planning for Regional water and wastewater systems
      • Coordination and collaboration with cities / towns in Niagara on water and wastewater infrastructure planning and development approvals. This includes consideration for wet weather management and Combined Sewer Overflow funding program.
  • Strategic Transformation Office

    Strategic Transformation Office focuses on attainable housing, shared services and the ongoing development of Niagara's GO Transit service expansion.

    This division manages the following areas:

    • Attainable Housing
      • Focuses on projects that impact the supply of market-driven attainable housing leading to a greater mix and improved access to rental and ownership housing options
      • Complements initiatives and activities of Housing Services and the Region's Community Services Department. This includes supportive housing programs such as bridge housing, community housing, rent-geared-to-income units and affordable housing.
    • GO Implementation
      • Drives forward delivery of Council's multi-site GO Station Development Strategy
      • Works directly with Metrolinx in bringing enhanced GO Train service to Niagara. This unlocks more possibilities for development, commuters, travellers and businesses.
    • Shared Services
      • Focuses on exploring and implementing more shared service opportunities between the cities / towns in Niagara and Niagara Region
      • Increases inter-municipal collaboration and improves government efficiency and effectiveness

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