Strategic Direction

The AGCO has developed a Strategic Plan to support its role as an effective and modern regulator through an increasingly complex operating environment. The Plan acts as a blueprint to help the AGCO address the regulatory challenges and opportunities within the liquor, gaming, horse racing and cannabis retail sectors.

The AGCO Strategic Plan identifies the following five strategic goals:

  1. Modern Regulator
  2. Value for Money
  3. Strategic Engagement
  4. Quality Service Experience
  5. Rewarding Workplace

This diagram displays the AGCO's vision, mandate and five strategic goals.

Strategic Goals and Planning Themes

Vision:  A leader in the alcohol, gaming, horse racing and private cannabis retail sectors through effective regulation and services that are fair, responsive and in the broader public interest.

Mandate:  To regulate the alcohol, gaming, horse racing and private cannabis retail sectors in accordance with the principles of honesty and integrity, and in the public interest.

Modern Regulator

  • Strategy driven organization   |   Risk and outcomes-based
  • Regulatory assurance strategy   |   Compliance-focused
    • Data and intelligence used
    • Effectiveness as a regulator demonstrated

Value for Money

  • Modern, integrated and streamlined organization
  • Accountable:
    • Clear board governance role
    • Robust performance measurement
    • Financially sustainable
  • Robust IT infrastructure

Strategic Engagement

  • Meaningful engagement to understand stakeholder perspectives and inform policies and programs
  • Strong and valued partnerships and alliances to improve regulatory outcomes 

Quality Service Experience

  • Strong service culture   |   Effective use of technology
    • Service experience is benchmarked and measured
    • Continuous improvement encouraged
    • Modern, responsive, streamlined service delivery approaches and channels

Rewarding Workplace

  • Top Employer
  • A diverse and inclusive workplace and workforce
  • Leadership, management, and professional skills are developed
  • Increased workforce mobility and flexibility

​The AGCO’s strategic goals are aligned with and support the achievement of key government objectives for enhanced accountability, efficiency and value for money in the delivery of public services. The goals also support evidence-based decision-making and policy development, and focus on minimizing the administrative burden, where possible, on those regulated by the AGCO. During 2018-2019, the AGCO made measurable progress towards achieving its strategic goals.

1. Modern Regulator

  • The Ontario provincial legislature passed the Cannabis Statute Law Amendment Act, giving the AGCO the authority to license, regulate and enforce the sale of recreational cannabis through privately run stores in Ontario. For an update on this new AGCO role, see: Licensing and Regulation of Recreational Cannabis.
  • The AGCO worked with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) to implement the overall gaming modernization strategy, including transitioning new Casino Operators, and supporting key components of the OLG Player Platform and Lottery Modernization Strategy.
  • The AGCO amended policy in support of liquor modernization, including the harmonization of Sunday hours for liquor retailers to sell beverage alcohol from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Ongoing strategic and operational advice was provided to government on proposed reforms to the liquor regulatory framework.
  • As part of the “Moving Ahead: Horse Racing Regulation in Ontario” project, and following consultation with Ontario’s horse racing industry, the AGCO implemented changes to the Equine Drug Program process and changes to the Rules of Racing, including the introduction of a Temperature Standard for Racetracks. The updated rulebooks were published in fall 2018. A Concussion Management standards-based rule is being piloted during the 2019 racing season.
  • The AGCO broadened the Electronic Raffle Regulatory Framework as part of the launch of Phase 2 in November 2018, to reduce the administrative burden on Ontario charities and religious organizations and provide them with greater flexibility when conducting and managing raffles.

2. Value for Money

  • The AGCO continued to focus on measuring performance and ensuring value for money in all programs implemented over the past year. For instance, overall customer satisfaction with iAGCO, the AGCO’s new automated online licensing and registration solution has exceeded the target, with 93% of customers indicating they are satisfied with the new system of contact. The AGCO’s efforts to reach out to stakeholders has also exceeded expectations, with a clear majority feeling engaged or highly engaged. For more information, see Table 3 – AGCO Performance Measures 2018-19.
  • Ongoing monitoring of the progress of the current Strategic Plan performance measures continued, with insights employed to better evaluate business performance and regulatory effectiveness.
  • A new Regulatory Intelligence and Innovation (RII) strategic framework was developed to further the AGCO’s capacity to generate and use data insights across the agency. As a result, the AGCO is now redesigning and implementing a comprehensive data-driven strategy to strengthen our regulatory approach towards impaired driving.
  • A renewed Education, Training, and Awareness (ETA) strategy was launched in 2018-19. This program supports AGCO’s regulatory assurance activities and fosters a proactive, compliance-focused culture within the industries it regulates by enhancing its planning and delivery of educational opportunities to support their compliance with relevant laws and regulations. As part of this renewed strategy, the AGCO has approved some 13 ETA projects, including a new initiative and partnership with Equine Guelph to develop online training in the area of horse welfare.
  • The AGCO leveraged risk management methodologies through the continued use and enhancement of an Enterprise Risk Management Framework.  Risks continue to be routinely identified, analyzed, addressed, and monitored across the AGCO.
  • The AGCO continued to conduct internal audits and evaluations based on a Board-approved three-year rolling Strategic Audit and Evaluation plan. The plan ensures key risk areas and priorities are examined for alignment with the organization’s strategic objectives and for compliance with applicable requirements. A number of audits and evaluations have been conducted and recommendations have been implemented, leading to strengthened internal controls and improved governance and accountability.
  • Enhancement of the AGCO’s Emergency Management Plan Framework continued, including the creation of business continuity plans for new lines of business and modifications to infrastructure to ensure critical systems and information are protected and available in the event of an emergency.

