Possible project identified for Import Replacement Strategy

A public information and strategic planning session hosted by the Center for Local Prosperity at the NSCC Shelburne Campus was indeed productive.

The event was on Oct. 20 and focused on implementing an import replacement strategy in the local institutional procurement supply chain was productive, says the Center’s Executive Director Robert Cervelli.

“It was a small group, but the right people were in the room,” said Cervelli. “We even had a couple of people from the Valley and Mahone Bay. Some drove up from Yarmouth. It was good. They certainly understand now what the whole strategy could be.”

The day-long session, Expanding Community Wealth, is a followup to the study released by the center in February; Import Replacement: Local Prosperity for Rural Atlantic Canada. Shelburne County was one of the four case studies in the report that was two years in the making. The session explored a possible multi-year strategy to develop the economic potential of import replacement across Shelburne County and the surrounding economic region, with a focus on greater local procurement from public-sector anchor institutions.

“We think we have a project to go forward with, but we have to explore it a little bit further,” said Cervelli. “We hope by Christmas we might be able to announce something.”

Cervelli said initially the thought is the import replacement strategy is related to food procurement in the county and could involve some of the institutions such as the NSCC, the schools and maybe others.

“We need to digest it and do a little more homework,” said Cervelli, noting enough of the institutions and municipalities were at the session indicating solid interest.

“The whole idea is to create more spending in Shelburne County. Now, particularly the public institutions spend their money somewhere else, so we think we have identified an initial piece where a good chunk of spending could be done in-county. Ultimately that increases private sector businesses.”

Utilizing the procurement power of local public-sector anchor institutions for greater local procurement is a key starting point for the implementation of an import replacement strategy, said Cervelli.

“By replacing imported goods and services through local production, import replacement keeps money in the community.”