Contact the Ontario FICE Program 1-888-588-4111

Email: reddi.omafra@ontario.ca

1-800-461-6132

www.ontario.ca/reddi

Également disponible en français

First Impressions Community Exchange Program

“Seeing things in a whole new light”

BECOME A FIRST IMPRESSIONS COMMUNITY

of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs or the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. We will provide all the materials, staff to guide the process, and

community.

A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE

Communities that have participated in a First Impressions Community Exchange (FICE) are quick to praise the program. Apart from the relatively low cost and effort involved, FICE has led to concrete results, such as improved signage, better visitor services, uncluttered streets, upgraded lighting or investment in comprehensive downtown revitalization.

undertake more strategic projects and have often developed longer-term, collaborative relationships with other FICE communities.

“I have set many new goals and

report. Many of these initiatives will come into play for the next couple of budget years.”

Quote courtesy of client survey

What is the First Impressions

Community Exchange?

FICE is a simple, low-cost and highly effective

community conveys to visitors, including tourists, potential investors or people looking for a new place to live. It helps communities identify the

bring them back, as well as the things that give a negative impression of the community.

“Since I am on the Business Improvement Association and a tourism partner in the community, I have used some of the information to speak to the municipality’s public works department to try and get improvements made.”

Quote courtesy of client survey

A Fresh Perspective

Three versions of FICE are now available: Community-wide, Downtown and Tourism. Each program provides communities with guides, assessment booklets, report templates and assistance from provincial government economic development consultants.

The ‘exchange’ involves two or more communities that send volunteer teams to their exchange community to complete an assessment of local facilities, services and amenities. The visits are unannounced, similar to a secret shopper approach used to assess retail stores. The visitors record their observations and give constructive feedback to the community through a public presentation and report.

MATCHING COMMUNITIESThe best results are achieved when the exchange communities have similar characteristics, such as population size, proximity to a large urban centre, or economic base (eg. agriculture, tourism, manufacturing). It also helps if the two communities are facing similar development issues, like business or youth retention, single industry dependence, or “big-box” development.

THE VISITEach visiting team has 5-6 community residents with a mix of backgrounds, occupations and ages. They spend several hours touring the community and recording their observations. They prepare a report and present it to the exchange community at a public session.

“It has connected us to another town that we can partner with in any ways. Example, when we have events going on they can promote [them] and give us prizes that will help get people to visit their town and vice versa.”

Quote courtesy of client survey

Since 2005, the FICE program

has contributed across Ontario to

positive community action, including

downtown revitalization, tourism

development, investment attraction,

quality service improvement, and

community strategic planning.