By taking a regional approach to economic development, more benefits can be reaped from economies of scale, declared Jim Cleghorn at the Sunshine Coast Regional District's (SCRD) April 26 corporate and administrative services committee.
As chair of the Sunshine Coast Economic Development Task Force (SCEDTF), Cleghorn had been working to convince Coasters and their governments that leveraging the area's economic resources is a strategy not to be feared.
"The Sunshine Coast business community and the task force are not an invading band of pirates come to sack and pillage the Sunshine Coast and leave it a smoldering ruin," he said to those in attendance at the committee. "I don't come before you asking for support for economic development to put money in rich peoples' pockets as some might think. I do it for the unemployed, the underemployed and the working poor who are the primary benefactors of an improved economic base."
The task force was born in 2010 when the membership of Best Coast Initiatives (BCI), composed of business owners from the Gibsons area, concluded that a regional strategy might be more effective in promoting economic development at both the regional and Coastal levels.
As such, BCI turned its focus to this effort and away from its original Gibsons-oriented mandate. According to Cleghorn, the group plans to transfer its assets to a regional entity, should one emerge in the future.
"Smoke stack chasing is a thing of the past," said Cleghorn who offered a vision of regional economic development based on community values. "The main thrust should be to bring investment and revenue from off-Coast."
Staff presented a draft of a possible economic memorandum of understanding that if agreed to by the Coast's municipal governments, would see the creation of a Sunshine Coast Economic Development Alliance (SCEDA).
That alliance would be based on an agreement "to fund economic development activities under the auspices of SCEDA for the benefit of all communities on the Sunshine Coast."
SCRD board chair Garry Nohr said he would like to see the terms agreed to by the rural regions as well as the member municipalities.
But a primary concern amongst the committee's discussion centred on avoiding any unnecessary delays, a symptom of lacking collusion amongst local governments, Nohr said.
Elphinstone director Lorne Lewis agreed.
"I think as a group from a rural area directors need to have a chat about this so that should be organized. I'm a cautious person so I want to go over it," he said.
Sechelt director Coun. Alice Lutes suggested that elected officials could come together as a group to discuss the document after their individual discussions, rather than simply forwarding their comments to the SCRD.
The idea was well received and a motion passed to have the draft discussed by the member municipalities and area directors.
Elected officials from the Coast are expected to meet next month to begin finalizing the document.
