The refreshed Strategic Plan framework includes the vision and strategic goals for the organization. The AGCO’s vision of being a world-class regulator that is innovative, proactive and socially responsible will be achieved through its three strategic goals – Modern Regulator, Service Excellence, and People-Centric. Each strategic goal is associated with several key commitments. Being a Modern Regulatory involves a strategy-driven approach to regulation, while focusing on risks, outcomes and compliance. Service Excellence is about how the AGCO designs and delivers services, and requires providing value for money, reducing regulatory burden on the industries regulated by the AGCO, and being responsive to customers. Being a People-Centric organization necessitates meeting the commitment to empowering people and fostering growth and creating a culture of accountability and trust.

The AGCO Strategic Plan is meant to act as a road map for achieving these key commitments and also involves anticipating potential challenges and opportunities within the AGCO’s operating environment. As discussed above, each Strategic Goal is supported by a number of key commitments which help guide the identification, development, prioritization and implementation of strategies and initiatives.

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There are a number of major initiatives that are underway or planned for the coming year, and beyond. These initiatives represent the AGCO’s support of government priorities and the agency’s commitment to undertake initiatives to achieve the AGCO Strategic Plan and are closely connected to the external factors identified in the earlier environmental scan and risks section.

Modern Regulator

Cannabis Recreational Storefront: The AGCO is committed to supporting the Ontario government as it implements the framework for the legalization of cannabis in alignment with federal government legislation. The AGCO is integrating the retail storefront recreational cannabis line of business into its operations, by enabling online applications through iAGCO, and recruiting and training licensing and compliance staff.

Liquor Modernization: The AGCO will be ready to support any further government direction to modernize the rules for the retail and consumption of beverage alcohol, including permitting the sale of beer and wine at corner stores and big-box stores. 

OLG Modernization: The AGCO continues to work with the OLG to implement the overall modernization strategy. The AGCO will align its efforts and activities with its modern regulatory approach to be risk-based, as well as, outcomes and compliance-focused. 

Horse Racing: This initiative is aimed at modernizing the regulatory rules that govern horse racing in Ontario to ensure they align with the AGCO’s modernized, risk-based, outcomes-based and compliance-focused regulatory direction. The goal is to have a horse racing regulatory framework that is simpler and more flexible, and a key focus going forward will be on continuing the strong engagement and enhancing communications within the sector.

Charitable Gaming Modernization: Working collaboratively with the charitable gaming sector, the AGCO will continue to examine opportunities to support modernization in the sector, including the phased approach to electronic raffles. The AGCO is committed to helping grow and sustain a healthy charitable gaming sector in Ontario, while ensuring that games are offered with honesty, integrity, and in the public interest.

Regulatory Intelligence and Innovation (RII): The AGCO continues to evolve its focus on regulatory intelligence, placing increasing emphasis on the value of data analytics to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of regulatory oversight. RII supports evidence-based policy and program design that will contribute to innovation in our regulatory approaches.

Service Excellence

AGCO 2020: The vision is to deliver integrated, interactive, and intuitive regulation for the liquor, gaming, storefront retail cannabis and horse racing sectors that is world-class. It focusses on serving the public interest by advancing consultative, risk-based approaches to regulation that enhance compliance, increase public confidence and support clients’ businesses.  This initiative incorporates the AGCO’s goal of being an employer of choice that actively support and engage a high performing workforce.  It envisions a nimble culture that maximizes the use of technology and fosters innovation, collaboration, and exceptional service.

The AGCO’s enhanced planning process aligns the agency’s major initiatives to the three Strategic Goals across all levels of the organization. This approach ensures the work that is currently underway, as well as any future initiatives, will continue to align with the AGCO’s Strategic Plan. This enhanced planning process is meant to track and report on progress of ongoing initiatives, while also informing the consideration of new initiatives.

The AGCO’s Corporate Plan captures major initiatives from across the organization, including project owners, key commitments and deliverables. The status of the initiatives within the Corporate Plan is updated and reported quarterly to the CEO and the AGCO Board of Directors.

Division-level planning has also been aligned to support the agency’s Strategic Plan. Divisional Plans, along with corporate-level initiatives, also report on division-level initiatives which support the achievement of the agency’s Strategic Goals.

Now in its third year of operation, the Horse Racing Appeal Panel (HRAP or Panel) continues to be focused on providing a fair, open and accessible process for all parties. In the coming year, the HRAP is committed to building on the experience of its first three years and continuing to look for opportunities to improve its operating efficiency and effectiveness.  One of the initiatives the HRAP will be exploring is to conduct a comprehensive review of its Rules of Procedure, which will include a targeted consultation with key parties and representatives who commonly appear before the Panel. The HRAP’s Rules of Procedure govern proceedings of matters before the Panel and were first established on the launch of the tribunal in April 2016.  The Rules have since been updated two times – in October 2016 and November 2017 – to incorporate a number of housekeeping changes and address minor issues. The Panel recognizes the importance of consultation as a process and seeking out and considering the interests of stakeholders to ensure that its procedural rules support an efficient and responsive appeal process.

Education of the industry but also of the Panel members will continue to be a focus for the Panel. Promoting expertise and competence through training is essential to ensure a fair and effective appeal process. Ongoing educational opportunities will be identified and offered to keep Panel members up-to-date and informed on the latest trends and changes within adjudication and the racing industry.

Stakeholder access to the hearing venue has always been an important consideration, with most licensees based out of and traveling in from rural communities. Although the HRAP’s hearings are held at a location that is easily accessible to the industry (10 Carlson Court in Etobicoke), there have been indications that the Panel may soon have to vacate (the HRAP sub-leases the facilities from another body, who has signaled that it will soon be leaving). As such, staff will begin exploring options to potentially re-locate the HRAP’s hearing space, should that become necessary, to a new location that is equally as accessible to the racing industry.

Succession planning will be particularly important in 2019. Appointment terms expire for four of the Panel members in March 2019, including the Chair of the HRAP. The current Panel complement stands at nine members. Formal performance assessments were undertaken and led by the HRAP Chair in 2018, and will be taken into account, along with other factors including workload, as part of the Chair’s recommendations to the AGCO Board for re-appointments.