Group looks for provincial funding for labour market study

Sechelt and Gibsons are supporting a Sunshine Coast regional labour market study.

The Powell River Educational Services Society (PRESS) is hoping to get funding for the project from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.

Mathew Wilson of PRESS, an Indigenous-led not for profit working in the Klahoose, Tla’amin and shíshálh territories, outlined the project for Sechelt council Nov. 4.

Wilson said the study, which should take about 15 months to complete, will look at trends and issues related to workforce development and will be based on a similar study PRESS is already doing, looking specifically at Lund and its tourism industry.

Part of the focus will be on “building community resilience in response to COVID-19” and to support small business development and economic growth.

“What does small business or medium-sized business on the Sunshine Coast need … and how can we move people who are on the Sunshine Coast into more sustainable employment and support business growth and economic growth?” Wilson said.

The project would be fully funded by the province and Wilson said all PRESS is asking of the local governments is a letter of support for the funding application and a willingness to participate in a steering committee.

Councillors in Gibsons offered their support for the funding application at their Nov. 3 meeting. The Sunshine Coast Regional District board has not yet considered the request. Sechelt Mayor Darnelda Siegers said she was prepared to endorse the project, in part because it could help fill an information gap, including a lack of detailed local employment data, the impact of COVID on the local workforce and a lack of understanding of the economic activity generated by home-based businesses.

“In conversations that I’ve had with some of the other leaders here on the Coast, we’ve been talking about what kinds of industries could we have come to the Sunshine Coast and provide good wages that we could tie into educational opportunities,” Siegers said.

Wilson said the labour market study would offer baseline information and the Sunshine Coast Regional Economic Organization (SCREDO), which has expressed interest in participating, is also looking for more data on “the craft economy the home-based economy.”

“Talking to local recruitment agencies, one of the challenges for bringing talent to the Sunshine Coast is spousal accommodation,” Wilson added. “How do you have one partner come up to the Sunshine Coast with the other partner looking for opportunities to find meaningful employment.”