Economic development group lays out plans for future prosperity

TRURO

Dream big or stay home. That was the gist of the message delivered to members of the local business community on Friday as the new Partnership for Economic Prosperity (PEP) presented its goals and hopes for the future.

“So, this is what the board sees in three years’ time, if we get our way,” board chairman Mark Wood told a group of approximately 100 business and political representatives gathered at the Marigold Cultural Centre.

“We’ll see new businesses locating here. We’ll see immigrants choosing to move to Truro, Stewiacke, Tatamagouche and living here and settling here. We’ll see entrepreneurs popping up with amazing ideas and maybe some of those entrepreneurs will be those immigrants. We’ll see mature existing businesses … with new owners so they can carry on into the future.

“We’ll see the downtown bustling with people … we’ll see signs of construction in our business parks. We’ll see cranes, excavators … those kinds of things.

“That’s what the board sees for the future of this area.”

As one of only a few Nova Scotian communities without an existing regional economic network, PEP has been created as this region’s solution for planning future business/industrial growth and prosperity.

It consists of five key stakeholders, including the towns of Truro and Stewiacke, the Municipality of Colchester, Millbrook First Nation and the Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce. The group also involves support from the business community to help provide funding and expertise for establishing direction for the new economic development organization. Funding is also being provided by the chamber and the municipal partners.

Wood told the group that the hope is to create the type of community dynamic and new attractions that will draw tourists and people to the area who not only linger, but settle here.

“We want more festivals and events. We want festivals so big, we have to start closing some of the streets off,” said.

Chamber president Alex Stevenson described the area as “a community of choice,” that is “strategically located, with modern facilities, robust transportation networks and forward-thinking collaborative leaders who are passionate about the region.”

And while the area is already fortunate to be home to a “strong and diverse business community with enviable social infrastructure and a wealth of cultural and tourism assets,” it has the capacity to be so much more.

“We recognize that there is even greater potential for this region and by working proactively we will fully realize this potential,” Stevenson said.

But it will take both the will and financial support from the business community as a whole, to see the group’s dreams to fruition, the audience was told.

“Do we want to be left behind?” Wood asked. “Absolutely not. We cannot afford to stand still.”