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| A Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) strategy was presented to Council in May 2025. It was a collaborative effort across multiple departments. A plan for business retention and expansion has been completed. Staff are now integrating the plan to align it with the Investment Attraction strategy which will focus on targeting industries that enhance tax diversification and create jobs in Maple Ridge. The focus will also include short-term objectives and strategic planning to attract long-term investments. | |
| The City has adopted an Investment Attraction Strategy and is now implementing it into action. As part of this work, labor market and incentive strategies will be developed to match the skills and tools needed to attract and retain target industries in Maple Ridge. Therefore, the work of this key result will be absorbed into the implementation of the strategy to maximize focus of the work on the most promising sectors that support new business attraction. | |
| An Investment Attraction Strategy has been developed that provides guidance on possible targeted industries on which to focus. This was a collaborative effort across multiple departments, and staff are now working on setting up new key results for Q3 that will drive achievement of investment attraction results in the industries selected. The focus is on industries that enhance tax diversification and create jobs in Maple Ridge. | |
| To accommodate the increase in growth and streamline the processing of new applications, the department will request the addition of a new Business Licensing Clerk during the business planning session scheduled for the fall of 2025.
Additionally, staff will be reviewing, repealing, and introducing a revised Business Licence Bylaw. This new bylaw will be aligned with emerging technologies to facilitate an online application and approval system.
A staff review of the business licencing process is substantially completed and will be informing future changes to the Bylaw and the processing of applications to streamline this and improve the customer experience. Joint inspections by Building and Fire officials are an example of these improvements reducing the time for approval of a licence. | |
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| In 2024 and early 2025 considerable work was done to build a collaboration with key partners to encourage location of a post-secondary institution in Maple Ridge. Establishing a collaboration model is now completed and will continue to be maintained. Future work will focus on connecting the post-secondary engagement and collaboration to investment attraction needs regarding the future labour force. This aspect of the feasibility study for post-secondary intuitions is now completed. It will remain a longer-term focus for the City to prepare for an upturn in growth of the post-secondary sector as current external factors such as immigration policy have made the operating environment more challenging in the medium term for post-secondary institutions expansion and growth in satellite campuses. | |
| After review of a possible Tech-Hub, the City has shifted its focus toward advancing the Innovation Ecosystem more broadly and this may involve initiatives targeting technology-inclined entrepreneurs as well as other projects that will support local innovation and stimulate business attraction and retention. This work will involve assessing existing assets and opportunities in the community. Through this process, we are building a clearer understanding of local capacity and needs. A revised and more clearly defined key result will be proposed. | |
| The City has adopted an Investment Attraction Strategy and is now implementing it into action. As part of this work, labor market and incentive strategies will be developed to match the skills and tools needed to attract and retain target industries in Maple Ridge. Therefore, the work of this key result will be absorbed into the implementation of the investment strategy to maximize focus of the work on the most promising sectors that support new business attraction. The labour market analysis was not completed to date and so will be closed as not-met even though this work will be rescoped as part of the implementation of the Investment Strategy. | |
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| The goal of the Net Promoter Score was to track how customer experiences are perceived over time for the agri-tourism and eco-tourism sector. A baseline survey was done and data gathered that highlighted the experiences that are well-received and those requiring some improvement. Now that the baseline survey is complete, the City will conduct future surveys biannually starting in 2027. Making improvements to agri-tourism and eco-tourism is also supported by the other initiative linked to this key result - completing a regulatory review of relevant policies. This work is ongoing and is on track to be completed by July of 2026. | |
| This key result focused on the positive benefits from film productions in Maple Ridge in stimulating local tourism. While there is anecdotal evidence that film productions in Maple Ridge have generated positive tourism benefits, this is difficult to quantify. This key result will be completed as partially met and new key results focused on the core economic benefits of the film sector will be implemented to better reflect the intent of this work. Additional measures for tourism attraction are also being added. | |
| The Event Attraction Strategy for tourism driven events has been prepared and was reviewed by Council for input in Q1, 2025. Staff are now working though the strategy recommendations to determine next steps to foster events that have multiplier benefits for the community through tourism attraction, business development and that align with existing community based and recreational events. Future initiatives will be put in place to enact the strategy and undertake work in earnest to target the attraction of specific high-profile events (e.g., concerts, cultural events and festivals, film festivals, sports and games events) that can generate tourism and community outcomes. | |
| The BeWith Hub provides a promotional and booking hub for local businesses. Information about the BeWith initiative and its benefits for local businesses has been communicated through conversations and social media. Support is offered to assist businesses in creating accounts and updating their events on the portal, thereby raising awareness of activities in Maple Ridge. Over time this key result will enable a minimum of 35 businesses to be profiled through the portal. In the first instance, work focuses on the launch of the platform. In future reports initiatives will be added to expand and promote the Hub to provide services to more local businesses. | |
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| Filming revenue is currently 30% higher compared to the same period last year, exceeding the 5% growth target and reflecting an ongoing diversification of productions resulting in increased complex production activity utilizing City Assets and demand for filming in Maple Ridge. The key result has two related initiatives that are underway, involving hosting promotional events to attract film productions to Maple Ridge, and updating the Maple Ridge Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 7575-2019 to consider incentives that will also increase film revenue for the community. | |
| The Economic Development and Planning teams are collaborating to expedite the permitting process for a major production company, which plans to construct and film at sets for a 14-month filming period in Maple Ridge. This coordination supports timely project delivery and reinforces the city’s commitment to facilitating major film productions and being Business Ready. Work is underway to promote Maple Ridge as a filming location in the hope of attracting other major and smaller productions. This not only increases revenue in the community but creates momentum for the creative sector in Maple Ridge. | |
| The City's #FilmFriday campaign is scheduled to end by mid-November 2025. Following the launch, data will be compiled and analyzed to assess residents’ sentiment and awareness regarding filming activity in Maple Ridge. This will provide a baseline of data on which to focus further promotions and activities that support and encourage the creative sector in Maple Ridge. | |
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| Staff are currently reviewing existing business data to confirm eligibility and ensure all qualified businesses are informed about the Patio Program opportunity. This step will help validate the outreach list within the Downtown businesses in the BIA catchment area. Once a target list of eligible businesses is identified, staff will proactively make contact to encourage participation in the program. The key result also focuses on surveying businesses to identify any barriers to participation so these can be addressed in future improvements to the program. Achievement of this key result will contribute to increased dynamism and activity for the Maple Ridge hospitality sector.
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| This is a new key result and has not yet commenced implementation. In Q4 2025, staff will begin working on interviews a first step in gathering data to inform an innovation ecosystem action plan. | |
| A focus group is being organized for October 2025 with local residents in Maple Ridge who have technical expertise, entrepreneurial backgrounds in scalable startups, or have supported initiatives that bring together individuals with various innovation and scalable entrepreneurship backgrounds. The purpose of the session is to identify the City’s current strengths and explore opportunities to enhance Maple Ridge’s innovation ecosystem. | |
| The focus of the work is to collaborate through partnerships with key organizations and interest holders to create the conditions that will foster a thriving innovation ecosystem. Over time this will stimulate creation and success of many more Maple Ridge businesses driven by innovation. As partnership agreements are signed, such efforts can generate benefits in broader economic efforts such as investment attraction as well as business retention & expansion. | |
| This is a new Key Result. Message development and target audience identification will begin once key interest holder interviews and focus groups have been completed, and an action plan for the innovation ecosystem has been established. | |