3. Strategic Engagement

  • The AGCO continued to implement a strategic engagement approach across the organization as a staple component of its business process. This strategy has resulted in the delivery of a series of engagement-driven activities aimed at raising stakeholder input and awareness about major corporate initiatives.
  • A comprehensive strategy was developed to engage the AGCO’s municipal partners in a focused and coordinated manner. In the first year of the strategy, a municipal webinar series was undertaken to strengthen and formalize the AGCO’s relationship with municipal partners by creating a platform for dialogue and education. Three webinars were held, focusing on the AGCO’s role, charitable gaming and cannabis.
  • A number of educational webinar sessions were successfully delivered for industry stakeholders including: Beer, Wine and Cider in Grocery Stores, Horse Racing Integration and Catch the Ace.
  • The AGCO continued to collaborate with the OPP, as well as regional and municipal police services currently participating in the Last Drink Program through the ongoing review of program reports and analysis of program data.
  • Collaboration and close partnerships with police services, other regulators and municipalities continued to enhance regulatory compliance through the sharing of information and resources.
  • The AGCO continued to maintain a collaborative relationship with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, College of Veterinarians, Canada Border Services Agency, Regulatory Compliance & Enforcement Council, Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency, and the Canadian American Law Enforcement Organization.

4. Quality Service Experience

  • The continued modernization of the AGCO service delivery model through the phased implementation of the iAGCO web-based portal included the implementation of Phases 2 and 3 in 2018. The transition period from paper to online transactions for Phase 2 ended in January 2019, meaning that all liquor-related transactions with the AGCO, including for Liquor Sales Licences, Manufacturer’s and their Representatives, Ferment-on-Premises and Liquor Delivery services, are now exclusively conducted online. Phase 3 went live in November 2018 and included services for Gaming Site Operators, Gaming Assistants, Gaming and Non-Gaming Related Suppliers and Lottery Retailers. All cannabis-related tranactions were immediately launched as digital by default in January 2019 and are conducted exclusively through the online portal.
  • A new Complaints and Inquiries Handling Policy was launched in January 2018 to clarify procedures and affirm the AGCO’s intention to use information from complaints and inquiries to support continuous business improvement. 
  • As part of the Strategic Communications Plan, and in support of transformation initiatives, the AGCO expanded the reach of its social media activity on Twitter, using that channel for important updates and engagement with the public.
  • A new Service Strategy and Experience Branch was established in March 2019, to elevate the agency's service to customers, across all lines of business.

5. Rewarding Workplace

  • Under its organizational design initiative, the AGCO continued to examine the optimal structure for the agency and identified a number of opportunities to be more flexible, dynamic, and agile. These efforts will help to ensure the organization is eventually structured to support the best possible delivery of services and strategic priorities while being able to anticipate and respond to future disruption and change.
  • The first stage of a Remote Work Arrangement program was launched to provide a flexible structure for employees to occasionally work from an alternate work location, when appropriate to their duties and functions.
  • The AGCO NEXT initiative continued to focus on organizational engagement through activities such as NEXT Talks, which were modeled after the popular TED Talks and invited employees to create and deliver a presentation to all staff related to a specific theme.
  • In response to recent Employee Engagement Survey results, the AGCO committed to developing action plans to build on two corporate themes: opportunities to have ideas adopted and put into use, and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of work structures and processes.
  • The AGCO held its first-ever virtual Town Hall series. Taking a modern, cost-effective approach, the series connected with AGCO staff across the province over the course of one week through a combination of live streaming interactive sessions, themed days with customized content, recorded presentations and an employee social media platform to respond to questions.