DIDSBURY - The Town of Didsbury will be hosting an economic development workshop on Nov. 15, after council approved a motion at its regular meeting on Oct. 23.
The workshop will be presented by McSweeney and Associates, through CAEP (Central Alberta Economic Partnership).
The cost to the town, which is $5,500 plus GST, will come from the economic development reserve. The workshop is aimed at council members, town staff members and members of the Didsbury and District Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
Didbury mayor Rhonda Hunter said the economic development workshop is important for the town.
"I believe it's clear to everyone that the town has a variety of vacant developments and parcels of land that sit empty," said Hunter. "Development of these areas means growth and opportunity for our community -- residential, commercial and industrial."
Hunter said that being investment-ready is a major component to economic sustainability and to further addressing other needs in the town such as cultural, social and recreational.
"We know that there is a lot of work to be done, and council, having identified economic development as a main priority at the beginning of our term, is eager to get to work with McSweeney, along with our keen administrative team, chamber, key stakeholders and our community," she said.
"There are so many components to this (such as business development, retention, expansion, labour force development, to name a few) and communities have to be prepared to be successful. We are very ready to get to it and be prepared."
Hunter said that McSweeney and Associates will help the town figure out how to plan for the future.
"They will help us look into the future, realize our strengths and weaknesses and to identify emerging trends which can represent opportunities specific to our town," she said. "We will receive recommendations that are specific to Didsbury. We're eager and ready to get started."
