CLEANTECH INVESTMENT

ATTRACTION PROJECT Town of East Gwillimbury

Final Report – April 30, 2015 Final Draft (v4.1)

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Project Background and Policy Framework

Project Work Plan

Economic Development Strategy

Comparative Advantage

Study Findings and Observations

General Observations

Relevant Municipalities and Conservation Centres

Upper York Sewage Solutions (UYSS) Project

Workshop on Water Summary

Economic Development Opportunities

Background Information on the Business Incubator and/or Accelerator

Marketing Plan

Conclusions and Recommendations

Appendices

A- Interviews/Consultations and Websites Consulted

B- Upper York Sewage Solutions (UYSS) Map (EA- July, 2014) C - Workshop on Water March 31, 2015 – Outcomes Report

(Workshop Presentations provided under separate cover)

D – Marketing – Sample advertisements

E - Background Information:

Cash & Associates Inc.

Greening Marketing Inc.

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Executive Summary

The Ontario Environment Industry Association (ONEIA) offers the following definition of Cleantech:

“Ontario’s environment and cleantech sector is made up of organizations or divisions of organizations based in Ontario (or with substantial operations in this province) whose primary business is the production, provision or development of products, technologies or services that are designed to produce beneficial environmental outcomes.”

The Town of East Gwillimbury retained Cash & Associates Inc. and Greening Marketing Inc. to

prepare the development of a Cleantech Investment Strategy with a focus on the water sector;

in particular, to identify economic development opportunities associated with the York Region

water/waste water infrastructure investment and the environmental policies concerning the

health of Lake Simcoe.

Economic development for a community is always rooted in its economic “comparative advantages” over others. Comparative advantages can simply exist and/or can be created and/or developed. Business activity, investment and job creation occur where these advantages are realized and/or developed. The Town’s 10 year Economic Development Strategy (adopted by Council in 2011) does not identify significant existing comparative advantages for the Cleantech Industry. Comparative advantages will need to be created for East Gwillimbury to be successful in leveraging related economic development. There are a large number of water related research/development organizations in Ontario, linked with industry and government, with various strategies to promote, test and transfer new technologies. This is a very crowded space. The Cleantech Sector, and the water industry are part of a larger grouping of “knowledge-based industries”, where the most important input component to the business is the knowledge and skills of the labour force. The water industry is more likely to locate and operate (be sustained) from locations where they have ready access to “Water Brains”, and not necessarily from where their water products and services are used. The UYSS is a York Region water/waste water infrastructure project, designed to accommodate growth in the Towns of Aurora, Newmarket and East Gwillimbury. The project has a number of components, including: Water Reclamation Centre (WRC) to be located in East Gwillimbury; phosphorus off-setting program and modifications to YDSS. In simple terms, current design for the WRC calls for conventional wastewater treatment plant to be supplemented with microfiltration plus Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Ultra-Violet (UV) processes. At the end of the process, the WRC will produce “Ultra-Pure” water which will have to be treated before being discharged into Holland River or will be harmful to environment. The Province of Ontario currently doesn’t have regulations concerning the reclamation/reuse of this type of water. The Ministry still considers this as “waste”. Economic Development Opportunities Identified The research results and feedback from the workshop has identified the following opportunities:

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Waste Water Reuse (from WRC):

Use of the nutrient rich water on site for research and development associated with agriculture and irrigation. This could take the form of an association with Ontario post-secondary institution(s) and/or Centres of Excellence, linking into the existing array of water/waste water organizations. Use of the nutrient rich water could also be transferred by pipe to nearby users, such as sod/turf growers; golf courses or similar recreational properties and agricultural growers – e.g. the greenhouse industry. Utilization of the “Ultra-Pure Water” for industrial processes and products – such as precision cutting of materials or making products that require pure water (e.g. semi-conductors, cement, ice, biodiesel).

Resource Recovery and Reuse (At WRC)

Use of nutrient rich water (on site) for nutrient recovery and reuse. Focus could be on phosphorus (P) and nitrogen, which could be used to produce other products (such as, fertilizer). Companies have commercial-ready technologies and some municipalities have included this activity in their waste water treatment facilities – Chicago and Edmonton. Focus on commercial scale Phosphorus recovery and reuse appears to be an area that has not yet been implemented in a municipal waste water facility Ontario.

Creation of the Lake Simcoe Watershed Management Centre (WMC)

There is a gap in the existing network of conservation centres in Ontario that provides a focus on the full scale testing + certification + training to support Low Impact Development (LID) designs and product. A Watershed Management Centre (WMC) could be created to fill this gap, and would have similarities to the Centre for Watershed Protection (CWP) in the US.

Business Incubator focussed on Water Reuse/Resource Recovery

A business incubators is an economic development tool used to foster the start-up of new businesses – incubators can provide space, services, advice and support designed to assist new and growing business to become established and profitable. The WRC and/or WMC concepts should be coupled with a business incubator component, VentureLAB has expressed interest is supporting an Incubator as part of this project. They receive funding from a number of sources including, York Region and the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs.

(Note: there were a few other opportunities identified that will require further research and assessment - these include incineration of bio solids; energy from waste; and district energy). From a marketing perspective, many communities across Canada and North America have put a great deal of emphasis on developing water strategies. In order to differentiate East Gwillimbury within the ‘clutter ‘of global strategies it is recommended to implement a non-traditional, modern marketing approach, to create points of differentiation along with pragmatic, measurable results. The marketing plan establishes a baseline format that could be used for promoting the East Gwillimbury “Advantage” within targeted sectors of the economy. Also, the East Gwillimbury

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partnership approach referenced in the Town’s Economic Development Strategy is recommended throughout the plan, to be used as a strategic tool to establish and enhance business relationships. The strategy would be to market community in the long term for its focus innovative watershed management and waste water reuse/resource recovery. Conventional thinking about waste water will need time to change. It will take some time for the WRC and/or WMC concepts to become further developed and partnerships emerge. In the interim, it is recommended to market the community as the leading community for sustainability – “Community … as it should be.” The integrated media plan should include earned media (Brand Reporting™); paid media and social media. The advent of new media/social media has created media measurement tools unprecedented in the marketing industry. Google, Facebook and Twitter all provide exceptional empirical data the will measure media reach and demographic, geographic profiles of campaigns.

The Cleantech Investment Strategy contains a number of recommendations that cover short

and long term time horizons, including:

Leverage the existing network of water centres and research organizations – to capitalize on emerging comparative advantages and focus on gaps;

Launch a marketing campaign with partners, focussed first on the community, followed by Cleantech water opportunities as they emerge, using earned and traditional media tools;

Circulate the Cleantech Strategy to the Region for their comments and seek a more enhance partnership in the Upper York Sewage Solutions/Water Reclamation Centre (WRC);

Establish a Cleantech water focus on a) water/waste water reuse, particularly as it relates to agriculture and closed loop industrial purposes; and b) waste water resource recovery and reuse, particularly as it relates to nutrients such as, phosphorus and nitrogen;

Circulate the Cleantech Strategy to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority for their comments and seek a partnership in the creation of a Watershed Management Centre (WMC) with a focus on Low Impact Development best practices ;

Enter into discussions with appropriate Post-Secondary Institutions regarding their interests with regard to the opportunities identified in this study (e.g. WRC and WMC);

Champion the creation of a business incubator component as part of the WRC and/or the WMC and firm up appropriate partners; and

Undertake further research (where appropriate) on other opportunities such as District Energy in conjunction with others.

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Project Background and Policy Framework

Town Council endorsed the undertaking of the “Cleantech Investment Attraction Project” in late

2014 and work commenced in January 2015. When Town Council approved the project, Town

staff provided the following background in staff report ED2014-10 (September 29, 2014):

“York Region is making significant investment in infrastructure within East Gwillimbury.

This investment together with environmental policies pertaining to the protection of Lake

Simcoe, provides a unique opportunity to engage members of the environmental

business sector and potentially attract private sector investment, i.e. research and

environmental technology. The Cleantech project has been undertaken to determine

opportunities within this sector which would attract business and industrial development

in the Town’s employment corridors with a focus on research, innovation, design and

construction of leading edge, technologically advanced municipal infrastructure. The

Cleantech sector includes areas as diverse as alternative energy systems, waste,

composting and recycling solutions, environmental consulting, brownfield remediation,

air and water treatment. The Ontario Environment Industry Association (ONEIA) offers

the following as a definition of Ontario’s environment industry,

‘ Ontario’s environment and cleantech sector is made up of organizations or

divisions of organizations based in Ontario (or with substantial operations in this

province) whose primary business is the production, provision or development of

products, technologies or services that are designed to produce beneficial

environmental outcomes.’

Basically, Cleantech is a sector of the environment industry that reaps both economic

and environmental benefits.”

The staff report also narrowed the focus for the Cleantech Strategy on the water sector,

establishing the purpose to identify economic development opportunities associated with the

York Region water/waste water infrastructure investment and the environmental policies

concerning the health of Lake Simcoe. As part of this project, the potential to accelerate the

development of new business activity within East Gwillimbury, through an incubator or similar

initiative is also being assessed.

