Local community leaders hopeful about membership in REN
Community leaders across Pictou County are optimistic about the implications of all six municipal units joining together under a common banner to encourage economic growth.
The Pictou County Regional Enterprise Network (REN), an inter-municipal economic agreement among the municipalities, is expected to have full membership of all communities very soon. Five of the six municipalities are now onboard.
Mayor Nancy Dicks expressed her enthusiasm about New Glasgow’s membership in the REN, noting that “working together is certainly the expectation of this.”
“I can say for the Town of New Glasgow, that we’re certainly hoping for increased business presence in New Glasgow, and more economic opportunities.”
At this time, a liaison and oversight committee has been appointed for the REN, and “when all the municipalities have signed the agreement, we will meet and then look to create a board of directors for the REN,” said Dicks.
The board of directors will be in charge with administrative and leadership duties, and will be tasked with providing structure to the REN, providing a location and the hiring employees.
“That’s the way it works from here,” said Dicks. “I believe it’s a wonderful opportunity for us all, for all the municipalities in Pictou County to work together for the best interests of our county. This agreement is certainly an indication there’s a willingness of all municipalities to work together, which is a really good sign.”
“We all understand the challenges faced by communities in Pictou County, and I hope for all of us, that this is successful and we attract new business to the community,” Dicks added.
The towns of New Glasgow and Stellarton are the most recent municipalities to sign on to REN, both voting to join on their April 16 meetings.
Town of Pictou Mayor Jim Ryan hopes the REN will take a good hard look at the economic climate in Pictou County, to find ways to help communities grow, attract and retain business.
“We need to have a good handle on what it is we have to offer businesses and enterprises in Pictou County,” said Ryan. “It’s a great opportunity for the six municipalities to get together and talk about what we want to see this county become.”
Ryan said the board of directors will be responsible for coming up with a regional strategy “to determine who we are, what we want as a county, in terms of our location, and the services we give to small, mid-sized and big businesses.”
The ideal REN is one Ryan hopes stays “at arm’s length” from government, since he sees such an arrangement ideally as “less about politicians and councils and more about the business people.”
“Even though municipalities are all involved, the expectation is that the board of directors will work at arm’s length from municipal units,” he said.
A special effort is being made to represent the diversity of business interests in the region, mixing up small business and larger business leaders on the board of directors.
The Town of Trenton – the final municipality needed to complete the full participation of Pictou County’s municipal units in the REN – is expected to approve its membership when it convenes for its next council meeting.
In an email sent to The News, Mayor Shannon MacInnis described the REN as “a positive step forward for all of Pictou County.
“We have to put our past aside and look to the future,” wrote MacInnis. “As part of this REN, Trenton will look to benefit from a more regional approach to attracting business and industry.”
The work to create the Pictou County REN has been an ongoing process since 2015, when Pictou County municipalities decided to create their own inter-municipal agreement. Originally, they meant to integrate into a larger REN that included East Hants, Truro, Cumberland and Amherst, but the idea was rejected due to insurmountable geographical, financial and administration issues.