Terrace is bearing down on its plans to help grow business in the coming year.
Economic development officer Danielle Myles is spearheading the initiative and told council recently about all the plans she has to speak with citizens and local businesses and then produce an updated version of the city’s economic development strategy.
In previous years such tasks belonged to an arms-length organization called the Terrace Economic Development Authority which the city helped finance but stopped doing so last year in favour of making business growth an inside function.
Myles is planning a series of meetings that will focus on business service organizations, tourism and investment attraction.
The new plan is aiming to promote a buy-local mindset and points out that the number of businesses here is on the rise, with 1,246 registered businesses in 2015, a 10 per cent rise over 2014.
Fostering local business seems one of the main focuses, and also attracting investment to the Skeena Industrial Development Park on Hwy37 South.
Other key parts of the plan include further branding the city, dealing with contaminated sites and representation of the city on the Kermodei Tourism Society board.
Another key strategy is continuing consultations with the First Nations, with meetings continuing on this front as well.
Of note, Myles plans to “establish regular, periodic meetings with both Kitsumkalum and Kitselas at both the staff and council levels, to fully implement the government to government relationship commitments as outlined in the cooperation protocol agreements. It’s really just going another step,” she said.
Myles expects to have a first version of the plan done by early spring.