The project is being carried out with the support of the South Lake Community Futures

Development Corp. (CFDC); Regional Municipality of York and the Lake Simcoe Region

Conservation Authority (LSRCA).

Project Work Plan

The study work plan proposed 4 phases:

Phase 1 Background and Research – Review of the existing information gathered by

the Town on the Water Industry component of Cleantech, including interviews with the

various organizations involved in the water sector (see full list of interviewees in

appendix); assessment of local comparative advantage and what other economic

development efforts are doing; and identification of potential opportunities and

prospects.

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Phase 2 – Industry/Government Workshop – The focus of the half day event is to

further assess and refine opportunities identified early in the study among Subject Matter

Experts (SMEs), and identify potential partners for collaboration.

Phase 3 – Marketing Plan/tools and Business Park/Incubator Concepts - The

development of a marketing strategy/tools that builds on the opportunities coming out of

Phases 1 and 2. In addition, further analysis is done on the potential for an incubator

and/or business accelerator.

Phase 4 Summary Report and Recommendations – This last phase brings together

the work from the earlier study components and provide recommendations in

relationship to opportunities identified; a marketing plan/tools and with respect to a

business incubator or accelerator.

Economic Development Strategy – Town of East Gwillimbury

The Town of East Gwillimbury adopted an Economic Development Strategy in 2011, which

provides a 10 year road map to guide Economic Development activity. The Strategy has

following key themes:

Quality of places and spaces

Partnerships and collaboration

Effective rural stewardship

The strategy has three high levels goals:

Build attractive, liveable and sustainable community

Lead collaboration to advance Economic Development priorities

Support business investment in urban and rural areas

The development of a Cleantech Investment Strategy is consistent with the Economic

Development long range plan, in that it looks to support/attract business investment and it looks

to creating partnerships.

Comparative Advantage

Economic development for a community is always rooted in its economic “comparative

advantages” over others (particularly in the context of a locational advantage “on the ground”).

Comparative advantages can simply exist as natural resource and/or can be created and/or

developed.

E.g. Sudbury’s mining industry; Niagara’s tourism; Toronto’s financial sector; Waterloo’s education/technology hub etc.

Business activity, investment and job creation occur (at locations) where these advantages are

realized and/or developed (often to serve a larger market). Successful marketing programs

focus on promoting comparative advantages.

While East Gwillimbury’s 10 year economic development strategy provides some data on the

Town’s comparative advantages, the Plan is more about creating comparative advantages

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going forward. In particular, building an urban/rural community that is “attractive, liveable and

sustainable”.

The research data that supports the economic development strategy does not identify significant

existing comparative advantages for attracting business activity, investment and jobs in the

Cleantech Industry. Comparative advantages will need to be created/developed in this sector for

East Gwillimbury to be successful in leveraging related economic development.

As this study confirms, the planned York Region Water Reclamation Centre (WRC); proximity to

Lake Simcoe and related policy focus on phosphorus reduction, represent significant emerging

comparative advantages for East Gwillimbury.

The recent extension of the Provincial Highway 404 through East Gwillimbury does open up

many acres of new employment lands, that will need to be serviced (water/waste water) to

create a comparative advantage to attract new industry and jobs.

Perhaps one of most important and unique comparative advantages for East Gwillimbury in the

future will be the construction of the link between Highways 400 and 404. This type of locational

advantage exists only in 2 other locations in the GTA, where these highways are connected.

Significant industrial, office and commercial development opportunities have occurred at these

locations. This future employment corridor provides East Gwillimbury and its focus on Cleantech

or any other industry, with very unique locational advantages.

Study Findings and Observations

General Observations

The Ontario Ministry of Economic Development reports that Ontario water sector has:

About 900 companies, employing about 22,000 people (can be grouped into water infrastructure; waste water management and water purification)

A history of innovative water technologies (e.g. membranes, ultraviolet)

Over 750 water/wastewater plants

About 100 technology incubators and 100+ water related research institutes

8,000+ post-secondary graduates in water-related fields

Essentially, it is a growing and lucrative segment of today's knowledge-based economy, and

has become the focus of many economic development strategies by government, at all levels.

What is Ontario’s Economic Development Strategy for Water?

Increasing Investment and Global Access

Driving the Adoption of Innovative Technologies o “Innovation, demonstration and commercialization hub for water

technologies”

Creating Competitive Advantage o “Increase the number of major infrastructure projects in Ontario utilizing

innovative technologies and financing methods”

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East Gwillimbury’s Cleantech initiative and the emerging opportunities identified in this study are

consistent with the Province’s strategies. In particular, Ontario’s strategy has identified a

number of opportunities, including:

“Energy and nutrient recovery – making wastewater facilities energy-positive profit centres

Agriculture – irrigation management, groundwater protection

Industrial – food and beverage, closed loop systems, waste management and water use reduction

Innovative storm water practices and systems – innovative source control and increasing the resiliency of storm water systems”

There are a large number of water related research/development organizations in Ontario. They

are linked with industry and government, with various strategies to promote, test and transfer

new technologies. This is a very crowded space. There is some concern among the players

about the creation of yet another “organization” focused on water.

Water purification and waste water treatment is well covered by various centres and post-

secondary schools/researchers in Ontario. The water industry is working closely with them to

have their “latest and greatest” products and technologies tested and used.

From a commercialization perspective, technology transfer, pilot testing and demonstration is a

consistent theme in Ontario’s water sector – business incubators or similar characterize many

projects.

Government funding, procurement and emerging water related policies/regulations are playing a

critical part in the development of this industry and on the formulation of economic development

opportunities in this sector.

Locational comparative advantages have been “created” by researchers and communities,

through partnerships and collaborative projects – a model that can be replicated, but is quickly

becoming more prevalent (i.e. not unique) in Ontario. Collaborative strategies characterize all

efforts in this area and tapping into existing water networks to leverage opportunities could be

an effective strategy.

The Cleantech Sector, and the water industry are part of a larger grouping of “knowledge-based

industries”, where the most important input component to the business is the knowledge and

skills of the labour force.

The water industry is more likely to locate and operate (be sustained) from locations where they

have ready access to “Water Brains”, and not necessarily from where their water products and

services are used.

Any new entrants to this space (i.e. communities and their economic development strategies)

must have a “razor focus” on unique opportunities or gaps and be tied to a local comparative

advantage.

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Relevant Municipalities and Conservation Centres

Many Ontario municipal economic development strategies and programs are interested in

capitalizing on investment from the “Cleantech Sector”, because of its economic growth; links to

government policy direction and the market’s growing interest in sustainability.

Attracting Cleantech economic business activity has become “Motherhood and Apple Pie” and

many municipalities are moving to identify a niche and links back to their comparative

advantages. Some Ontario municipalities have targeted the Water Industry component of

Cleantech in their Economic Development strategies. Highlights include (information compiled

from their websites and interviews):

Burlington:

This GTA community is home to 253 water-related businesses – many of whom already

supply their products/services and technologies to the sector - water treatment, biogas

and resource recovery, equipment manufacturing and membrane technology.

Community goals are attracting foreign direct investment and helping the existing

businesses grow/expand.

Some companies have established in Burlington to gain access to the necessary labour

pool, aka “Water Brains”. Within the Burlington-Hamilton area, there are a number of

water related research organizations/groups, including the federal Canada Centre for

Inland Waters; Wastewater Technology Centre and the United Nations University –

Institute for Water, Environment and Health (at McMaster Innovation Park).

Peterborough

The focus is on attracting new business and supporting “water technology

entrepreneurs” and helping them to grow their businesses through navigating the

regulatory environment; establishing demonstration projects; providing business support

and links to financial incentives.

The focus is on market opportunities emerging from rural residential/cottage users;

industrial (food processing), municipalities and agricultural (dairy). This initiative is also

linked to local research organizations: Water Quality Centre (WQC) and the Institute for

Watershed Science (IWS) at Trent University and the Centre for Alternative Wastewater

Treatment (CAWT) at Fleming College (Lindsay Campus).

Brockton (Walkerton)

This community has developed a Water Technology Cluster Development Strategy with

the goal to make Walkerton the “water hub” of Ontario – focus on new technologies,

industry and education. An excerpt from their Cluster Strategy is as follows:

“Walkerton has a state of the art demonstration and training facility with

immediate access to the natural environment and natural amenities. This

immediate accessibility makes Walkerton an ideal location for water technology

researchers who want to map, measure, model or monitor their water research

and technologies in real-world pilots.”

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The community is home to the Province’s Walkerton Clean Water Centre (WCWC),

which is focussed on “drinking water… As the leading centre for high-quality training,

applied research and technology demonstration”.

Brockton has developed a small industrial park that includes the WCWC facility, with the

goal to attract water industries. Plans also include provisions for a business incubator

with a focus on drinking water technologies.

