ONE city councillor hopes to be re-elected for his third term on council.
Brian Downie, a local small business owner who retired in 2003 after 23 years with B.C.'s forest ministry, says Terrace is on the cusp of economic prosperity and he wants to be a part of that.
To Downie, a healthy economy means a healthy city, and focusing on attracting industry here is important.
“We ought to be talking more about economic development,” he said, explaining that industry provides jobs which attract people and other industry thereby expanding the tax base the city uses to accomplish its objectives.
“The success of the business community is one of the measures of success in the community,” he said.
Ultimately, Terrace's future depends on the people who live here — and those who stay. Making Terrace an attractive place for young families is important and jobs are part of that, he said.
But they're not the only part.
Supporting things like parks and recreation are incentives too, he said, noting he was pleased with the city's decision to support My Mountain Co-op in supporting the Shames Mountain ski facility with $15,000.
Downie also sees the downtown core as the heart of the city, and revitalizing it is important as it will attract more people there.
But with attracting industry and people to Terrace and its amenities, Downie said the city needs to look ahead at the benefits and consequences.
“We have to work hard to anticipate those and deal with them,” he said.
Infrastructure, healthcare, social supports, housing and policing will all need to be addressed in anticipation of the challenges that come with increased activity.
Lastly, the city ought to look at new avenues for addressing the former Terrace Co-op property, he said.
Perhaps one idea could be finding a private interest that could serve its commercial needs while benefiting the community, he said. This means money would still be collected from the property but a buyer would be be in line with community interest — possibly in the form of a partnership with the city.