Cities, towns to collaborate on economic development
Separately, they’ve had their own significant advances and positive changes, and developed their own identities.
Together, the four largest municipalities on the Avalon Peninsula that make up almost half of the province’s population can make even more progress, their elected leaders say.
St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen, Mount Pearl Mayor Dave Aker, Conception Bay South Mayor Terry French and Paradise Mayor Dan Bobbett came together at the Manuels Interpretation Centre Thursday to announce a collaboration among the municipalities to explore regional economic development.
“If we leverage the expertise and resources we have individually, everybody benefits,” said Breen, adding that the goal is to create regional economic opportunities and build stronger, more resilient communities.
He said they want to position the region to be a great place to live, work and do business on the national and international stages.
“Our best chance at success is to stand together, promote our individual strengths and seek opportunities as a collective to enhance the region, grow our population and attract new investment,” said Breen, who noted the province is a leader in ocean sciences and ocean industries, in which businesses can be marketed.
“We can’t be looking at our own little communities. We have to look at what’s better for the collective, so marketing internationally, having more of a focused look on the businesses to attract here and to nurture the economy to attract new businesses and to provide what we’ve already provided — a great place to live.”
Almost $100,000 will be spent for the collaboration. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) is contributing $53,857 toward the two-part initiative, with each of the participating municipalities contributing $10,000.
Phase I will see a consultant hired to review and report on the potential benefits, issues, parameters and opportunities of a regional economic development framework for the four participating municipalities.
The municipalities have often co-operated and shared resources over the last few decades for various reasons, including fire protection, drinking water, wastewater treatment and waste management.
Recently, following an idea by Breen, the four mayors have met monthly to discuss various issues, including economic recovery during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
They say it makes sense to further explore this regional approach.
“It’s a good time to sit back and look at the framework, where we can find things in common,” Aker said. “We can move forward together and (look at) in what ways and in what areas.”
French said the collaboration opens a wave of resources to municipalities that may not have previously been available. He said it will be valuable in sharing costs, information and services.
“When neighbours work together, it’s the community as a whole that certainly benefits,” said French, who noted both the provincial and federal governments are encouraging municipalities to work together to overcome challenges.
“Our municipalities have opened the door to discover what we can accomplish together,” he said.
“The future calls for innovative ideas and solutions to challenges.”
He later said there’s no better time to come together than during these difficult economic times.
“Without losing our own autonomy, we’ve got to get over ourselves and start doing things collectively,” said French, who is the only one of the four mayors who won’t seek re-election in September’s municipal elections.
Bobbett said regionalization doesn’t mean losing individual identities.
He said many people in the region live in one municipality and work in another, while sports teams share facilities and support businesses in all communities.
“Day in, down out, without perhaps without realizing it, our residents are collectively supporting all of our municipalities, so exploring a regional economic development approach is a logical next step,” Bobbett said.
Under Phase I, the consultant will conduct research and analysis to summarize activities of mutual benefit, identify possible issues and outline opportunities for a regional framework. Once Phase I is complete, which is estimated to be Dec. 1, the participating municipalities will review and evaluate the findings to determine if the project will move to Phase II. A second phase would consider options and recommendations for a potential regional economic development framework.
The project is led by a steering committee that includes the mayor from each municipality and a working committee of senior municipal staff who will guide the work of the project and the consultant. The consultant will be hired through an open public call process, which is scheduled to be issued this week through the City of St. John’s bids and tenders process.
“From my perspective, this is the first stage of many things,” said French, adding that issues such as highways and recreation facilities could be discussed in the future.
“This is early days. We’re ground-breaking here. So, hopefully this will be a mindset that will carry on for decades.”
“Without losing our own autonomy, we’ve got to get over ourselves and start doing things collectively.” Conception Bay South Mayor Terry French