The background work done in Brockton in 2012-14 to leverage economic development

spin off from the WCWC (the Cluster Strategy) may include elements that can be used

by other communities. The success of their Cluster initiative for attracting businesses

may be constrained by their location in Bruce County (i.e. away from the GTA) and the

WCWC’s relatively narrow focus on training for operators of drinking water systems.

City of Kawartha Lakes (Lindsay)

The community has a number of industry specific economic development initiatives, but

also includes the operation of the Water Research and Innovation Network (WRAIN),

which is a federal private not-for-profit corporation with the following mandate:

“To support and grow the health, sustainability, and credibility of the water

industry in Canada by supporting the development and introduction of effective

and innovative water treatment technologies.”

They have three main areas of focus:

1. “To provide a knowledge base to municipalities and other government entities about innovative water treatment technologies in Canada

2. To serve as a resource for private sector companies by providing them guidance and a feasibility assessment on implementing water efficient products

3. To deliver a commercialization platform to water treatment companies looking for support and business development”

In some ways, WRAIN appears to operate much like a consulting organization,

identifying business development opportunities for its partners, including new business

investment for the community. They have also found a niche in providing advice and

testing technologies linked to recreational water – for example, beaches and small lakes,

rehabilitation of septic systems etc.

Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC)

It is important to mention the Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC) as it relates

to what other Ontario municipalities are doing (although not specifically economic

development related).

The SOWC is focussed on the research, development, demonstration and testing of

water and waste water technologies – it is a consortium of: 8 (soon to be 9) universities;

Cities of London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph and 70 local companies.

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They have a focus on “watershed management, wastewater treatment, ecotoxicology,

drinking water treatment, and sensor development, as well as the development of

analytical techniques for detection of emerging contaminants.”

The participating municipalities provide access to their waste water facilities for

“watershed scale” testing of treatment technologies.

Upper York Sewage Solutions (UYSS) project

The UYSS is a York Region water/waste water infrastructure project, designed to accommodate

growth in the Towns of Aurora, Newmarket and East Gwillimbury. The project has a number of

components, including: Water Reclamation Centre (WRC); phosphorus off-setting program and

modifications to York Durham Sewage System (YDSS).

The UYSS is designed to accommodate about 150,000+ people/jobs by 2031 or 47 Megalitres

per Day (MLD). The estimated total capital spending by York region will be about $500+ million.

The Region was originally targeting to tender late 2016/early 2017 and commissioning early

2019, however, the approved 2015 Regional Budget now moves project to last half of their 10

year forecast (2020-2024).

Despite this revised timing, the engineering and design work continues. Geotechnical

investigations for WRC site complete and property acquisition process commenced.

The final Individual Environmental Assessment (IEA) report was submitted to Province July 25,

2014 and notice of completion of Provincial Review anticipated by third quarter of 2015.

Water Reclamation Centre (WRC)

In simple terms, current design for the WRC calls for conventional wastewater treatment plant to

be supplemented with microfiltration plus Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Ultra-violet processes. At

the end of the process, the WRC will produce “Ultra-Pure” water which will have to be treated

before being discharged into a water course or it can be harmful to environment.

The preferred site for the WRC is in East Gwillimbury, on the Second Concession, just south of

the proposed alignment for the Hwy 400-404 link (see Appendix B for map). While flows are

estimated to reach 40 MLD by 2031, the WRC will likely be ½ capacity when first

commissioned. The Region advises that up to 30 MLD (75%) could eventually be

diverted/available for other uses.

The Region’s project team is contemplating areas on WRC site where

research/testing/education can be done on use of the nutrient rich water for irrigation/plant

growth purposes (e.g. turf). Reclaimed water could be “taken off” the WRC process with

different levels of nutrients within the water (e.g. phosphorus and nitrogen). Possibly transfer

this water from WRC via a “purple pipe” to nearby irrigation users - golf course/sod farms.

The Province of Ontario currently doesn’t have regulations concerning the reclamation/reuse of

this type of water. The Ministry still considers this as “waste”.

Relevant Conservation Centres to this Cleantech Strategy

In addition to municipalities and research organizations focussed on the water/waste water

industry, there are a number of conservation centres that have a focus relevant to this study.

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Ontario Water Centre (OWC)

The Ontario Water Centre (OWC) is a not-for-profit organization based in the Town of Georgina,

and has a focus on the health of Lake Simcoe and its watershed. Its origins go back to 2006,

when a number of local residents came together to create an action plan to improve the health

of the Lake. The “Ladies of the Lake Conservation Association” was formed and began to gain

momentum and government funding.

The OWC formally launched its activities in 2014 and by 2017, the Centre is planned as a 10-

person organization with a $1.7M operating budget. The OWC’s business plan outlines its own

unique programming and focus (from their website):

“Championing Lake Simcoe and the watershed as a living laboratory for water thinking while adding direct economic and social benefit to Lake Simcoe communities

Acting as a hub and a catalyst to advance thinking about the multidimensional aspects of water and watersheds bringing different sectors and those within sectors together to pursue results-driven outcomes

Creating programs such as “SPLASH” that link water and watersheds, citizens, science and the arts to attract visitors to Lake Simcoe

Leveraging current (government) investments by filling an identified gap: bringing proven communications skills that are as yet largely absent in this field --aggregating, sharing and mobilizing knowledge

Innovating through the use of 21st century participatory communications to allow researchers, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and engaged citizens extend and advance water thinking

Advancing Canada’s position as a leader in water thinking Ontario Water Centre for Innovation, Research and Learning Vision Advance water thinking.”

Emerging programs include “Xchange” conferences, water business incubation and frontier

water research. In reviewing the description of the water business incubation program on the

OWC website, linkages to municipal economic development offices are identified as well as the

notion of social innovation and entrepreneurship.

Kortright Centre for Conservation

The Kortright Centre for Conservation (KCC) was established by the Toronto Region

Conservation Authority (TRCA) in Woodbridge in 1982. The Centre has a focus on the adoption

of sustainable technologies and practices by providing educational programs, demonstrations

and partnerships. In particular, the Centre has the following Mission (from their website):

“To instill an awareness and appreciation of the natural world

To develop an understanding of the relationships between healthy ecological systems

and our lifestyles

To demonstrate practical, relevant and leading edge sustainable technologies and

practices

To motivate and support individuals, organizations, government and business to adopt

sustainable options and actions

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To develop leaders, champions, projects and programs in the community that

accelerates the transformation of the Toronto region into the most sustainable

community in the world.”

The Kortright Centre covers some 325 hectares; has over 135,000 visitors annually and delivers

environmental programs and sustainability workshops for the public, trades and professionals.

While “sustainability” covers a wide range of interests, the Centre has become known for its

focus on renewable energy technologies and green building technologies.

Center for Watershed Protection (CWP)

In the United States, the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) is another conservation centre

with relevance to this study. The CWP was founded in 1992 and is located just outside the City

of Baltimore in Maryland. The Centre has the following mission (from their website):

“To protect, restore, and enhance our streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and bays. We

create viable solutions and partnerships for responsible land and water management so

that every community has clean water and healthy natural resources to sustain diverse

life.”

They undertakes research (in the field) on the impacts of land use activities on the health of the

watershed and develop recommendations, advice, training and training manuals to address

these impacts. For example, they have become recognized experts in storm water management

and work directly with local governments and land owners to develop and deploy best practices.

The CWP operates as a not-for-profit organization and has developed a unique comparative

advantage that is best described by their literature: “As national experts in storm water and

watersheds, our strength lies in translating science into practice and policy, providing leadership

across disciplines and professions”. The LSRCA has indicated that no such similar organization

exists in Ontario.

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Workshop on Water – March 31, 2015

The Town of East Gwillimbury hosted “Workshop on Water” on March 31, 2015. The event was

facilitated by the consultant and well attended with 31 delegates. The purpose of the event was

to invite leading experts to make presentations with information linked to the preliminary

opportunities identified by the study, and facilitate discussion and feedback. In essence, this

session provided a forum to further explain the preliminary opportunities and test to see if they

made sense at a high level.

An outline of the workshop agenda and presentations is as follows:

1. Overview of Ontario water sector and trends

a. Lora Field, Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and

Infrastructure

2. York Region and Upper York Sewage Solutions project/Water Reclamation Centre

a. Marnie Wraith, York Region - Economic Development

b. Brian Wolf, York Region – Environment Services

3. East Gwillimbury update and study status – preliminary opportunities

a. Dave Cash, Cash & Associates Inc.

4. Nutrient recovery/reuse –e.g. phosphorus as a resource

a. Tom Kazsas, Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change

5. Potential agricultural uses for waste water effluent

a. Katerina Jordan, University of Guelph

6. Update on Lake Simcoe watershed and stewardship

a. Rob Baldwin, LSRCA

7. Opportunity for Lake Simcoe Watershed Management Centre (WMC)

a. Mike Walters, LSRCA

(Note: copies of the workshop presentations have been provided to the Town under separate cover and are now

posted to the Town’s AdvantageEG website).

