Upbeat yet uncertain. That’s the way the Vital Signs survey reported the state of the economy and work in Powell River.
While 42 per cent of respondents feel the outlook to sustain a stable and active community is good or excellent, only 16 per cent give high marks to the area’s ability to provide sufficient jobs to its residents.
Paul Kamon, marketing director at Tourism Powell River, and Scott Randolph of Powell River Regional Economic Development Society, see community as a key component in the region’s development across economic sectors.
“Every community’s throwing up the tourism flag,” said Kamon, “but Powell River has great benefits: its heritage, the preserved arts and crafts architecture, coupled with its incredible natural assets.” For Kamon, it’s all about synergy. “I don’t see a giant corporation coming in to save the town.” Rather, he believes that a fully-integrated approach that combines the community’s quality of life, heritage and natural assets is the way to attract new businesses seeking quality of life for their employees.
Randolph agrees. “We are creating innovative partnerships to get things done, building the best trades training program in the province and exploring ways to increase our investment in value-added products.”
Powell River Chamber of Commerce president Jack Barr believes that to support a stable economy, Powell River needs to decide what it wants to be. “If it is satisfied to be a 20,000 population or less, then yes, there is, in its current state, probably enough work to continue on status quo, without any growth.” A region with a population of 25,000 or 30,000, Barr suggests, would be able to support retail and other services to lower current levels of spending outside of Powell River, and “to maintain a vibrant economy unto itself.”
That kind of growth depends on attracting new residents of all ages. Kamon is inspired by the number of young people new to the region, “people that still have their careers in front of them, choosing to move here.” Jim Agius of Agius Builders sees reinvigorating the downtown core as a way of attracting Generation Ys and retirees who will require services that in turn will provide jobs. Agius and Barr are encouraged by what they see as a proactive City of Powell River council, committed to working on economic recovery issues.
Forestry has recovered from recent market downturns and has been close to harvesting 100 per cent of the region’s annual allowable cut for the last two years. According to Sunshine Coast Forest District operations manager Robert van der Zalm, “The expectation is that wood markets will remain stable for the next few years.” While acknowledging shortages of qualified machine operators and forest technicians, van der Zalm notes the region has a very good inventory of second-growth forest, and with its proximity to markets and established infrastructure, “Sunshine Coast is one the best places to conduct forestry in BC.”
Powell River Community Forest presents a good example of local economic development through the forestry sector. It provided almost $1.3-million dollars of contracts and supply purchases in the local economy in 2011. General manager Chris Laing sees a positive future for the community forest, including its work with recreational groups to maintain existing trail systems.
There is a lot more to be accomplished before residents will feel optimistic about the supply of quality jobs in Powell River. “The future is cooperation, not competition,” said Kamon. “When you integrate the community, the people, into economic development, you get local investment in the community, and the community is rewarded for it.”
Powell River Community Foundation is one of 178 locally run community foundations in Canada. For more information on how to help build a lasting endowment for Powell River, readers can visit the foundation's website.
This is the first in a series of articles that explore some of the 12 key areas covered in the Vital Signs report. In October 2011, Powell River Community Foundation released Vital Signs, an examination of social, economic and environmental factors that affect the vitality of the Powell River region. The complete report is available online.
