ELK POINT – STEP Economic Development Alliance economic development officer Linda Sallstrom and board chair Darrell Younghans visited Elk Point Town Council’s Aug. 25 meeting to provide an overview of their strategic priorities for the next two years.
Centralized economic development topped that list, and Younghans told council, “When we started this, Linda and the committee came up with a model.” That model has been worked on since that time, coming up with municipal priorities from survey results, feedback, council discussions and decisions and input from the council members who sit on the committee.
Regional alignment and capacity from the member communities have resulted in shared successes, and process and communication have resulted in a consistent workflow with access and representation.
Agriculture and energy were listed as key industries, with agricultural assessment and strategy yielding feedstock, value added, local food and sustainability, retail and service sectors, agritourism, logistics, lam and buildings and stakeholder roles. Feasibility of a meat processing facility is being worked on, cassava is being researched and greater alignment with the Agricultural Service Boards and stakeholders such as LARA, Innotech and agricultural societies is being sought. With agriculture as a key industry, Younghans said, “We have stakeholders. We need boots on the ground, not just councillors.”
Regarding energy, waste heat and waste as a feedstock are being studied by the Town of St. Paul, gas and oil stakeholders are being engaged to determine their goals and “opportunities do exist.”
Tourism is also a key industry, with discovery and identification of opportunities complete and with strategizing and execution, including funding for a master trail plan and an E-bike network, Sallstrom said. “I would love us to be Alberta’s next trail destination.” STEP is working with Travel Alberta and Travel Lakeland on Alberta’s Iron Horse Trail staging area concept planning, she added.
Being aware of and cognizant of potential new opportunities and trends that impact the region and positioning and promoting existing infrastructure and assets to new uses and opportunities is important, they noted, including such infrastructure as the former Windsor Salt plant.
Investment attraction involves land and buildings, on which they are working with Alberta HUB, the labour market, land use, taxation and initiatives, utilities, transportation and logistics, along with regional housing assessment, water body studies and recreation assessment, they told council. “We are trying to put ourselves in the right places,” Sallstrom said, “How will we attract people to rural Alberta?” Younghans called the lack of utilities “An eye-opener. The water sewer and power – I didn’t realize the limitations.”
Engagement, whether at conferences, by networking, cold calls, and invitations to visit and tour the STEP region, and growing from within by supporting growth and expansion, connecting business and industry with opportunity and funding, and identifying markets and opportunities are all important, and Younghans said, “I think Linda’s been very successful, we’re leading that horse to water. The connections she’s made are leaps and bounds.”
Partnerships, collaboration and advocacy, bringing together chambers of commerce, the Alberta HUB, Travel Alberta, Travel Lakeland, Invest Alberta, Invest Canada, post secondary schools, LARA, Innotech and Alberta Innovates are all valuable, as are growing from within, by supporting growth and expansion, connecting business and industry with opportunity and funding, and identifying markets and opportunities locally to expand and grow, were all part of the message.
Sallstrom and Younghans also provided Mayor Parrish Tung, CAO Darrell Lessmeister and council with copies of their 185-page Northern and Regional Economic Development Project Reports, entitled ‘Tourism Accommodation Strategy: Supporting Tourism Growth in the STEP Region’ with a request for the town to review and adopt the Tourism Capacity Building Project, however the mayor and council agreed to defer that move to the next council meeting, providing them with time to study the document.