The Consultant and Town staff received positive feedback about the event and the quality of the

presentations. Combining all the notes and discussion, the following summarizes the output

from the workshop:

o Partnerships are important for economic development opportunities in this sector

(public/private).

o Focus on improving Storm Water Management in Lake Simcoe watershed is way to

go. Also need to educate/test/certify on Low Impact Development (LID).

o Could develop a Water Hub in East Gwillimbury under the general theme “Re-use of

Water.”

o Nutrient/resource recovery is not being addressed in Ontario and is real opportunity.

There appears to be a gap in what everyone is doing.

o Lots of water groups/associations/networks in Ontario - don’t need to create separate

Watershed Management Centre, however, could it be part of the WRC Hub or and

have links to OWC.

o Could also include business incubator component – partnership with VentureLABs.

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o Business opportunities emerging on using water better (all types - potable, waste,

storm) – applying new technologies and reduce leaks and infiltration - the businesses

involved in these technologies are growing.

o East Gwillimbury is in unique position to implement requirements for better (more

sustainable) overall water management. All the new growth that is coming can be

done with new approach to water use:

Green Earth Village (GEV) is community development concept that will re-

use water

Potential for use of water for district energy? – Investigate Markham Project.

Could this attract residents/business along future Highway 400-404 Link?

o Ultra-Pure water use for industrial processes/materials cutting; semi-conductors,

recreational ice, bio-diesel? More investigation is needed.

o What about waste water for the agricultural industry (greenhouses) – develop an

agricultural hub? Some challenges on agricultural use of reclaimed water - more

research needed:

Possible link to University of Guelph or other post-secondary educational

institution (existing East Gwillimbury Strategy).

Also issue of getting the water to users – using the purple pipe – what will the

waste water cost and what will it cost to distribute? Is there a real advantage?

Need to keep existing agriculture/farmers in mind. Our farmers are competing

with inexpensive imports. Production costs are critical. Farmers are already

using advanced systems to recycle water use.

Can Holland marsh/river water be taken out and nutrients recovered/re-used?

o Incineration – is this on the table? Energy from waste? Bio solids – being trucked to York/Durham Plant - can they be burned to create energy? More research needed.

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Economic Development Opportunities

Taking all the information gleaned from the research, interviews/consultations and the

workshop, the following opportunities have emerged for the Town’s consideration:

Opportunity 1.0 Waste Water Reuse (from WRC):

Use of the nutrient rich water on site for research and development associated with

agriculture and irrigation. This could take the form of an association with Ontario post-

secondary institution(s) and/or centres of excellence, linking into the existing array of

water/waste water organizations.

Use of the nutrient rich water transferred by pipe to nearby users, such as sod/turf

growers; golf courses or similar recreational properties and agricultural growers – e.g.

the greenhouse industry.

Utilization of the “Ultra-Pure Water” for industrial processes and products – such as

precision cutting of materials or making products that require pure water (e.g. semi-

conductors, cement, ice).

Green Earth Village and “yellow brick house” are currently development concepts put

forward by the landowners where the WRC is to be located. This 550 acre site could

become a showcase full scale development community for the reuse of WRC water and

application of LID related technologies/designs. This activity could build upon the Town’s

various sustainability development and construction guidelines and enhance the focus

on “Smart Water” usage.

Opportunity 2.0 Resource Recovery and Reuse (At WRC)

Use of nutrient rich water (on site) for nutrient recovery and reuse. Focus could be on

phosphorus and nitrogen, which could be used to produce other products (such as,

fertilizer). Companies have commercial-ready technologies and some municipalities

have included this activity in their waste water treatment facilities – Chicago and

Edmonton.

Focus on commercial scale phosphorus recovery and reuse appears to be an area that

has not yet been implemented in a municipal waste water facility Ontario.

Opportunity 3.0 Lake Simcoe Watershed Management Centre (WMC)

Municipal waste water only represents a component of how nutrients enter a watershed.

A more comprehensive focus on the “business” of improving storm water management

in the Lake Simcoe watershed represents an emerging opportunity.

However, there is a gap in the existing network of conservation centres in Ontario that

provides a focus on the full scale testing plus certification plus training to support Low

Impact Development (LID). The creation of a Watershed Management Centre (WMC)

could have similarities to the Centre for Watershed Protection (CWP) in the US.

At the Workshop on Water, the LSRCA articulated the following vision for a WMC:

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“A partnership between the public and private sectors to protect and improve the

ecological health and well-being of the Lake Simcoe Watershed so that every

community has clean water and healthy natural resources to sustain diverse life”.

The Center could have the following responsibilities:

• “Build a network of watershed practitioners to promote and create viable solutions and partnerships for responsible land and water management

• Work towards identifying and mitigating the impacts of human land use activities on watershed health both in urban and rural areas

• Provide opportunities to restore and improve our streams, rivers, lakes, and natural heritage features within the watershed

• Undertake applied research to develop and test new practices and technologies • Develop pilot projects to drive innovation to change traditional practices to be more

reflective of the environmental, economic, and social benefits • Act as a warehouse for the storage of information and data, and provide a portal for

its dissemination • Undertake the analysis of data and transfer the knowledge and experience locally

and nationally to benefit other watershed communities”

Opportunity 4.0 Business Incubator focussed on Water Reuse/Resource Recovery

The WRC and/or WMC concepts should be coupled with a business incubator

component, where new start-up businesses would be supported and mentored to grow

(e.g. Communitech in Waterloo or Innovation Factory in Hamilton). The focus of the

Incubator would be on waste water reuse/resource recovery and/or watershed

management/LID, which would set it apart for other and could include partners such as

the Ontario Environmental Industry Association (ONEIA) and post-secondary institutions.

“VentureLAB” is a Regional Innovation Centre (RIC) located in Markham and has a

focus on a number of sectors, including Cleantech. They receive funding from a number

of sources including, York Region and the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE), the

latter being “a collaborative network organizations across Ontario designed to help

entrepreneurs commercialize, scale and grow their businesses.” This site is also home

to an office of the Ontario Centres of Excellence. A role for the South Lake Community

Futures Development Corporation is also envisaged for the Incubator.

Other Opportunities

Through the course of this research and discussions at the Workshop, there were a few ideas

and potential opportunities identified that will require further research and assessment to ensure

that they are better understood and represent true leverage of local comparative advantages.

These include incineration of bio solids; energy from waste; and district energy

(heating/cooling).

The opportunity of creating a district energy zone within proximity to the WRC, is linked to the

expected need to adjust the water temperature of the effluent, before it is discharged into a

receiving water course. “Thermal Energy” can be distributed through a closed loop system, to

surrounding buildings to be used for heating, hot water heating and air conditioning. This type of

energy can be cost effective for users and advantageous for attracting business facilities.

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The City of Markham has been successful in creating a district energy utility and zone next to

Hwy 407, and has attracted a number of industrial/commercial facilities. The Markham system is

linked to the cogeneration of electricity with natural gas. The Resort Municipality of Whistler has

also developed a district energy system, utilizing warm waste water from their sewage treatment

plant. It may be possible that a district energy system associated with the UYSS/WRC facility

makes sense, however, the interrelationships among strategies for waste water reuse for

agriculture, and waste water use for resource recovery would need to be more fully investigated

as part of a larger feasibility study.

Background Information on the Business Incubator and/or Accelerator

The Economic Development Program at the University of Waterloo has recently released its

research findings into business incubators and accelerators and offers the following information:

“A business incubator is a business unit that specializes in providing space, services,

advice and support designed to assist new and growing business to become established

and profitable (Statistics Canada, 2006)”

“Primary objectives include:

Building or accelerating the growth of a company

Creating jobs in the local economy

Commercializing technologies

The incubator typically provides/offers:

Management consulting advice/programs

Networking and training

Access to financial and other resource, such as high-speed internet

Shared services and equipment

Physical space or a virtual address”

Many of these services are provided at little or no cost, recognizing that start-ups have very little

capital in the early years. The main goal is to produce successful businesses that will eventually

leave (graduate) from the incubator and/or establish their own base of operations.

Business incubators can also take on different characteristics, depending on the local situation

and desired outcomes. An incubator that is affiliated with a post-secondary institution and

focused on commercialization of intellectual property is often called a “Technology Transfer

Centre”. Business “accelerators” are often started and run by venture capital companies, with a

focus to rapidly scale up a business for the market place. While most incubators are Not-For-

Profits (NFP), accelerators are often For-Profit organizations, where venture capital firms have

equity positions in the small businesses. These types of facilities are growing in popularity.

Some of the other emerging trends in business incubators today include: emergence of “social”

entrepreneurs/entrepreneurship; increased corporate involvement; co-working collectives;

international linkages and “maker” spaces (where entrepreneurs share production equipment).

The Communitech Incubator in Kitchener-Waterloo provides and interesting model for

consideration in East Gwillimbury. The business incubator is a NFP, and has an independent

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Board of Directors which includes representation from its partners. There is an application

process for entrepreneurs to become a member of the incubator.

