Courtesy of the City of Williams Lake:
At its regular meeting Tuesday evening, Council received the report from the Business Expansion and Attraction Strategy (BEAS) Task Force, and supported in principle its 12 recommendations.
Staff will now provide a report to Council with respect to implementation, priorities, and costs for consideration in the 2012 budget and Council’s strategic priorities for the 2011-2014 term.
“I want to thank the members of the Task Force for their hard work and dedication as they produced these recommendations,” says Mayor Kerry Cook. “Council will be considering these recommendations in decision-making as we go forward as we focus on increasing economic activity in the City. That is my number one priority in this term of Council.”
The City completed the Business Expansion and Attraction Strategy in mid-2011. Based on local stakeholder interviews and market research the document provides an economic review of the City, suggests business sectors for expansion, and recommends forty strategic initiatives to assist growth and diversification of the local economy.
Mayor and Council established the Business Expansion and Attraction Strategy (BEAS) Task Force in October 2011 to develop recommendations about implementation of the BEAS. Task Force members included individuals representing business and community organizations as well as key economic sectors.
The Task Force met every two weeks from October 26 through December 31, 2011. Each meeting involved a combination of prioritizing exercises and general discussions about business development, the state of the local economy, community strengths, challenges and opportunities as related to the various Strategy initiatives. The Task Force also considered the goals of the City’s Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP) and the Official Community Plan (OCP) as it drafted its recommendations.
In the course of moving forward, the Task Force suggested that the City consider these principles in its efforts to expand the local economy:
• Consider all development projects with a ‘Business lens.’
• Ensure program delivery is done in a manner that is reflective of the complexities of the economy – be prepared to adapt (the BEAS should be maintained as a ‘living document’)
• Ensure that project delivery is undertaken with a sound return on investment to the community in mind.
• Actively pursue opportunities to leverage funding and human resources when delivering projects.
For more information, please contact:
Alan Madrigga - Manager of Economic Development
City of Williams Lake
Ph: 250-392-1764 or amadrigga@williamslake.ca
Summary of Recommendations
Please note that recommendations are not listed in any particular order.
INDUSTRIAL TAX RATES - That the City review the mill rates for industrial property in the City with the goal of ensuring the rates are at competitive levels to similar resource based communities in BC.
MINING SERVICE SECTOR EXPANSION - That the City work with local mining companies to identify material suppliers that they currently use who are based outside of the Cariboo region and engage these suppliers to assess potential to locate offices and/or provide services from Williams Lake.
MOUNTAIN BIKE TOURISM - That the City ensure linkages to grow Mountain Bike tourism activities in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region; with a focus on expansion of support businesses associated with mountain biking in Williams Lake.
DEVELOPER ORIENTATION AND TRAINING - That the City develops and undertakes an information program to educate existing and potential property developers on the processes and legislative requirements to develop property in City (i.e. rezoning, development permits, engineering required, etc).
LIVELY DOWNTOWN - That the City coordinate a strategic effort to fill gaps in downtown commercial spaces by building on the Lively Downtown objectives of the City of Williams Lake ICSP/OCP.
THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY - That the City establish an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Thompson Rivers University to define roles and relationships in expanding post-secondary opportunities at the Williams Lake campus as a means to enhance the direct and indirect economic benefits to the community.
WEB-BASED MARKETING TOOLS - That the City establishes web-based marketing tools to assist and market business development in Williams Lake.
ENTERPRISE FACILITATION - That the City, in partnership with local business associations, Thompson Rivers University, and the Cariboo-Chilcotin Community Futures Development Corporation support and encourage the delivery of enterprise facilitation (business coaching) resources to increase the success of local businesses.
COMMUNITY FOREST BENEFITS - That the City designate the City’s net revenues from the Williams Lake Community Forest to specific economic development initiatives to further activities generated from the Business Expansion and Attraction Strategy.
COMMUNITY BRANDING AND WORKER ATTRACTION - That the City develops a community brand, and marketing and media materials to facilitate the attraction of skilled workers to Williams Lake.
PROPERTY ACQUISITION - That the City assesses the opportunity to acquire industrial and commercial property to ensure progressive use and development of such lands in the city boundary.
RAIL SERVICE - That the City support and lobby for the provision of appropriate rail service for industrial clients.
Members of the BEAS Task Force:
Tracey Gard - President, Williams Lake and District Chamber of Commerce
Glen Holling - Real Estate/Small Business
Ross MacLean - Mining
Brian McNaughton - Forestry/Small Business
Sheila Mortensen - Acting President, Williams Lake and Central Business Improvement Area/Small Business
Bryan Neufeld - Construction/Small Business
Dr. Ray Sanders - Director, Thompson Rivers University (Williams Lake)
Coun. Geoff Bourdon - City of Williams Lake
Mayor Kerry Cook - City of Williams Lake
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