Comox Valley Business Community Provides Input to Regional Growth Strategy

Comox Valley Business Community Provides Input to Regional Growth Study

On October 15^th, the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce and Cumberland Chamber of Commerce made a presentation to the local politicians to address the first draft of The Regional Growth Strategy (RGS). The Chambers of Commerce responded after the consultants requested our community’s input into the RGS. They decided that a collaborative response from the business community would be more efficient for the politicians and the consultants to hear, rather than have individual submissions. After months of consultation with many local businesses a thoughtful presentation was given by Paul Krimer, representing the Chambers of Commerce and Jack Minard from the Comox Valley Land Trust.

The audience was invited to visualize an alternative Regional Growth Strategy, one that called for the Regional District to define and designate space where development should either not occur or should be restricted in form and character. The Comox Valley’s character is defined by the green spaces that physically stand between communities. The Chambers of Commerce recommended that the environmental areas in need of protection and property inside the Agricultural Land Reserve should be protected – let the RGS reflect the wishes of the residents, protect the green space and allow development to occur within various areas of the Comox Valley.

We have a wonderful opportunity – let us support our politicians to have an inclusive decision making process regarding the RGS, one that reflects green performance-based devlopement criteria and protects our valuable eco-systems. This RGS when adopted will change the way development is evaulatied and could very well change the availability of affordable Comox Valley real estate.  The Chambers of Commerce are not a special interest group – they represent over 800 businesses, employing over 8,000 people; they are the core of the economic diversity that is so vibrant in the Comox Valley. The consultants asked for input from the community and the Chambers of Commerce responded to the invitation. For more information on the complete summary, go to Chambers Submission on the Regional Growth Strategy.