Communitech includes start-ups, small/medium sized and larger companies, and has members’

resident within the facility and on a virtual basis. Start-ups and small companies obtain many

services for free or at very low cost – government funding and fees charged to larger member

corporations compensate to fill the financial gaps. Larger corporations are often members

because they are looking for new opportunities and ways to incubate or further develop ideas

originating from within their companies.

Physical characteristics of incubators often vary with the focus of the facility and the nature of

the partnerships. For example, individual office space units can be provided (200 sq. ft. to 500

sq. ft.) or are shared collaborative open space with workstations. There are no set designs.

VentureLAB has expressed interest in supporting (e.g. through programming) a business

incubator as part of this project, similar to their role with “Create IT Now”, (medical industry

incubator) located at Southlake Health Centre in Newmarket. Other partnership options for East

Gwillimbury to establish business incubators associated with this project include:

York Region in association with the UYSS/WRC

The LSRCA and Ontario Water Centre (OWC)

A local land owner/developer (demo LID)

Site owned by the Town of East Gwillimbury

At the Workshop on Water, the concept of a business incubator was discussed, and while some

property owners and other organizations expressed interest, firm partnership opportunities did

not emerge. It is likely, that further discussions with potential partners are needed to better flesh

out potential options and roles.

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Marketing Plan

Many communities across Canada and North America have put a great deal of emphasis on

developing water strategies. In order to differentiate East Gwillimbury within the ‘clutter’ of global

strategies it is recommended to implement a non-traditional, modern marketing approach, to

create points of differentiation along with pragmatic, measurable results.

The marketing plan establishes a baseline format that could be used for promoting the East

Gwillimbury “Advantage” within targeted sectors of the economy. Also, the East Gwillimbury

partnership approach referenced in the Town’s Economic Development Strategy is

recommended throughout the plan, to be used as a strategic tool to establish and enhance

business relationships.

Begin by promoting the community

Community... “as it should be”

Objective:

To create a marketing/media campaign that will position East Gwillimbury as a community that

wants to attract progressive individuals and businesses. East Gwillimbury is a designated

growth centre, community building is well underway with consideration to the “triple bottom line”;

that is, a community that promotes economic, social and environmental well-being.

Strategy:

Develop a multi-layered, multi-media campaign to highlight the distinct advantages of East

Gwillimbury. The community will be promoted as a modern center that has advanced planning

of land use (including employment land), attention to social priorities and protection of the

natural environment. In short, the projected growth is being managed to create a community...

“as it should be”. The focal point of the campaign will stress the East Gwillimbury Advantage of

having the benefit of a new, modern sustainable development, opportunities, lifestyle and

comparative advantages.

As East Gwillimbury is being planned as a modern, progressive community to live/work, the

media plan should be just as innovative. The integrated media plan will include:

Earned Media (or Free Press) - a public relations strategy will be developed to generate media impressions within traditional and new media. Also, this category of media provides a subtle lobbying medium for government policy and funding

Paid Media – to create a media buy that is planned and strategically implemented

Social Media – to establish a Brand Reporting™ campaign that illustrates the East Gwillimbury story in an authentic, journalistic framework. This innovative marketing tool is not being used by many economic development organizations at the present time. It is envisaged there would be a series of short video stories that illustrate why East Gwillimbury is a “Community... as it should be”.

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The stories would highlight public/private attributes that make East Gwillimbury a desirable

place to live/work. The benefit headline could rotate or roll over to profile different positive

attributes. For instance the campaign could highlight:

Planning... “as it should be”

Development... “as it should be”

Recreation... “as it should be”

Green... “as it should be”

The campaign would be an ideal time to highlight East Gwillimbury’s willingness to engage in

partnership programs. The program include a cooperative advertising/media/public relation’s

campaign that creates a platform for stakeholder involvement. Many of the stories that develop

East Gwillimbury’s brand origins involve stakeholder initiatives. Therefore, the awareness

campaign could be a true public/private partnership with local developers/builders. For instance,

local developers/builders have a vested interest in attracting the desired target audience to East

Gwillimbury (a sample advertisement is included in Appendix D). The advent of new

media/social media has created media measurement tools unprecedented in the marketing

industry. Google, Facebook and Twitter all provide exceptional empirical data that can measure

media reach and demographic, geographic profiles of campaigns.

Earned media remains most credible among consumers; trust in owned advertising on the rise.

A brand’s perceived credibility is a key component in advertising effectiveness. Both earned

media and owned advertising have a great impact on perceived credibility. Earned media is

advertising endorsed by a third party. Owned advertising is advertising managed by a brand.

Research has found that 84% of consumers around the world say they trust word-of-mouth

recommendations (a form of earned media), such as from family or friends, online consumer

opinions, testimonials, etc. Owned advertising in the form of content and messaging on a

brand’s website is the second most-trusted advertising source. (Source: Nielsen, a global

information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer

information).

Future Phases of Marketing Plan

Watershed... as it should be

Objective:

To begin to establish a local, innovative presence within the water sector. The initiative will be

the genesis of a longer-term plan to become a regional, national leader in the water category.

Strategy:

Focus on the creation of the “Centre for Watershed Management” (CWM) in close proximity to

Lake Simcoe. Improving the health of Lake Simcoe represents an important local comparative

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advantage for the Town’s focus on the water sector development. There could be some direct

linkages and partnership opportunities with post-secondary institutions (e.g. Trent University)

and other water centres, including the Ontario Water Centre located in Georgina. However, the

focus in East Gwillimbury is the business opportunities linked to watershed management.

The CWM is envisaged as a project providing best practices for storm water and watershed

management - taking a practical approach to technical watershed management issues;

providing collaborative leadership across various disciplines and professionals. Promotional

themes could be linked to:

Low Impact Development (LID) – by implementing LID practices water can be managed in a way to reduce the impact of built areas and helps promote the natural movement of water within the defined watershed.

Design – LID urban design tools can provide a set of techniques that can be used to

meet regulatory goals for development projects and redevelopment of sites.

Certification – communities across Canada are building green infrastructure and the

Centre could be an ideal place to provide approvals, further enhance training and

provide ‘best practices’ concepts.

From a media/promotion perspective, the Centre could provide an excellent content for Brand

Report™ stories. In summary, the initiative could illustrate that East Gwillimbury is creating a

watershed... “as it should be”.

Innovation... as it should be

Objective:

To establish East Gwillimbury’s “ownership” of a water-tech focus dedicated to waste water

reuse and resource recovery.

Strategy:

To establish a long-term presence for the Town in the business of water. The establishment of a

York Region “Water Reclamation Centre” (WRC) could provide the following promotional

themes:

Resource Recovery – Nutrient Recovery (Phosphorus)

Waste water reuse - Nutrient Rich Irrigation

Ultra-pure water applications

Others – district energy?

The WRC could present an ideal opportunity to again further East Gwillimbury’s strategic

partnership mandate. The centre could provide an environment for an education partner. The

partner could support undergraduate, post-graduate or executive education curriculums. The

WRC builds upon the watershed initiative (CWM) for Lake Simcoe. Also, the WRC promotion

could provide the possibility of adding a major corporate partner(s) with respect to marketing

sponsorship support, depending on how the Centre’s function/role evolves.

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In summary, the execution of the marketing plan would take place over several years (“It is the

steady rain that soaks”) – the base campaign is a focus on the Community and all the stories

that already exist about East Gwillimbury building an innovative, desirable and sustainable

community.

When the timing for the various water centres/projects becomes more imminent, these can be

layered on top. The campaign also provides flexibility to add other themes to the support the

Town’s overall economic development strategy. Conceptually, the campaign builds over time:

Proposed Annual Budget for Phase 1: Community… as it should be The budget could range from $42,500 to $75,000. The high end of budget scale would breakdown as follows:

50 Brand Reporting videos at $500 each $25,000 Social media advertising $10,000 Co-op builder advertising $40,000 ($80,000 total, $40,000 from builders)

TOTAL: $75,000 The low end of the budget scale would breakdown as follows:

25 Brand Reporting videos at $500 each $12,500 Social media advertising $ 5,000 Co-op builder advertising $25,000 ($50,000 total, $25,000 from builders)

TOTAL: $42,500

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Conclusions and Recommendations

Conclusions/Recommendations Implementation Considerations

1.

Cleantech and the water industry in particular, represents an important and growing opportunity for economic development. The Town of East Gwillimbury will need a razor focus on gaps in the “sector landscape” and should link to an existing comparative advantage and/or facilitate the development of a comparative advantage through partnerships and collaboration. East Gwillimbury should utilize and leverage the existing network of water organizations and related research/development centres in Ontario in the development of its Cleantech Investment Attraction Project (i.e. do not duplicate).

Timeline: Short term When the Town’s Economic Development Strategy is updated, more specific information on the Cleantech sector should be included, including opportunities identified by this study. Develop a more detailed data base of relevant water/waste water research and development centres and identify opportunities to network and communicate with them. This in part reconnaissance work to maintain focus on gaps/opportunities; identifying/leveraging partnerships and to minimize duplication.

