York Region Research and Education Network

Working with a range of public sector research and education assets, including school boards, libraries, post-secondary institutions, hospitals and local business incubators, Chris project managed the exploration of developing a York Region Research and Education Network.  The purpose the initiative was to provide dedicated high-speed connectivity between York Region's education and research assets in order to foster research, collaboration and innovations in service delivery.

The project envisioned connecting all of the participating organizations via the Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network so that they could take advantage of not only high-speed connectivity, but also a range of cloud-based services, internet peering and reduced costs for internet connectivity.

York Region Commercial Office Market Analysis

The Regional Municipality of York and its municipal partners have an ambitious plan to develop four new downtowns along the corridors of Highway 7 and Yonge Street.  Referred to as the Region's Centres and Corridors, these areas identified as high-density multi-use communities and the location for the Region's growth in office type employment.

In order to better understand the market opportunity for commercial office development in the Region's various locations within the Centres and Corridors, as well as identify challenges to attracting commercial office development, Chris project managed an initiative to complete an economic analysis of the Region's commercial office market.

This study looked at understanding the costs and benefits of developing in the Region's Centres and Corridors and then comparing these against similar commercial office nodes in the Greater Toronto Area.  With this comparison complete, the study then provided a range of policy and program recommendations for facilitating commercial office development in York Region.

York Region Broadband Strategy

Chris initiated and project managed the development of the York Region Broadband Strategy which provides a roadmap for improved connectivity for businesses, residents and the public sector in York Region.

The Strategy was developed in partnership with York Region's nine local municipal partners (Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Aurora, King, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Newmarket, East Gwillimbury and Georgina).  To assist in developing the Strategy, large and small telecommunications companies were also engaged, including Bell, Rogers and Telus, to help shape the strategy's targets, recommendations and work plan.

The Strategy provides a range of recommended actions focusing on three key areas:

• Education and Advocacy - these actions focus on educating stakeholders on the importance of connectivity to their and the Region's success.
• Municipal Processes - these actions focus on ways municipal processes, such as access agreements and road re-construction projects, can be leveraged to encourage investments in connectivity infrastructure.
• Infrastructure Investments - these actions focus on identifying a range of infrastructure investments to improve connectivity for residents, businesses and the public sector.

To view the strategy visit: www.investinyork.ca/broadband.

York Region Post-Secondary Investment Attraction Strategy

Chris initiated and project managed the development of the York Region Post-Secondary Investment Attraction Strategy.  The Strategy aims to increase the presence of post-secondary institutions within York Region in order to meet the needs of the Region's diverse economy and growing population.

The Strategy was developed in collaboration with York Region's nine local municipal partners (Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Aurora, King, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Newmarket, East Gwillimbury and Georgina) and included input from a range of stakeholders, including major employers in the Region, a number of post-secondary institutions, and thought leaders in the field of education and research.

The Strategy identifies a range of post-secondary opportunities, including everything from learning centres to meet local specific skill gaps, to establishing a comprehensive research campus.  The Strategy also includes a policy framework for the Region's involvement in post-secondary investments to ensure they align with Regional planning goals and infrastructure investments. 

Pearson Eco-Business Zone Materials Exchange Program

As a result of the Partners in Project Green Strategy, Chris led the development of the Pearson Eco-Business Zone Materials Exchange Program.  The goal of the program was to help companies identify ways to turn their waste into feedstock for other companies. Overall, the initiative aimed to help drive waste reduction, while facilitating business development and supply chain innovations.

The development of the materials exchange included completing a review of existing materials exchanges globally to better understand the economic and policy drivers that made exchanges successful, while identifying the required tools, marketing and resources that help exchanges grow.  With the relevant information in hand, a business model was developed and funding partners secured to implement the materials exchange program.

The Pearson Eco-Business Zone Materials Exchange Program continues to operate and assists companies around Toronto Pearson International Airport in reducing their waste costs and identifying new sources of feedstocks.

To learn more about the exchange or utilize it for your company, visit http://www.partnersinprojectgreen.com/programs/waste-management/materials-exchange-program.

To view the feasibility study visit here.