Economic development: are you a wind vane or the wind?
FOR THE PAST DECADE, the city’s approach to economic development seemed focused on the Ajax mine. There was talk of economic diversification, usually about high tech but little in the way of real and substantive work on diversification was undertaken.
Similar to the Performing Arts Centre, there was no Plan B for the post-Ajax rejection period. No strategy, no goals, no meaningful budget, no timelines for developing our economy and no apparent understanding of the impact this lack of planning would have on our economy in the years ahead.
High tech was the misunderstood saviour and go-to empty response when politicians were asked, “but what if”.
The tech sector does and should continue to play a role in developing our new economy, but even there, it needs focused help from the city. We need a sophisticated and well-organized angel investor network that will keep successful innovators here. We need to train or attract more skilled employees that will allow firms to grow their businesses in Kamloops. And we need a university that is adapting and growing their science, technology and trades curriculum to match expanding industry requirements.