2. The Town should launch a marketing campaign that promotes the community as a progressive community to live, work and play. “Community…as it should be” will not only attract future businesses, but will also focus on building a resident labour force for knowledge-based industries such as Cleantech. Innovative marketing tools should be employed, including – utilizing “earned media” as well as traditional paid and social media.

Timeline: Short Term This effort would continue to build upon the recent “AdvantageEG” marketing. The first campaign would begin first with marketing the community to attract progressive individuals and businesses. Telling the story of the “Community…as it should be”. This effort should include co-operative campaigns, with local businesses and developers as partners. As the timing of the WRC and WMC projects become known, additional campaigns can be developed in the medium term.

3. The Cleantech Investment Strategy and recommendations approved by Town Council should be forwarded to the Region of York for their information, comments and a request to develop a more enhanced partnership in the UYSS project.

Timeline: Short Term Town and Regional staff should enter into discussions to develop a high level framework concerning potential economic development opportunities associated with the UYSS/WRC. The framework would, among other matters, outline a

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vision, objectives, roles and responsibilities.

4(a)

The Town should establish a Cleantech focus on “Water/Waste Water Reuse”, which is currently a gap in the Ontario water landscape and is an emerging economic development opportunity, in light of the pending construction of the state-of-the-art Water Reclamation Centre (WRC) by York Region. The potential for this type of waste water reuse is envisaged somewhat in the current planning for the WRC by the Region of York. A range of businesses could develop that would utilize the nutrient-rich effluent from the WRC for a variety of businesses, including agriculture (e.g. turf production, and greenhouse plants and flowers) and ultra-pure effluent could be used for closed loop industrial processes, such as cutting of materials, and manufacturing high tech components (semiconductors).

Time Line: Longer Term, however, linked to UYSS project timing. Short Term Actions: Building on Recommendation #3, discussions with York Region should include the anticipated availability, characteristics and pricing of waste water effluent from the WRC, to ensure that it will be advantageous to potential users/partners. The Town and Region should open up dialogue with the MOECC staff on the development of regulations for water reuse and their application to the UYSS/WRC project. Discussions with the Province should also investigate designating the WRC as the leading research and development centre in Ontario for waste water reuse.

4(b)

The Town should establish a Cleantech focus on “Resource Recovery/Reuse”, which is a gap in the Ontario water landscape” and represents a significant economic opportunity for a businesses that can utilize nutrients to make other products (e.g. fertilizer). The WRC will be located in East Gwillimbury and could provide a locational advantage to the community to attract businesses in this field, however, the current mandate and design for the WRC does not include this aspect.

Time Line: Longer Term, however, linked to UYSS project timing. Short Term Actions: Building on Recommendation #3, discussions with York Region should include exploring the feasibility of adding a “resource recovery and reuse aspect” to the WRC facility. The implications related to the Individual Environmental Assessment process (or a future Amendment) would need to be considered and understood. The parties could jointly undertake a feasibility study to examine (among other things) favorable technology and partnership options; implications associated with the scale of the facility; utility models and the cost/benefit of any additional capital costs.

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Discussions with the Province should also investigate whether such an initiative would qualify for funding under the Strategic Partnerships Stream, of the Jobs and Prosperity Fund. Potential funding from the Federal Government should also be investigated.

5. East Gwillimbury should further its objective concerning establishing a post-secondary presence in the community by entering into discussions with appropriate post-secondary institutions in Ontario, to identify potential partners associated with the Cleantech Investment Strategy themes outlined in this report.

Timeline: Short Term Enter into dialogue with the leading post-secondary institutions to establish Post-Secondary linkages with the WRC and/or WMC concepts. For example, Trent University has the Institute for Watershed Science (IWS), and a number of Universities are part of the Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC).

6. A copy of the Cleantech Investment Strategy and recommendations approved by Town Council should be forwarded to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) for their information, comments and a request to develop a more formal partnership to create the Watershed Management Centre (WMC).

Timeline: Short Term Town and LSRCA staff should enter into discussions to develop a high level framework for the creation of the Centre, including its mandate and focus on LID; other partners; locations; sources of funding, roles and responsibilities. The Centre would conceptually be similar to the Kortright Centre and Centre for Watershed Protection. Creation of the Centre could be eligible for government funding associated with the effort to improve the health of Lake Simcoe. Consideration should be given to (ultimately) locating the WMC in close proximity to the Region’s WRC, to build critical mass (or economic cluster). Interim locations could be considered, including any lands owned by the Town or other partners. Potential collaboration with the OWC should be considered as part of this element.

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Given that the Region has already identified the site for the WRC and there are benefits of having the WRC/WMC co-located together, the Town could enter into discussions with these landowners (Green Earth Village) to identify options to expedite an appropriate planning framework, including the creation of a combined Centre as a public use.

7. The Town should champion the inclusion of a business incubator component to the WRC and/or WMC – with a specific focus on fostering new business development for water reuse; resource recovery/reuse and watershed management.

Timeline: Longer Term Short Term Actions The Town should enter into discussions with VentureLAB in Markham to develop this business incubator concept further, including a satellite model similar to the Create-It incubator in Newmarket. (This initiative can be undertaken on its own or included as part of the discussions with Region of York, as they are a funding partner in VentureLAB). Private sector water industry partners should also be included.

8. The Town should consider a future research initiative to investigate the potential to create a prestige employment district (similar to Markham’s District Energy Area) along the south side of the future Highway 400-404 link.

Timeline: Longer Term The Town could enter into discussions with Markham District Energy to learn more about their project. Full scale feasibility analysis would be needed to better understand this better.

Notes: Short term is 1-3 years; longer term is 3-5+ years, (subject to timing of UYSS capital

projects)

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Appendices Appendix A: Interviews, consultations and references

Interviews/Consultations:

Balinder Rai, Ontario Centres of Excellence, Markham Convergence Centre.

Barb Anderson, Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC).

Brad Rogers, Groudswell Urban Planners Inc.

Breda Lucas, Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC).

Colin Dobell, Ontario Water Centre.

Doug Leitch, Kevin Dixon, Peter Budreau and Councillor James R. Young of the Town of East Gwillimbury, Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC).

Doug Lindeblom and Marnie Wraith, Economic Development Branch, York Region.

Dr. Eric Lyons and Katerina Jordan, Canadian Turf Grass Institute/University of Guelph.

Dr. Tara Vinodrai and Dr. Paul Parker as part of the University of Waterloo, Economic Development Program Workshop, “Fostering local innovation: what economic developers need to know about incubators”, April 17, 2015, Communitech.

George Godin, Conestoga Rovers and Associates.

Irene Hassas, newterra and Chair of the Water Subcommittee of the Ontario Environment Industry Association (ONEIA).

Karen Dubeau, VentureLAB, Markham Convergence Centre

Lora Field and Jill Shirley, Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and infrastructure; Ministry of Research and Innovation.

Michael Walters and Rob Baldwin, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority

Nathan Martin, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Nick Calarusso and Brian Wolf, Environmental Services Branch, York Region.

Numair Uppal, Water Research and Innovation Network (WRAIN)

Roman Martuik, Walkerton Clean Water Centre

Websites and References Consulted:

Advancing Canadian Wastewater Assets (www.ucalgary.ca/acwa)

Anaergia (www.anaergia.com)

Burlington Economic Development Corporation (www.bedc.ca)

Canada Centre for Inland Waters (www.ec.gc.ca)

Centre for Alternative Waste Water Treatment (www.cawt.ca)

Centre for Watershed Protection (www.cwp.org)

City of Kawartha Lakes (www.city.kawarthalakes.on.ca)

Communitech (www.communitech.ca)

EPCOR Utilities Inc. (www.corp.epcor.com)

General Electric Power and water (www.gewater.com)

Innovation Factory (www.innovationfactory.ca)

Kortright Centre for Conservation (www.kortright.org)

Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (www.lsrca.on.ca)

LinkedIn Water Technologies Group (various posts from January to April 2015) (https://www.linkedin.com)

Markham District Energy (www.markhamdistrictenergy.com)

Municipality of Brockton (www.brockton.ca)

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Ontario Clean Water Agency (www.ocwa.com)

Ontario Environment Industry Association (www.oneia.ca)

Ontario Government – various Economic Development, Research and Innovation and Environment and Climate Change (www.ontario.ca)

Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (www.ONEbusiness.ca)

Ontario Water Centre (www.ontariowatercentre.ca)

Ostara Nutrient Recoveries (www.ostara.ca)

Resort Municipality of Whistler, District Energy System Overview (www.whistler.ca/services/water-and-wastewater/district-energy-system)

Peterborough Economic Development (www.peterborough.ca)

Regional Municipality of York Region (www.york.ca)

Ryerson University Phosphorus Recovery and Reuse Workshop Proceedings (http://ryerson.ca/content/dam/water/common/PDF/ProceedingsFinal_2014%20%285%29.pdf

Southern Ontario Water Consortium (www.sowc.ca)

Town of East Gwillimbury (www.eastgwillimbury.ca and www.advantageeg.ca)

Town of East Gwillimbury, 10 Year Economic Development Strategy – Part I and Part II, November, 2011.

