Making an impact
Workshop tackles municipal role in economic development
Moncton, New Brunswick. Paducah, Kentucky. Even Cape Breton’s own village of Inverness.
Those were communities held up as models that do economic well during a workshop on the municipal role in economic development held by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality on Friday at Sydney’s Centre 200.
The session, which attracted about 60 people, including CBRM councillors and staff, representatives of business groups, educational institutions and other agencies, was facilitated by Cape Breton University political science professor Tom Urbaniak.
“CBRM council asked me to facilitate this workshop to get a better handle in the direct and indirect municipal role in economic development, as a leader, as a partner, as an advocate and an as a supporter,” he said in an interview. “Part of what we’ll hopefully be able to do today is understand the municipal role better, because there are many functions that the municipality undertakes that do have an impact, a very large impact on economic development, quality of life, that impact is underappreciated.”
Urbaniak led participants through exercises where they talked about topics such as services the municipality provides and also things the CBRM could be doing but does not currently. He stressed that the session was intended to be free-flowing and conversational in nature.
Among the items mentioned that the municipality could put more effort into were more downtown revitalization the outlying areas; efforts to retain youth; downtown Wi-Fi; enhanced community engagement, immigration; support for non-profits; and a poverty reduction strategy.
Urbaniak said they will hopefully be able to identify some areas of key impact, areas where the municipality can leverage its limited but nonetheless existing municipal resources in order to multiply the benefits to the CBRM. From there, Urbaniak said they could set out some next steps to give the municipality a sense of priorities around who could serve as partners, how it may be able to access other sources of funding and how it can engage in some strategic planning around its role as a leader in economic development.
He added he was happy with the turnout, noting the workshop attracted many “constructive and energetic people.”
“Everyone is an equal here, members of council and CBRM staff are mixed with people from different organizations in the community — CBU, NSCC, everyone is on a first-name basis. It’s not a formal meeting with motions and business. It’s a study club in the Coady and Tompkins tradition and the format is very much in that vein so you can get a better handle on things without the pressure to make a decision in a half an hour.”