Inside the Collaboration between Planners & Economic Developer’s Erik Acs, Project Manager, Planning Programs and Engagement, Niagara Region Brian Morris, Business Development Consultant with the City of Hamilton’s Economic Development Office. Take an inside peak at the collaboration between a network of economic developers and planners all with one goal in mind – to implement the Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Action Plan: 2021.

1. Inside the Collaboration:
Planning & Economic Development
Brian Morris – Economic Developer – City of Hamilton
Erik Acs – Planner – Niagara Region
November 3rd, 2016

2. Golden Horseshoe Food & Farming
Alliance (GHFFA)
• Elected Municipal Officials from the 5
Regions and the Cities of Hamilton &
Toronto
• Public Health in the Golden Horseshoe
• Federations of Agriculture in the Golden
Horseshoe
• Toronto & Region Conservation
Authority
• Vineland Research & Innovation Centre
• Durham College & Niagara College
• Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation
• Holland Marsh Growers Association
• Food Industry

3. Golden Horseshoe Food &
Farming Action Plan 2021
• First ever regional food
system plan for the
Golden Horseshoe
• Integrates land use
planning, economic
development and food,
nutrition and health

4. Five Opportunity Areas
1. Grow the Cluster
2. Link Food, Farming and Health
3. Foster Innovation
4. Enable the Cluster
5. Cultivate New Approaches
62 action items
25 of which are completed or are in progress

5. Key Accomplishments
Projects:
• ›Food & Farming Asset Mapping
• ›Municipal Local Food Procurement
• ›Golden Horseshoe Agriculture & Agri-Food Profile Study
Significant Engagement Initiatives:
• ›Queens’ Park Days to engage Ministers & MPP’s
• ›Workshop series for planners & economic development officers
• ›Linking Food, Farming & Health’ annual meeting with Public Health
Engagement, Policy Review & Communication Initiatives:
• Response to Parks Canada’s Rouge Park Management Strategy
• ›Response to the Provincial Co-ordinated Plans Review and Advisory
Panel report, Local Food Act, and other policy proposals
• ›Online e-newsletters &stories

6. But Who Makes This Happen?
• Alliance Board who support the vision of the
GHFFA
• Staff working group
– Planners and Economic Developers from the 5 regions
and 2 cities across the Golden Horseshoe
• Alliance staff
THE VISION
The Golden Horseshoe is globally renowned as a vibrant food and
farming cluster, characterized by profitable farming operations, a
thriving hub of food processing, food retail and food service
businesses, extensive research capacity, innovative technology, and a
wide range of healthy and safe products.

7. But How do you Make it Happen?
Three Overarching Themes:
1. Financial/Resource
2. Information Transfer
3. Collective Impact

8. Financial
• Pooling limited budgets
• Sharing resources
• Leveraging funding
Example:
2016 Asset Mapping Project

9. Information Transfer
• Efficiency of Resources
• ‘Borrowing’ ideas/solutions
• You don’t know what you
don’t know
• Extends beyond topics that
concern the GHFFA
Example: Edge Panning

10. Collective Impact
• Regional issues not confined to
municipal borders or ward
boundaries
• Lending multiple voices to a
particular issue or set of issues
• Raising the bar! challenge each
municipality to improve
themselves – ‘coopertition’
Example: Coordinated Policy
Review

11. Thank you!