Upper York Sewage Solutions (www.uyssolutions.ca)

VentureLAB (www.venturelab.ca)

Walkerton Clean Water Centre (www.wcwc.ca)

Water Research and Innovation Network (www.wrain.ca)

WaterTAP Technology Accelerator Project (www.watertapontario.com)

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Appendix B: Upper York Sewage Solutions (UYSS) Map

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Appendix C: Workshop on Water – Outcome Report

EG Workshop March 31 – Speaker Bios

1. David Cash – Workshop Facilitator

a. President, Cash & Associates Inc.

b. David has over 30 years of experience in the municipal sector in Ontario. Most

recently, David served as Town Manager/CAO of Whitchurch-Stouffville.

Previously, he was Commissioner of Planning, Development and Engineering in

Oakville. He has also worked in the field of Economic Development in City of

Kingston and for Niagara Region. He is a certified Economic Developer and

Registered Professional Planner.

2. Lora Field

a. Senior Sector Advisor, Manufacturing Investment Unit, Advanced Manufacturing

Branch, MEDEI/MRandI

b. Lora Field joined the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development Employment

and Infrastructure 5 years ago as a senior sector advisor. In her role at the

Ministry she covers the Cleantech sector, but has been closely following the

water sector as she played a leading role in the development of Ontario’s Water

Sector Strategy. Lora has a PhD in chemistry and 3 small children!

3. Marnie Wraith

a. Program Development Specialist, Economic Strategy Branch

b. Previously, she served as the Economic Development Officer at East Gwillimbury

and the Town of Aurora and as a Policy Advisor at the Ontario Ministry of

Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure.

4. Brian Wolf

a. Senior Project Manager, Capital Planning and Delivery, Environmental Services

b. Professional Engineer with over 25 yrs. experience in planning, design and

construction of municipal infrastructure for City of Scarborough, City of Toronto

and for the past 14 years with York Region. Have been involved with the UYSS

project from its inception in 2009.

5. Tom Kaszas (for Barbara Anderson)

a. Director, Innovation Branch, Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change

b. Tom Kaszas Director, Environmental Innovations Branch (EIB), Environmental

Programs Division (EPD). Tom joined the ministry on December 17, 2012 and is

working with his team on leading the development of an Environmental

Innovation Strategy for MOE. Tom has broad experience in the areas of energy

and water management, green energy, wastewater treatment and recycling

across a wide variety of industries. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science

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(Chemical Engineering) from the University of Ottawa and is a licensed member

of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO).

6. Katerina Jordan,

a. Associate Professor, University of Guelph (Turf Grass Institute)

b. Her areas of research focus on, reducing inputs for maintaining turf grass

systems with an emphasis on sustainable turf management.

7. Rob Baldwin,

a. General Manager, Planning and Development, LSRCA

b. Rob is responsible for the delivery of a proactive program to ensure a sustainable

Lake Simcoe basin with a client focused approach. Rob has focused on applying

innovative approaches related to watershed management in several areas

across North America.

8. Mike Walters

a. Chief Administrative Officer, LSRCA

b. Mike is an Honours Geography graduate from the University of Western, has

earned a Masters Certificate in Business Analysis from the Schulich School of

Business. Since 1984, Mike has developed LSRCA’s science, research,

stewardship and environmental programs and services. He is an avid supporter

of the Lake Simcoe Conservation Foundation, an accomplished author, sought-

after speaker, and compelling advocate for integrated watershed management.

With his extensive background in integrated watershed management, climate

change adaptation, innovative storm water management and low impact

development, Mike became LSRCA’s Chief Administrative Officer in October

2014.

(Note: copies of all the power point presentations from the presenters have been provided to the

Town and are now posted on the Town’s Advantage EG website).

Summary - Workshop Ideas (Based on all notes - D. Cash):

A total of 31 guests attended the event (excluding Town staff and the consultant – see

attached list).

The Consultant and Town staff received positive feedback about the event and the quality of

the presentations. Combining all the notes and discussion, the consultant has summarized

the output as follows:

o Partnerships are important for Economic Development opportunities in this sector

(public/private)

o Focus on improving Storm Water Management in Lake Simcoe watershed is way to

go. Also need to educate/test/certify on Low Impact Development (LID)

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o Could develop a Water Hub in EG under the general theme “Re-use of Water”

o Nutrient/resource recovery is not being addressed in Ontario and is real opportunity.

There appears to be a gap in what everyone is doing.

o Lots of water groups/associations/networks in Ontario - don’t need to create separate

Watershed Management Centre – However, could it be part of the WRC Hub? Yes –

could also include business incubator component – partnership with VentureLABs.

o Business opportunities emerging on using water better (all types - potable, waste,

storm) – applying new technologies and reduce leaks and infiltration- the businesses

involved in these technologies are growing.

o EG is in unique position to implement requirements for better (more sustainable)

overall water management. All the new growth that is coming can be done with new

approach to water use.

An emerging” brand” marketing strategy: “Water, as it should be!” or

“Community, as it should be!” “Sustainability, as it should be!”

Green Earth Village (GEV) is community development concept that will re-

use water

Potential for use of water for district energy? – Investigate Markham Project.

Could this attract residents/business along future Highway 400-404 Link?

o Hyper Clean Water use – Biodiesel? Industrial processes/materials cutting; semi-

conductors, recreational Ice? More investigation needed.

o What about waste water for the agricultural industry (greenhouses) – develop an

agricultural hub? Some challenges on agricultural use of reclaimed water - more

research needed – possible link to post-secondary educational institution presence

(existing EG Strategy).

Also issue of getting the water to users – using the purple pipe – what will the

waste water cost and what will it cost to distribute? Is there a real advantage?

Need to keep existing agriculture/farmers in mind. Our farmers are competing

with inexpensive imports. Production costs are critical. Farmers are already

using advanced systems to recycle water use

Can Holland marsh/river water be taken out and nutrients recovered/re-used?

o Incineration – is this on the table? Energy from waste? Bio solids – being trucked to

York/Durham Plant - can they be burned to create energy? More research needed.

Roundtable Discussion – March 31, 2015 Workshop on Water

(Notes taken by L. Leung; Edited D. Cash)

Ontario Environmental Industry Association (ONEIA) has Water Subcommittee looking

into business opportunities in this sector (EG is a member).

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Many partnership opportunities with ONEIA and other industry businesses are available.

Partners in Project Green (PPG) initiative by Toronto Region CA is good example -

involved in projects throughout the Region. There are also advocacy types of activities

with all of the other relevant Provincial Ministries.

Could focus on business opportunities within the storm water management sector, since

there is an immediate need for innovative technology. Most business development

opportunities in storm water management are related to the need and resurgence of new

storm water strategies and technologies.

Opportunities are not common in Ontario for nutrient recovery and water conservation.

Why? Be because there is no need for it at this time, since there is no stress for ground

water supplies.

How do you decide where to put Water Reclamation Centres? Who gets the

investment/jobs? Collaboration? A number of municipalities across Lake Simcoe

watershed, lots of groups. It is the information that is bringing people together,

operationalizing Low Impact Development (LID) work done for LSRCA. Individuals

should gather to pool their resources, rather than worry about where facilities or plants

will be located. The important point is to educate, train and facilitate these programs.

Don’t necessarily need a Storm Water Centre? Could be located anywhere?

Town has servicing going in the ground for new subdivisions. Could waste water effluent

be used? Is new tech being designed to maximize efficient development, dealing with

water in a smart way? In general, there is a master plan for water supply to ensure

sustainability.

Potential economic opportunity linked to monitoring of pipes and systems?

Representative from Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) explains the adoption of

technologies that help to monitor pipes and infrastructure in order to better manage

water (leaks and infiltration). There are also many business plans relates to collateral

damage, condition assessment tech.

Representative from MOECC points out opportunities that are unique to EG. For

example, EG will have newly built infrastructure. There should also be a strategic vision

to put in requirements to continue monitoring water with full scale laboratory to see how

things are used in real life situation. There is the opportunity to implement technology in

EG’s own buildings, while laying out strategic plans and visions for many businesses to

come.

TGDS for EG, collaborative approach in development what can municipalities do? With

same buy in standards for development group. We need a place and partnerships in

order to be involved in dealing with storm water management.

Waste another angle we looked at for EG; New planning/development requirements

incorporated into new developments for water and wastewater management

Centre for Watershed Management (CWM) to deal with phosphorous loading in a

comprehensive way. This centre is a place to test LID tech, train and educate. Interested

partners are needed in order to support and facilitate the creation of this Centre.

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Hype- clean water will be produced from the UYSS Water Reclamation Centre (WRC) -,

how can it used? What processes need large volumes of clean water? Need to be

further investigated – possible for materials cutting, making semi-conductors. Possibly

renewable fuels businesses.

