The following resolution was presented:
WHEREAS the City of Greater Sudbury's Strategic Plan 2019-2027 includes Business Attraction, Development and Retention as one of its goals, which speaks to Council's priorities to foster economic activity within the private sector, with a focus on job creation and assessment growth;
AND WHEREAS this goal is advanced by supporting existing businesses, making municipal services efficient and accessible, facilitating partnerships with private industry, and hosting promotional activities to attract targeted sectors;
AND WHEREAS these initiatives make Greater Sudbury an attractive place to do business, signaling to new or existing local companies that we welcome businesses and enable them to thrive and that there is a local government that will support them;
AND WHEREAS the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce outlined eight priorities in their 2022 Municipal Election Platform, seeking support from its municipal leaders to "support post pandemic recovery and create an environment that is conducive to new investment, talent attraction, and opportunity creation";
AND WHEREAS one of the priorities identified by the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce and its members was the reduction of "red tape" at the municipal level, citing its commitment to "working with the business community and city staff to identify and reduce red tape at the municipal level, with support from all of Council";
AND WHEREAS the government of Ontario created the “Ministry of Red Tape Reduction” because red tape is a significant barrier to economic growth and innovation and less red tape leads to a stronger Ontario;
AND WHEREAS more streamlined processes for entrepreneurs to reduce costs and administrative burdens on Sudbury's business community, and initiatives such as a self-service tool to check the status of building permits to enhance the predictability of approval timelines have been suggested;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Greater Sudbury directs the Chief Administrative Officer to collaborate and engage with the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce to prepare a report to be presented to Council by the end of Q2 2023 outlining:
a) A description of the challenges being experienced by their members and the business community as a whole;
b) An analysis of potential changes to regulations and policies that could resolve or minimize the impact of those challenges;
c) The role of current municipal initiatives already underway to improve service delivery and access to services;
d) Processes or initiatives that could be considered to further improve service delivery and access to services, and
e) Resource implications, if any, associated with implementing potential changes together with an estimate of the timing associated with the work.