Ottawa mayor Bob Chiarelli

The City of Ottawa is on the shortlist to host a prestigious international conference in 2004, a feat that would not have been achievable without the Ottawa Partnership.

Ottawa officials will know Sept. 19 whether the city will host the Competitiveness Institute's 2004 annual conference. This year, the group that bills itself as the cluster practitioners network is holding the conference Sept. 17 to 19 in Gothenberg, Sweden.

Alf Chaiton, an advisor to Mayor Bob Chiarelli, credits the partnership, known as TOP, for increased international recognition.

TOP was formed in January 1998 to encourage collaboration between the public and private sectors to foster economic growth.

The news of the conference is timely, given the group of public and private sector representatives will meet for the first time since the summer break on Friday. The agenda will include a discussion of the partnership's future role in the city.

It is a crucial time for the partnership as it nears its five-year anniversary, having achieved or surpassed many of its goals.

From the point of view of the mayor's office, the partnership should continue to nurture its role in the city's economy, Chaiton said.

"It is appropriate to take a look at the mandate, but TOP has done a great job in terms of the kind of collaboration between industry and the universities and colleges," Chaiton said. "You see it a lot when we get potential firms looking at Ottawa. One of the consistent things they say is how impressed they are with hearing a consistent message. What that says to investors is that this is a city that has its act together."

The partnership's inaugural co-chairpersons were WorldHeart CEO and president and then-Ottawa Senators owner Rod Bryden and the mayor.

Since then, the partnership has created the city's economic strategy, a component of the city's 20/20 growth plan, based on the cluster model of economic development, which focuses on growing sectors of the economy.

TOP was also formed to help merge the Ottawa Economic Development Corp. and the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation, an initiative that is now complete.

The partnership created the city's talent and broadband plans, aimed at improving the city's human resources and implementing broadband access for all residents.

With these goals out of the way, Chaiton said there's room to develop TOP's scope and mandate.

"We can set ground rules and provide tools and opportunities and then unleash the private sector. There is still a volatile market and there is still a battle to attract talent, so there is probably a continuing role for TOP."

Other items on the agenda for Friday's meeting include an update on an initiative to create a municipal quality-of-life indicator. Chaiton said he will ask TOP whether it wants to take ownership of the initiative, which is intended to measure aspects of the city's quality of life. The results of the survey will be used as a selling tool to attract and retain skilled workers, Chaiton said.

The group will also strike a nominating committee to fill two private sector representative seats. One of the candidates is Don Hewson, president and CEO of Hewson Smith + Bridge, who said TOP has played a valuable role in the city's economy and he would like to extend his term for another year.

"With the putting together of the city's economic plan, TOP is in the process of redirecting itself," Hewson said. "What we're really talking about is whither goeth TOP?"

- by Kate Chappell