2025 Annual Report-final June 4

Strategic Priority: Diversified, Thriving Economy

Strategic Priority Goals • Attract, retain, and expand business investment to diversify the tax base and increase local employment. • Expand training and educational options in Maple Ridge to build a skilled workforce that attracts innovative businesses. • Explore and maximize tourism opportunities as a means to further diversify the local economy.

2025 Activities

2026 Goals

Attract, Retain, and Expand Business Investment • Completed an Investment Attraction Strategy identifying target sectors to diversify the tax base and foster employment in Maple Ridge. • Completed a review of business licensing processes and implemented improvements to support businesses. • Reduced timelines for business licence inspections from six to two days for new business applications, saving cost and time for new business applicants. • Increased engagement with local businesses by onboarding over 35 businesses to the Experience Hub. • Completed the Business Retention and Expansion Strategy. Maximize Tourism Opportunities • Completed a tourism-focused major events attraction strategy. • Confirmed a baseline net promoter score for agri-, eco-, and adventure tourism operations in Maple Ridge to highlight the number of participants recommending Maple Ridge as a destination. • Increased film-based tourism by 10%. Promote and Expand the Maple Ridge Film Sector • Earned $735,000 in revenue (18% increase) in 2025 from expansion of film productions in the City. • Modernized the fee structure for filming permits to foster productions and implemented a sliding fee scale based on size of production.

Attract, Retain, and Expand Business Investment • Complete Metro Vancouver review and finalize North 256 St. Industrial Lands Area Plan to transform underused land in northeast Maple Ridge into a modern light industrial hub, supporting job creation, economic diversification, and long-term tax stability. • Ensure businesses are informed of the patio program to promote summer activation of downtown area. • Establish the foundations of an innovation ecosystem that fosters innovative businesses, though interest holder and expert interviews, focus groups and workshops, and formalize two strategic partnerships with enabling organizations. • Systematize business retention and expansion activity so that every business touchpoint is logged, acted on, and measured, including segmentation of target business, inquiry response management, and implementation of a customer relationship management system. • Position Maple Ridge as a hub for lower-carbon businesses and green jobs by delivering resources and workshops to support businesses to implement lower-carbon practices and technologies. • Secure media coverage of Maple Ridge as a destination for innovative businesses in three regional industry publications. • Initiate implementation of key actions of Investment Attraction Strategy. Maximize Tourism Opportunities • Implement the tourism-focused events attraction strategy. • Maintain a focus on agri-, eco- , and adventure tourism to attract visitors and stimulate economic activity. Promote and Expand the Maple Ridge Film Sector • Increase revenue generated by filming by at least 5%.

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