Economic Development Task Force - Our First Update
By V2A Economic Development
Welcome to the first update of the Community Economic Development Task Force. As many of you may know, we are one of three task forces (TF’s) recently initiated by the Sustainability Commission as a result of the Rossland Visions To Action process.
Our aim is to work on economic development activities that offer the best potential for increasing business activity, business opportunities and hopefully population growth in Rossland. We will also work with interested regional partners and believe that any economic growth in our region should be beneficial to Rossland. The Visions to Action Strategic Development Plan and the strategic actions noted there will form a basis for our work along with many of our own ideas some from other towns.
A key role, as mentioned by Graham Kenyon in the most recent Community Newsletter, is for the “TF’s to engage with citizens and groups that have congruent interests.” Telegraph articles and meetings hosted by the Sustainability Commission will allow us to gather your community input.
Initial focus areas within our group are noted below:
- Making recommendations to council wherever we believe changes could be made to enhance and grow business in Rossland
- A survey of business consultants to develop a skills database in Rossland. We believe that this growing professional group often contribute and offer far more than is recognized to our local economy.
- Getting first hand information on what’s worked and what hasn’t from successful business owners who’ve already been through the hoops.
- Developing a plan to help make Rossland more Business Friendly.
- Continuing to develop new opportunities specifically tied to our strong outdoor lifestyle and growing tourism potential.
Tall order? Maybe. But all that to say, we’re a small group of dedicated volunteers with limited time but plenty of enthusiasm who welcome your input and support as we go forward to help build a successful Rossland of the Future. We’ll provide updates on a regular basis in the Telegraph and hope you’ll spread the word.
Sincerely, Bob Reardon, Chair
Community Economic Development Task Force
