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Town and MD developing regional plan to spur economic investment

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BONNYVILLE - A branding strategy for the Town and MD of Bonnyville could help draw investment to the area, but MD of Bonnyville Reeve Greg Sawchuk says he wants to do more work to get more Lakeland municipalities on board.

Earlier this month, during an Aug. 4 special council meeting, Town of Bonnyville councillors voted to chip in up to $14,125 toward the cost of a regional economic development branding strategy – half the amount the strategy is expected to cost. The MD is covering the other half.

Sawchuk said the branding strategy came about after the MD and town established a new economic development position. The strategy aims to market the two municipalities together.

“I think it's something that has to be worked a little bit more, because it doesn't include all of the region,” he said.

Mark Laver, the economic development officer for the MD and the town, told town councillors Aug. 4 that the strategy would create multiple taglines and logos that could be used in effective marketing products. The municipalities already completed research for the strategy earlier this year. There will also be a branding strategy standards guide for staff.

Councillors will have an opportunity to see the logos before they are publicly released.

Town Coun. Elisa Brosseau said when the town did its strategic planning, they found the region does not currently brand itself well enough.

“When investors are looking, if they're just looking at the town, they're only seeing that population... but doing it as a region, then we can really sell it to investors or people who want to move here that they're working with more than just what the town or MD has to offer,” she said.

The total cost of the branding strategy is $28,250, but the MD is working to obtain a grant from the province to cover half of that. If that grant comes through, the town's contribution would be reduced to $7,062.50.

Sawchuk said sometimes there's protectionism between municipalities that can hinder the progress of regional collaboration. But if he gets his way, the strategy would be expanded to include Cold Lake, Glendon, First Nations in the area and other settlements across the Lakeland region.

“I think you have more success – the more municipalities that are involved in promoting your region, I think the greater the attraction will be,” he said.

Working together

The Bonnyville area has an economy that's tied to the oil industry, though Sawchuk said agriculture production and the nearby air force base help to provide some diversity.

“It's not as if we're totally dependent on industry, but it is the largest player for sure,” he said.

Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland told the Bonnyville Nouvelle the COVID-19 pandemic is still casting a shadow over the region's economy, though he's hoping the wintertime will bring an uptick in oil patch work.

Copeland said he's seen a major improvement in regional collaboration over the past four years. The City of Cold Lake has worked together with the MD to develop an intermunicipal collaboration framework, for instance – an agreement that sees some MD dollars flow to the city to help offset the costs to the city from MD residents using city facilities. That deal was signed off on earlier this year.

Copeland credited Sawchuk and the MD council for taking a collaborative approach over the past four years.

“The reeve and his council deserve some tremendous credit – we've negotiated a very fair deal,” he said.

“I think things are pretty good. We just need to get the economy turned around.”

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