OLDS — The town has to get ready for the inevitable time when other communities in the region become more competitive with it economically, chief administrative officer Brent Williams says.
Williams made that point in an address during the Olds & District Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting, held March 8 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #105.
“Put it this way: we have the Walmart, so people come here. That’s a bit of hyperbole, I think,” Williams said.
“But once communities around us start to develop their commercial base -- look at Carstairs growing at, per annum, four or five per cent, they’re eventually going to have a commercial sector too to add to that.
“Right now, they’re a commuter town, so people shop in Airdrie, shop at Costco, at Cross Iron Mills on the way back from Calgary to cross to Carstairs.
“So it’s not a huge threat right now, but the minute that Didsbury, Carstairs, Innisfail start to compete with us, that will play a role in the economic edge that we currently have.
“So we want to be mindful of that – of how we attract businesses and what kind of business do we attract,” he said.
Hence the town’s economic development strategy, which includes Invest Olds, aimed at luring investors to help grow the town’s industrial and commercial base.
The town also wants to promote the value-added ag industry in conjunction with Olds College of Agriculture & Technology.
The town is also working with the provincial government and partnering with the Town of Innisfail to attract immigrants to set up their own businesses as well as work for local businesses.
Another arm of the town’s strategy is to encourage the construction of more housing, especially housing that’s affordable for middle or low-income residents.
Meanwhile, residents need to move past fear, anger and apathy in order to make the community work, Williams said
“In the post-COVID age, there’s no shortage of people who are angry, people who are fearful,” Williams said.
“And I don’t blame anyone for that because government has made a lot of suspect decisions in the last few years.
“But as someone who has worked in government for almost a decade, I can promise you it’s people who are very honourable doing jobs that are oftentimes complex and in the public realm that the more that people fear or distrust the government and institutions, the harder it’s going to be to have conversations.
“And we’re seeing that grow and that doesn’t get us anywhere positive, I can promise you that; quite the opposite,” he said.
Williams said another problem is that people don’t pay much attention to what governments are doing.
“People don’t care about their government, mostly. And that’s totally fine. I get that; we’re not that exciting, charming nor handsome," he said.
“But an engaged citizenry is incredibly important to make anything work and an active chamber is part of that; an active Uptowne Olds an active – pick your group – that is all essential to that.”
