Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day, and that was certainly true on Thursday.
More than 80 residents, business owners, town staff, members of council and representatives from the Bradford Board of Trade (BBT) turned out for the Mayor’s Annual Business Breakfast June 20, where they had the opportunity to enjoy networking, presentations and of course a variety of breakfast foods at the Club at Bond Head.
First to present was the new BBT president, Donna Katz, who outlined the new direction and goals for the board in addition to noting several upcoming events.
“Our mission is to foster connections, it is to provide resources, it is to advocate for businesses,” she said. “Joining us connects your business with a massive network of businesses and opens doors for you to other opportunities.”
For 2024 and 2025, the BBT is looking to increase membership, discover what members want most and create a plan to provide it to them — all while strengthening ties with the town and community organizations.
To that end, the board hosts several events, including the annual Business Excellence Awards, and the Open for Business golf tournament on July 11.
Next up was town chief administrative officer (CAO), Geoff McKnight, who praised the BBT for being “as strong as it’s ever been,” and assured them “the town is with you on that journey” to “make the community as great as it can be.”
McKnight reminded the group of the progress made on town and council initiatives including: the traffic mitigation strategy, the economic strategy, completed paving of Line 8 and Sideroad 10, the recent opening of the youth centre, that an architect has been secured for the detailed design of the new town hall, and that Celebration Square is set to break ground in early July.
The CAO also explained the importance of the town’s organizational review, which alters the corporate structure to better prepare the town as it is expected to grow to about 85,000 people by 2051.
One of the new hires as part of the restructuring is the town’s new Deputy CAO, Mahesh Ramdeo, who outlined his vision for the future of Bradford as “a vibrant place” where people want to live, work and play.
In order to achieve that, Ramdeo wants to help create more predictability for businesses and developers looking to invest in the town by reviewing and streamlining some town procedures, plus moving to an online system for permit application and tracking in October, followed by other planning processes in March.
In addition to ongoing efforts to expand water and sewer capacity, Ramdeo said he anticipates an industrial land strategy will take inventory of which lands are available and what they can potentially offer and work to combine that with what the community wants.
Ramdeo also credited another new hire, Jennifer Best, the town’s director of growth services, as being “key” to guiding the municipality through change.
While Best didn’t present during the event, she explained to BradfordToday that her new position is “very exciting” and aims to bring together different components from planning, engineering and economic development.
She’s hoping to “enhance” the planning and approval process with more pre-consultations so more aspects run in parallel, meaning projects can be approved and built faster, while still ensuring checks and balances.
Beyond that she’s also hoping to integrate economic development to help applicants determine the best uses for their land, and even help look for tenants and businesses.
“I’m happy to be here. I’m an embracer of positive change and all about vibrant communities,” she said.
Of course, the mayor’s breakfast wouldn’t be complete without a presentation from Mayor James Leduc himself, who explained council is “making investments today that are key for the future,” but added those investments, “must be carefully managed.”
The mayor noted milestones including that the detailed design for the Holland Street reconstruction is “nearly complete” and expected sometime this fall, and that the town has secured mentorship programs for the future Catalyst Centre with Collingwood Foundry and Georgian College.
As a sign that more businesses are moving into town, Leduc said staff were meeting with a new manufacturer following the breakfast event.
Discussing “fundamentals” of a good city, the mayor said there’s a need to balance chaos with order, because people “are drawn to places and streets full of life,” which could be accomplished with “tightly packed, well-ordered spaces” that offer “cozy” public spaces surrounded by buildings with about five-storeys to offer density without making people feel uncomfortable and still allowing enough differentiation for the town to offer a “strong character.”
When it comes to “building a better Bradford,” Leduc said to the audience, “you will be an integral part of the ongoing discussions to get there.”