Community Economic Development Strategies

Recently, the village of Tahsis has been working with George Penfold and his company to come up with strategies for improving our economic development potential for the future of our village.  There is some new information on the village website from the community consultations and the community survey results.

Here are the Tahsis Community Economic Development Strategy Workshop Notes from November 19 2014.

Here are the Tahsis Business Workshop Notes from November 20 2014.

Here are the Tahsis Goals and Strategies Community Workshop from December 10 2014.

Here is the Tahsis Background Report from January 2015.

Here are the Tahsis Economic Development Strategy Community Survey results.

There is a lot of interesting information here, and many good ideas for our unique challenges we face for the future of Tahsis.  I encourage everyone to be involved in the process, if possible so we can cooperate together to help our village flourish.

From George Penfold, via the Village of Tahsis Website:

In line with the OCP (Official Community Plan), the objectives for the community’s future development are:

• To grow and diversify the Village’s economic base;

• To promote a local economy that compliments its rich resource-based nature, the history, the culture, and the natural characteristics of the Village and surrounding area;

• To facilitate economic development through the improvement of regional transportation links and the provision of an enhanced level of telecommunication support, community services, and tourist amenities;

• To facilitate the continued expansion of the region’s growing eco-tourism industry.

In part 3 of the OCP under Economic Development Strategies the OCP states the following are mentioned: “Over the life of this plan, the Village of Tahsis will continue to make a transition from a primary resource economy to a tourist and service based economy.

The Village of Tahsis has engaged George Penfold Community Planning and Development Consulting from Comox BC, in association with Lions Gate Consulting Inc. from Vancouver BC to prepare the Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan for the Village of Tahsis.

The project approach to this project includes 11 steps:

• Consultants meeting with Council and staff

• Initial Community Consultation

• Preparation of a Background Report

• Non-resident survey

• Second Community Consultation

• Meeting with Council and Staff

• Development of a Strategic Plan Framework

• Review the Draft Framework with Council and Staff

• Prepare a Draft Economic Development Strategy

• Community Open House/Workshop

• Undertake pre-feasibility analysis of priority actions

• Prepare and Present the Final Economic Development Strategy Report

Community workshops on the Tahsis Economic Development Strategy took place in November and December. Summaries of those workshops are now available (see downloads in the sidebar.) Over the fall, we conducted an on-line survey. We received 75 responses to that survey, and a summary of the survey results is also available

We also put together a background report on the Village and area that includes the socio economic data that is available, as well as an overview of the various economic sectors that have the greatest impact on the Village A draft of that report is also available.

With that information in hand, we gathered together a “long list” of all the ideas about initiatives that should be included in the Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan. It is a very long wish list. What we have had to do is ask “which of these initiatives can council act on given the limited financial and staff resources available to the municipality and the community, and which of those could have the biggest positive impact?”

This is a difficult step. Because the municipality (council) was identified as the key organization in the community to deal with implementation of the Strategy, we are taking our first attempt at developing and applying a “framework” to evaluate and sort the long list to council in late January. With their input, we will make any necessary revisions to the framework and put together a draft Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan, to present to the community in February. We have not yet established the date for the community presentation, but will send out a notice when that is decided, and will post a copy of the Draft Strategy on this site.

If you have questions or would like more information, Contact:

George Penfold, M.Sc.
Community Planning and Development Consulting
Phone: (250) 941-1384
Email: geo.penfold@gmail.com

Doug Chapman, Chief Finance Officer
Village of Tahsis
977 South Maquinna Drive , P.O. Box 219
Tahsis, BC, V0P 1X0
Phone: (250) 934-6344
Email: dchapman@villageoftahsis.com