Powell River’s economic development strategy to revitalize the city’s economy has been formalized in a 19-page draft paper and is close to becoming a working document.
The strategy grew out of the City of Powell River Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Revitalization, struck in 2012, leading to the creation of an economic development advisory committee, formed in early 2014. The committee, comprised of city council members, city staff and community representatives, was tasked to meaningfully advance the economic development of the City of Powell River through recommending strategies, initiatives and programs for consideration by city council, and by advising council of opportunities and threats related to the local economy.
At the economic development advisory committee’s July meeting, Scott Randolph, city manager of economic development, apprised the committee of some revisions that had been proposed for the economic strategy at the committee’s June meeting.
Committee member Arlette Raaen said she thought the document came together really well. She added that it was a comprehensive piece of work that reaches back to the Sustainability Charter for the Powell River Region and pulls together a number of pieces of the economic development package. Raaen said, however, she had one question.
“As I was reading through this, there are so many opportunities and they are changing fairly frequently,” she said. “The thought crossed my mind, should there be a regular review of emerging and changing priorities? I think we need to keep scanning on a regular basis to make sure we don’t miss a good opportunity.”
Marie Claxton, the city’s acting chief administrative officer, said she thinks this falls within with the committee’s terms of reference. The mandate of the committee is to advance economic development through recommending strategies, initiatives and programs, she said.
Randolph said this document was laying a foundation for the City of Powell River to build a comprehensive economic development strategy.
“I believe the next step, if the document is satisfactory, is a recommendation from this committee to city council,” he said.
Jay Yule, School District 47 superintendent of schools, agreed, but asked: “If the document is sent to city council, what will the committee be asking council to do?”
Carlos Felip, the city’s director of planning services, said the committee would be referring the strategy to council for information.
“I would send it to council for information and stop there,” he said. “For now, that’s all council needs to do. Hopefully, by our next meeting, the committee will have a path to develop it.”
Felip said the economic development strategy has two separate components. One is the day-to-day operational activity. The other is the creation of an overall economic development strategy for Powell River, which is the component of greater concern to the city.
Randolph suggested presenting the strategy to city council in September.
Raaen said the end date for the committee’s mandate is November 1. “How much are we going to be able to accomplish? What is the potential timeline?”
Councillor Debbie Dee said realistically, the committee has two more meetings before its mandate is over. She said with the city’s sustainability committee also facing an end-date, a recommendation is being made to extend the mandate.
The committee passed a motion that the document “2014 Draft – A Path to a Powell River Economic Development Strategy,” dated June 25, 2014, be referred to council for information, with the advice that the next step is preparation of a draft implementation strategy to be considered by the economic development advisory committee at its September meeting.
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