Sechelt Community Projects Inc. (SCPI) is trying to define the community forest's role in economic development, and they've hired an economic developer to help.
The SCPI board came up with the idea after twice announcing they were looking for proposals for their economic development fund, with no response from the public.
"I was shocked, myself personally, so we said, 'maybe we're doing something wrong here. Maybe it's just not enough to say you've got some money available and if you've got a good idea bring it forward.' That's why we hired Patrick to take a look at it and see if he could come up with something that maybe people would react to," said SCPI board chair Glen Bonderud.
Economic developer Patrick Marshall has been working with SCPI since January and he has compiled a discussion paper talking about some suggested strategies for the community forest.
That discussion paper was offered up for comment and served as the basis for focus groups held recently with various forest user groups, organizations and businesses. Their comments will be compiled in a future report Marshall will prepare for SCPI.
Bonderud said the effort is necessary to come up with an economic development strategy for the community forest.
"We want a game plan, maybe ideas on where we should focus, concentrate our efforts and see if we can work toward something," said Bonderud.
He said that people should not be concerned about duplication of work by other economic development efforts on the Coast.
"Some governments are already doing it, but they're doing an overall plan," he said. "We're not opening coffee shops or grocery stores or garages or anything like that, we just want strictly the forest side of it. If it coincides and works together with other parties, great."
Marshall said the effort will fit nicely into any economic development strategy compiled for the Coast.
"When the local governments and Aboriginal government decide how they want to fulfill economic development, they're going to have a great resource in SCPI to fill in that value added and wood economy," Marshall said.
