Questions and answers from the Bow Valley Chamber of Commerce

Our chamber network’s research shows members of the public have high levels of confidence in the business community to help move our province forward – what is your plan to engage business leaders to advance a shared vision for prosperity in our community?

My plan to engage with business leaders is to continue to be an open-minded and caring member of the community, who is available to meet and discuss any issue.

This means being available and present at business networking events in the community, and having a good working relationship with groups like the chamber and the downtown business association. I think councillors should also respect the business cycle of our tourism-based economy and focus engagement and planning processes into times of the year when it is less busy.

It also means getting out and meeting with the business community on a regular basis by being available for conversations and input. The business registry fees and economic development department budgets are another way council can create a shared vision for our future.

Our municipal economic development department can provide programs and services that support small business owners. The delivery of broadband, or high-speed internet service, would be beneficial to all sectors.

Supporting local businesses by shopping local is an important priority that the BVCC encourages – how would you work with the business community to support Shop Local efforts and initiatives?

I understand and support the shop local initiative when it directly supports our local small business community. When we use our purchasing power to choose locally, we contribute to the economy here in Canmore to a higher degree. 

Other than being aligned in values, the municipality does source goods and services. By encouraging administration through policy direction to buy locally, council can support the local economy.

Decisions around purchasing and sourcing goods and services must also be fiscally prudent. That is where council must rely on the decision making of administration under the direction of the new chief administrative officer.  

Developing, attracting, and retaining skills to support business growth in our community is an important priority for chamber members – how would you work with the business community to attract and retain talent in our community?

This is a role of our economic development department. I think it is important to remember how far we have come with respect to economic development. For years, we contracted this service out. Now we have a dedicated department within the municipality that can deliver on strategic priorities.

Given the level of attraction there is to our community, we are at an advantage when it comes to this issue. We can focus our efforts on achieving outcomes like skilled workforce attraction and retention, but if there is a lack of housing in the community for potential future employees, that can also hold us back.

Working with the business community to continue to deliver on our successful housing programs will support our local economy and help with employee recruitment.

If elected, how would you propose our community be made aware of the efforts by local leaders to improve business services on an ongoing basis?

I always believe we could benefit by more and better communication. I think the community could be made more aware overall of the ways the municipal government improves services and delivers on its strategic priorities on an ongoing basis.

I propose we take steps to upgrade our municipality’s website and keep working on efforts to incorporate e-commerce and online services for residents and businesses. We should be looking for ways we can use our website to more efficiently deliver services and answer questions.

That would be a capital investment and a discussion for the finance committee at budget time, especially if better communication is a strategic priority for the next council. Additional communications staff could also be considered to increase awareness, if that is a priority.