Part 1: Economic Direction and Community Partnerships – 01/30/2025

The County’s Committee of the Whole met on January 30, 2025, at Shire Hall in Picton for a working session centred on economic development, tourism, and the role of community organizations in supporting local business. The meeting was chaired by Councillor David Harrison (North Marysburgh) and brought together councillors, senior staff, and representatives from several County organizations.

© PEC Council (YouTube)

View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes.

Picton BIA Reviews a Busy Year

The first deputation was delivered by Mark Rose, Executive Director of the Picton Business Improvement Association, who walked Committee through the BIA’s activities in 2024 and priorities for the year ahead.

Rose highlighted downtown events, community clean-up initiatives, Pride celebrations, and partnerships with larger festivals as examples of how the BIA worked to increase foot traffic and strengthen Picton’s year-round economy. He also spoke about upcoming plans, including new events and the exploration of an associate membership model to better connect with businesses outside the BIA’s formal boundary.

Councillors asked questions about how the associate membership concept would work and how the BIA would maintain its focus on Picton’s core. Committee formally received the presentation.

Tourism as an Economic Driver

Next, Sarah Fox, Executive Director of Visit The County, presented on tourism’s role in the local economy. Drawing on external research, Fox described tourism promotion as a tool that supports employment, investment, and municipal revenues beyond the visitor sector alone.

She acknowledged recent declines in Municipal Accommodation Tax revenues compared to peak years and emphasized a focus on sustainable tourism that balances economic benefit with resident quality of life. Councillors raised questions about the difference between day visitors and overnight guests and how tourism spending translates into municipal benefit. Fox noted that further detail would be provided in a future report to Council. Committee received the deputation without debate.

Chamber of Commerce Raises Economic Concerns

The third deputation came from Duarte Da Silva, Chief Executive Officer of the Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce, who spoke about growing economic uncertainty affecting local businesses. He referenced trade pressures, workforce challenges, and recent program reductions at Loyalist College as factors increasing risk for small and medium-sized employers.

Da Silva requested a $50,000 annual grant over three years to support Chamber-led business and workforce initiatives. Rather than approving funding, Committee directed staff to prepare a report examining a potential “exceptional partnership” with the Chamber under the County’s Community Grants Policy. The deputation itself was received.

Economic Development Action Plan Introduced

The meeting concluded with the presentation of the Economic Development Action Plan 2025–2030 by Karen Palmer, Economic Development Officer, with background provided by Emily Cowan, Director of Community Services and Initiatives.

Palmer described the plan as a five-year roadmap focused on economic diversification, small business support, agriculture, workforce development, and improved coordination across sectors. Discussion touched on tools such as a Community Improvement Plan, data collection, and the need to address childcare as a workforce issue.

Committee endorsed the Action Plan as a guiding document and directed staff to proceed with further work, including the development of a childcare task team.

Key Takeaways

The Committee moved briefly into closed session to address a personnel matter, with no motions arising. The meeting returned to open session and adjourned at 4:46 p.m.

1. Local organizations are shaping economic discussions. The Picton BIA, Visit The County, and the Chamber of Commerce shared updates and concerns about business activity, tourism, and economic challenges.

   
   

2. Tourism remains a major economic driver. Officials highlighted tourism’s role in supporting jobs, local businesses, and municipal revenue while emphasizing the need for sustainable growth.

   
   

3. A five-year economic roadmap is underway. The County endorsed the Economic Development Action Plan 2025–2030 to guide business support, workforce development, and economic diversification.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 3:47:17. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.