A regional economic development initiative is taking shape with the formation of a steering committee of representatives from all local governments on the Coast and Sechelt Nation.
The regional approach to economic development was discussed by members of newly sworn-in councils and boards in the spring. The result of that three-hour workshop on May 15, which looked at work done during the previous term, was a draft economic development charter and the agreement that a steering committee was needed to move the vision forward.
The steering committee is now nearly complete with Coun. Noel Muller named as representative for Sechelt, Coun. Silas White as representative for Gibsons and Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) chair Garry Nohr as representative for the SCRD.
The representative for Sechelt Nation was not selected by press time Aug. 5 but Muller expected someone to be chosen soon so that the committee would get to work this month.
“What we’re going to be doing on that steering committee is to be settling any of the outstanding governance issues and then we’re going to be hopefully negotiating and appointing the first board,” Muller said.
That board will decide how about $300,000 gets spent on economic development across the region each year.
The funding will come from all areas of the regional district, the Town of Gibsons, the District of Sechelt and Sechelt Nation based on assessed home values and population.
Sechelt’s portion works out to $80,000 a year, Muller said, noting the price tag is much smaller than what the District was paying Sechelt Innovations Ltd. (SIL) to do “basically the same thing.”
He said SIL’s focus might have been on Sechelt but any economic development efforts undertaken by SIL would have benefited the entire Sunshine Coast.
“Employment, housing and investment, the big variables we’re looking at, they all happen on a regional basis. People don’t just decide to focus on Sechelt for a particular reason and not on Gibsons, for example,” Muller said.
“So when we go ahead and try to improve the economic situation, it doesn’t end at Sechelt’s borders and it also doesn’t begin there.”
Muller said he’s excited about the impact a new regional economic development board could have on the Coast and added he’s glad to be a part of the steering committee that will help pave the way.
“We’re one of the most isolated economies in B.C. actually, based on the fact that we have the ferry and there’s no highway connecting us. It’s a very challenging region when it comes to economic development so we’re hoping that we’ll be able to look at the Coast all as one and come up with some solutions that will work for all of the partners,” Muller said.
“It is a big step forward. It’s something we should really be proud of.”
