Town of Two Hills - Request for Proposal - Two Hills Regional Economic Development Capacity Building Project

The primary reason for this project is to lay the groundwork that will support economic development, diversification, and growth within the Two Hills region. The region boasts a variety of economic sectors including an active oil and gas industry, an innovative and growing manufacturing sector, agriculture, transportation and trades. Combined with our proximity to post- secondary and trades colleges, our location is ideal for growing families and building an educated labour force. However, given the global economic downturn and inflation, it has been challenging to attract and retain businesses and residents to our communities and region which is critical to economic development and diversification. To address this concern, we are undertaking the Two Hills Region Economic Development Capacity Building Initiative to address economic growth barriers and revitalize the economic landscape of our community and region. This project will build on the town's Strategic Economic Development Plan, develop strategic partnerships that attract investments in businesses and industries, and attract new families by leveraging our unique advantages. As part of this plan, we have 6 focused on economic development preparedness through the completion of several action items including a regional labor force assessment, community wide visualization plan, and business assessment and plans. To advance and solidify our economic foothold, we now require dedicated resources and tools to foster our economic resilience and competitiveness. For too long, we have relied on internal municipal resources to complete necessary work in segmented pieces off the corner of our desks. The results have been fragmented and lacking at times. Our proposed initiative will focus on the creation of an economic development officer position, economic development training, and planning and implementation of economic development strategies. Combined, these critical elements of economic development will support community sustainability and will ensure the Two Hills region has a strong, strategic plan to guide and promote economic development and community growth. The Two Hills Region Economic Development Capacity Building Initiative will include the following scope of work: 1. Strategic economic development plan which will include to sustainable growth strategy development 2. Infrastructure gap assessment 3. Labour force gap assessment including community engagement and workshops 4. Sustainable growth strategy implementation The initiative will also include economic development training, and development of an economic development officer position. This will not be the responsibility of the Contractor, but the aforementioned four deliverables will inform the role of the EDO. Grant reporting support is required as well.