By Natalie Scollard
A Centretown business group says the retail sector is being ignored by the Ottawa Partnership’s economic generators initiative.
Gerry LePage, executive director of the business improvement association for the Bank Street Promenade, says when the project clusters were created a heavy focus on high technology meant that traditional business sectors like retail were ignored.
“The traditional [retail] economy is at stake,” says LePage, “and through these initiatives, all their [the partnership’s] eggs are in one basket,” says LePage.
There are 30 projects within the initiative all falling within one of seven clusters – microelectronics, telecommunications, photonics, software and communication services, tourism, professional services and health technologies. For the past few months, representatives from each cluster have been meeting to discuss what they their plans and what theyhope to accomplish.
But, Rejean Chartrand, executive director of economic affairs for the regional municipality of Ottawa-Carleton, says “the economic generators initiative will help people understand what makes up our economic community. The more the business community in Centretown knows, the better.”
LePage says he is upset because when he expressed his views about the importance of the retail sector to Chartrand and others within the project, he was ignored.
Bob Chiarelli, regional chair of Ottawa-Carleton and co-chair of the partnership, says he believes the generators will benefit the Centretown business community in “many, many ways.”
Chiarelli supports all seven clusters saying Centretown will reap the most benefits from the tourism cluster.
“Tourism is essential to the health of the downtown core,” says Chiarelli.
According to Chartrand, certain projects have become flagships and are more likely to be pursued. One flagship is branding and marketing Ottawa to outside audiences.
Chiarelli says this flagship could result in a promotional video being shown on flights coming into Ottawa portraying the city as a good place to live, visit and do business.
Until the partnership can decide how to spend the remaining $300,000, Ottawa residents will have to wait to see real results from this business initiative.