Regarding potential use of reclaimed water - could use on non-edible crops. However,

there is always a concern about any heavy metals still left in the waste water, which is

not good for some agricultural production of crops. Need to communicate pros/cons and

create transparency/knowledge and education of potential users.

Preliminary study at University of Guelph found that use of waste water had limited

impact on turf growth, without use of any additional fertilizers and water. The study

concluded that individuals cannot use this waste water alone, as a sole source of

irrigation water. There must be other opportunities to build on this research and

understand the types of fertilizers will be needed to supplement.

Should incineration to be considered (energy from waste)? Current business model

looks at incineration, but need to focus on sustainability.

Opportunity to partner with Green Earth Village to include use of waste water

infrastructure in community design. They are interested to have discussions moving

forward. Adult Lifestyle community. Links to District Energy Concept in Markham.

Greenhouse agriculture has a high water demand for food production. Getting reclaimed

water to the location where it can be used is the challenge – potential users where

municipal water demand is high. Looked at potential servicing of area to treat water on,

but cost of getting potential reused water is expensive, plus add the cost to treat the cost

to transport (purple pipe)

What would attract companies to come to EG? Where there is a gap in the water sector

within Ontario. Most centres do not focus on the fundamentals - EG can create centers

in order to capture phosphorous and energy, opportunity for resource water recovery?

EG has unique situation with Greenfield sites and synergy promotion of ideas. There is a

gap in the entire area therefore, we need to bring all players together in one location to

deal with residential urban recovery. This is an opportunity for business development

and research. It is also an opportunity to tap into the latest information on experiments

since we have the key items and synergy. Willingness to partner for water reuse, climate

change and storm water.

Companies are looking for municipal settings to conduct research, modify, test and

adapt new technologies - a place to foster innovation (e.g. beach management and

watershed management). Companies are really looking to areas where they see growth

for their company, while looking to tap into municipal environments. Industries or

companies want to be out of a laboratories to grow their technology and work with

industry stakeholders (WRAIN).

Agriculture and farming (Holland Marsh Grower Association): How far should we focus

on innovation? How to become a sustainable farm? Challenge is competing with

external competitors (E.g. Chinese imports). This is a major issue for farmers to keep up

P a g e | 37

with changes as it is difficult to keep up with trends and transitions that have created

barriers. It is important to have agricultural hub close to Toronto.

Ontario is a global water hub, but we don’t have a landmark. There is no one gathering

place to be recognized as a water hub. This could be EG’s opportunity to be that for

Ontario similar to Singapore example. There could be government funding for this type

of initiative. MOECC could be a potential funding partner in “Ontario Jobs in Prosperity

Fund”- opening up sometime this year

Participating in bringing ideas in creating a realistic vision and strategy towards our

municipality

Real opportunities that will have economic gain for our development interests, for new

businesses and we have economic benefits that can be achieved for our existing

businesses.

Talking about institutional businesses that can have educational gain and looking at

agriculture businesses and working to achieve that economic gain as well.

In achieving economic gain, we can achieve environmental gains for our communities

within the present and future.

Remaining engaged in the projects as a continual process as far as making something

happen

Collaboration requires action to achieve our goals today

TOWN OF EAST GWILLIMBURY, WORKSHOP ON WATER

Final List of Attendees , March 31,2015 (31 not including Town staff)

Virginia

Hackson

Town of East

Gwillimbury

Mayor

Tom Webster Town of East

Gwillimbury

Chief Administrative

Officer

twebster@eastgwillimbury.ca 905-478-4284

Ext 3811

Carolyn

Kellington

Town of East

Gwillimbury

General Manager of

Development Services

ckellington@eastgwillimbury.ca 905-478-4284

Ext 3808

Aimee Artinian Town of East

Gwillimbury

Economic Development

Coordinator aartinian@eastgwillimbury.ca

905-478-4284

Ext 1216

Tiffany Wong Town of East

Gwillimbury

Planning Assistant twong@eastgwillimbury.ca 905-478-4284

Ext 1285

Lindsay Leung Town of East

Gwillimbury

Economic Development lleung@eastgwillimbury.ca 905-478-3824

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Phillip Dawson Town of East

Gwillimbury

Fire Chief pdawson@eastgwillimbury.ca 905-853-8842

Ext 1107

Don Sinclair Town of East

Gwillimbury

General Manager dsinclair@eastgwillimbury.ca 905-478-3805

Larry Hollett Town of East

Gwillimbury

Manager of Environmental

Services

lhollett@eastgwillimbury.ca 905-478-3805

Genevieve

Singh

Town of East

Gwillimbury

Manager of

Communications

gsingh@eastgwillimbury.ca 905-478-3824

Glenn Marshall Greening

Marketing Inc

President and CEO Glenn@greeningmarketng.ca 905-667-5792

David J. Cash Cash &

Associates Inc

President and CEO cashdjd@gmail.com 905-375-8273

Mike Walters LSRCA Chief Administrative

Officer m.walters@LSRCA.on.ca

905-895-1281

Ext 234

1-800-465-

0437

Rob Baldwin LSRCA Director, Planning and

Development Services r.baldwin@LSRCA.on.ca

905-895-1281

Ext 248

Brian Wolf

The Regional

Municipality of

York

Senior Project Manager,

Capital Plan/Delivery brian.wolf@york.ca

905-830-4444

Ext 75075

Doug Lindeblom

The Regional

Municipality of

York

Director of Economic

Strategy and Tourism doug.lindeblom@york.ca

905-830-4444

Ext 1503

Jonathan

Wheatle

The Regional

Municipality of

York

Manager, Strategic

Economic Initiatives jonathan.wheatle@york.ca

905-830-4444

Ext 71594

Marnie Wraith

The Regional

Municipality of

York

Project Development

Specialist marnie.wraith@york.ca

905-830-4444

Ext 71492

Glenn MacMillan Toronto and

Region

Senior Manager , Water

and Energy gmacmillan@trca.on.ca

(416) 661-

6600

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Conservation

Authority

Andy Valickis Ontario Clean

Water Agency Director avalickis@ocwa.com

905-491-3053

416-709-6548

Nick Reid Ontario Clean

Water Agency Executive Director nreid@ocwa.com

416-775-0545

416-727-5648

Lora Field

Ministry of

Economic

Development

(MEDELMRI)

Senior Sector Advisor lora.field@ontario.ca

416-314-3292

416-452-6997

Luz Felipe

Ministry of

Environment and

Climate Change

Senior Program Advisor

luz.felipe@ontario.ca

416-314-0275

Barb Anderson

Ministry of

Environment and

Climate Change

Senior Program Advisor barbara.anderson@ontario.ca 416-325-4000

Tom Kaszas

Ministry of

Environment and

Climate Change

Director Environmental

Innovations Branch tom.kaszas@ontario.ca 416-325-8068

Darryl Finnigan

Ministry of

Agriculture, Food

and Rural Affairs

Program Analyst ,

Environmental Programs

Environment Management

Branch

darryl.finnigan@ontario.ca 519-826-3843

Kathy Simpson

Ministry of

Agriculture, Food

and Rural Affairs

Rural Business Consultant kathy.simpson1@ontario.ca (705) 324-

6127

Jose Costa Ontario Centre of

Excellence

jose.costa@oce-ontario.org 416-861-1092

Numair Uppal Water Research

and

CKL, Economic

Development Officer nuppal@city.kawarthalakes.on.ca

1 866-397-

6673

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Innovation

Network

Brent

Kopperson

Windfall Ecology Executive Director brent@windfallcentre.ca 416-465-6333

Michele Grenier XCG Consultants

Ltd.

Senior Project Manager michele.grenier@xcg.com 905-829-8880

Ext. 249

Colin Dobell Ontario Water

Centre

Project Director colinmdobell@gmail.com 905-751-8126

Michael

Pozzebon

Metrus

Properties

Project Manager mpozzebon@metrusdev.ca 905-669-5571

Ext 224

Dave Woods Tricap Properties Vice President dwoods@tricapproperties.com 905-470-9777

416-200-3975

Doug

Skeffington

Royal Park

Homes

Director of Land

Development

dskeff@royalpark.com 416-736-8635

Ext 24

Bliss Baker Maple Leafs

Strategies

President bliss@mapleleafstrategies.com 416-620-7111

Gerry Brouwer Brouwer Sod

Farms Ltd

Owner info@brouwersod.com (416) 291-2323

Charles

Lalonde

Holland Marsh

Grower

Association

Representative growers@hollandmarshgold.com

Ian Smith

Holland Marsh

Grower

Association

Representative growers@hollandmarshgold.com

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Doug Leitch EDAC, Tandem

Thinkers

Managing partner dougleitch@tandemthinkers.ca 905-868-5798

Peter Budreau

EDAC and

South Lake

Community

Futures

Development

Corporation

General Manager pbudreo@bellnet.ca (905) 476-1244

Kevin Dixon EDAC and Keller

Williams

Sales Rep kevin@kevindixon.ca (905) 895-5972

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Appendix D: Marketing Program

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Appendix E: Background Information on Consultants

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