The Sunshine Coast Regional District took a step closer Oct. 27 to the realization of economic collaboration between local governments on the Coast.
A set of recommendations was passed in principle by directors at last Thursday's corporate and administrative services meeting that should allow staff to proceed to the next stage of drafting a memorandum of understanding (MOU). However, initial reactions were mixed as regional directors expressed varying concerns about a set of proposals still in their infancy.
Both the Town of Gibsons and the District of Sechelt have approved the concept of creating a MOU between local governments that could lead to a greater degree of economic cohesion in the region.
"If we're going to be making a move, shift away from smokestack kind of economic development, that's a philosophical decision," said Roberts Creek director Donna Shugar. "I'm not understanding where the mechanism for that comes in, who contributes to that kind of decision."
Chief administrative officer John France said the current vision is one of community involvement, where recommendations for economic policy might come from engaging the Coast population.
A board of directors could be composed of elected officials, but also members of the Chambers of Commerce and various sectors including tourism, education, health, finance, technology and development. As the bill payers of the initiative, local governments would be able to determine the direction and strategy behind the plan, France added.
"It's a palette; it's empty and you get to fill it in," France said.
As of yet, the Sechelt Indian Government District has not yet responded with an indication of its position regarding the concept.
Beyond a balance of representation, concerns also tended to centre on the cost of the enterprise, which comes with initial suggestions of an annual funding bill in the neighbourhood of $200,000.
Pender Harbour/Egmont director Eric Graham was particularly concerned with this facet of the report.
"We have to be really careful in this that we don't break the bank," Graham said, listing examples of major spending requirements in his area that might take precedence. "That's a major, major concern for me, the time commitment and the volume of money that it's going to cost."
For director Lorne Lewis of Elphinstone, it was important to point out the region's lesser amount of commercial property compared to other areas of the Coast.
Despite this, Lewis said, economic development is a popular concept in his region, citing a hope that the benefits of growth could be felt by all Coast residents.
"We take it seriously. We do believe that the money we spend is going to a good purpose," he declared.
While questions about how a coastal economic organization could take shape and what effect it might have on the area remained, the report was accepted and its recommendations adopted in principle.
Added to the initial recommendations were the development of a charter including guidelines for dispute resolution, the addition of a cultural representative, a mechanism allowing electoral directors to offer their input, assurance that funding will be equitable and that a vision statement be made one of the initial goals.
"We do believe in the fundamentals or the basics of this document. Wordsmithing it, refining it, defining it comes at a later stage," said Gibsons Mayor Barry Janyk. "Let's just move it forward."
