Business and Commercial Stakeholders

Business and Commercial Sector stakeholders include individual businesses and organizations in the Preliminary Study Area such as Chambers of Commerce, Development Boards for Business Improvement Areas, Economic and Development and Tourism corporations, Local real estate boards, Agricultural producers and marketing boards, Community Development corporations, Local homebuilders associations, Steel manufacturers and the Automotive and parts Industry.

This group of stakeholders will be consulted to:

• Gain insight into existing and future operations and the economic conditions within the Preliminary Study Area
• Discuss the potential for all modes of transportation to move goods and people; and
• Identify positive and negative impacts of various solutions.

The first Business and Commercial Stakeholders meeting was held on June 28th, 2007. Transportation Service Providers who were unable to attend the first TSP Orientation Session were invited to attend this event. A summary of the meeting can be viewed by clicking the following link:

Business and Commercial Stakeholders Orientation Session Summary

Over the past several months, the Project Team has been in the process of consulting with Business and Commercial Stakeholders (BCS) (i.e. meetings, telephone surveys, mailed questionnaires) during the Problems and Opportunities stage in order to:

• Better understand people and goods movements within the Preliminary Study Area; and
• Obtain anecdotal information on the following to further supplement the input received from the Transportation Service Provider sector:
  • Nature of Business Operations
  • Motivations for mode choices for moving goods
  • Problems in the transportation network
  • Opportunities (transportation, economic etc.)
  • Limitations / challenges to transportation services (corporate policy, economic, operational etc.)

A Consultation Plan has been developed to outline the Study Team’s approach for effectively and meaningfully engaging the Business and Commercial Sector (BCS) to identify transportation problems and opportunities:

BCS Consultation Plan

Although business corporations and organizations do not provide a transportation service, they inevitably influence the type of goods shipped and influence modal choices for the movement of people and goods.

Consultation with the BCS was undertaken to identify what elements of the existing transportation system adversely affect the operations of their business, what improvements to the existing network would improve operations for their business, and whether improvements to other modes of transportation would cause them to shift to alternative modes.

The approach for engaging TSPs and BCS in the problems and opportunities identification process was very similar and involved a two-tiered approach. Consultation with "First Tier" organizations involved one-on-one interviews via telephone or in person. Consultation with "Second Tier" organizations involved questionnaires via letter and an e-questionnaire posted on a password-protected section of the NGTA website.

A summary of stakeholder consultation on the identification of problems and opportunities has been developed to summarize the input received.

Summary of Stakeholder Consultation - Problems and Opportunities