Growth Strategy and Economic Development

Divisions

• Corporate Strategy and Community Sustainability

  Corporate Strategy and Community Sustainability is responsible for community planning and overseeing Niagara Region's corporate strategy, including climate change and accessibility.

  This diverse portfolio of projects is completed in cooperation with local area municipalities.

  This division manages the following areas:

  • Accessibility
  • Reviews the Regions practices, processes and the built environment to eliminate barriers to access for persons with disabilities
  • Leads, develops and maintains the corporate Accessibility Plan
  • Community planning
  • Coordinates the Joint Agency Review Team with local municipalities and the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to review mineral aggregate applications
  • Plans for excess Regional facilities and lands projects
  • Leads rural strategic initiatives, such as irrigation and rural servicing feasibility studies
  • Coordinates Regional greening strategy and implementation, as well as reviews and comments on provincial policy and legislative changes
  • Corporate strategy
  • Oversees and delivers Niagara Region's corporate performance and corporate policy framework
  • Facilitates, updates and helps with the implementation of the Strategic Plan for each term of Council
  • Leads and develops corporate climate change policies, plans and initiatives
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

  The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Indigenous Relations team strives to create a Niagara that is welcoming and inclusive, and where diversity and equity is reflected and valued.

  The team supports Council and staff in advancing Indigenous reconciliation and corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as well as engaging with Indigenous governments, organizations and community members.

  This division manages the following areas:

  • Diversity, equity and inclusion
  • Manages and executes the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan
  • Supports a variety of advisory committees, such as the Niagara Region Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee and the Niagara Region Women's Advisory Committee
  • Provides training, education and advice to staff and Regional Council to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion principles in policies, procedures and programs at Niagara Region
  • Indigenous relations
  • Responsible for developing an Indigenous ReconciliAction Plan in collaboration with Indigenous leaders and community members
  • Builds respectful relationships between settlers, Indigenous organizations and community members in Niagara
  • Provides training, education and advice to staff and Regional Council to support service delivery that culturally respectful and inclusive
• Economic Development

  Economic Development leads prosperity through boosting Niagara's visibility through strategic investments, prioritizing foreign direct investment and global marketing. It fosters crucial partnerships with government bodies, expediting investment decisions and shaping impactful policies for sustained economic growth.

  This division manages the following areas:

  • Business and economic research and analysis
  • Interprets Niagara's economy through regional economic and business research. This ensures policy development and economic initiatives are grounded in the latest economic data.
  • Monitors and analyzes data on an ongoing basis to support alignment with economic and corporate priorities
  • External marketing
  • Strives to position Niagara as a preferred destination for businesses through global marketing strategies
  • Showcases Niagara's attractiveness for both business and resident investment in key markets and sectors. This contributes to the transformation of Niagara into a globally renowned community.
  • Investment attraction
  • Specializes in expanding and diversifying the economy
  • Attracts businesses in sectors where Niagara holds a competitive edge or where strong business cases for investment exist, including emerging sectors
  • Local area municipality and sector supports
  • Strengthens and supports key sectors of Niagara's economy
  • Builds capacity within local municipalities that do not have economic development resources
  • Strategic growth services
  • Guides businesses through grants, incentives and funding programs
  • Offers crucial information and approvals for informed decisions ensuring projects stay on schedule and fostering confidence in their expansion within Niagara
  • Strategic initiatives and advocacy
  • Achieves the vision of the 10 Year Economic Development Strategy
  • Focuses on projects of regional significance that are aligned with the goals of a prosperous Niagara
• Growth Management and Planning

  Growth Management and Planning identifies where and how growth should happen. It is responsible for urban design, environmental and development planning as well as growth management and analytics in Niagara.

  This division manages the following areas:

  • Development planning
  • Coordinates comments on various development applications and administers grant and incentive programs
  • Coordinates land use planning expertise with consideration for engineering review of major infrastructure. This includes Regional roads, water and wastewater, transit and stormwater.
  • Leads process improvement initiatives in Niagara to ensure consistency in the development approvals process
  • Environmental planning
  • Conducts environmental planning reviews and technical clearances
  • Maintains and administer the Region's Woodland Conservation By-law
  • Growth management and analytics
  • Maintains and updates Regional population forecasts
  • Develops a growth management strategy that aligns location and timing of growth with future infrastructure planning in Niagara. This ensures orderly and fiscally sustainable development.
  • Responsible for the tracking of development and annual monitoring of the growth management strategy
  • Urban design and incentives
  • Promotes design excellence in development planning by encouraging best practices in urban design on projects. This includes roads, streetscapes, public buildings and spaces.
  • Collaborates with Regional projects and local cities / towns on urban design and landscape architectural projects
  • Oversees the approval and processing of incentive and grant programs administered by the department
  • Responsible for the review, efficiency and effectiveness of grant and incentive processes
• Infrastructure Planning / Development Engineering

  Infrastructure Planning and Development Engineering is responsible for strategic infrastructure planning to support growth management, land use planning and development in a financially sustainable manner. It also handles private servicing and septic review and approval.

  This division manages the following areas:

  • Development engineering
  • Reviews development applications for impacts on Regional infrastructure and provides consultation services to developers, residents and businesses
  • Reviews and analyzes Regional water and wastewater capacities for long-term growth and ongoing development applications
  • Private sewage systems inspection
  • Approves and inspects private sewage / septic systems for local businesses and residents
  • Administers and enforces Part 8 of the Ontario Building Code for all cities / towns except Wainfleet, Welland and West Lincoln
  • Reviews and approves of private on-site sewage servicing for development applications
  • Stormwater
  • Coordinates with cities / towns in Niagara to administer the combined sewer overflow cost-sharing program and wet weather management
  • Reviews water and wastewater servicing, stormwater management and transportation studies
  • Water and wastewater planning
  • Oversees growth infrastructure, capacity and water and wastewater master planning for Regional water and wastewater systems
  • Coordinates and collaborates with cities / towns in Niagara on water and wastewater infrastructure planning and development approvals. This includes consideration for wet weather management and combined sewer overflow funding program.
• Strategic Transformation Office

  Strategic Transformation Office focuses on attainable housing, shared services and the ongoing development of Niagara's GO Transit service expansion.

  This division manages the following areas:

  • Attainable housing
  • Focuses on projects that impact the supply of market-driven attainable housing leading to a greater mix and improved access to rental and ownership housing options
  • Complements initiatives and activities of Housing Services and Niagara Region Community Services. This includes supportive housing programs such as bridge housing, community housing, rent-geared-to-income units and affordable housing.
  • GO Implementation
  • Drives forward delivery of Council's multi-site GO Station Development Strategy
  • Works directly with Metrolinx in bringing enhanced GO Train service to Niagara. This unlocks more possibilities for development, commuters, travellers and businesses.
  • Shared Services
  • Focuses on exploring and implementing more shared service opportunities between the cities / towns in Niagara and Niagara Region
  • Increases inter-municipal collaboration and improves government efficiency and effectiveness

Departments

• Community Services
• Corporate Services
• Growth Strategy and Economic Development
• Public Health and Emergency Services
• Public Works
• About Niagara Region