A new business investment association could be in the works for downtown areas of the Township of Sables-Spanish Rivers.
The township’s Focus Group met with the public this Wednesday to bounce around ideas for the local Strategic Plan on Economic Development.
Township EDO Kelli Hansson says there was a lot of positive feedback: the Township excels at including parks and recreation programming; the low tax rate and municipal services; contributions from the Mennonites and revitalization of the agricultural sector.
Hansson adds some of the issues include youth out-migration; rising costs for local business; lack of services geared towards keeping seniors in the community; reliable and affordable broadband in the rural areas and greater social media presence.
Some opportunities for improvement include the appearance and revitalization of “downtown areas” through the establishment of a Business Investment Association, more regional partnerships with neighbours, particularly Sagamok First Nation, as well as exploring opportunities to create more events and festivals.
The focus groups are initial discussions about the shape of the updated Strategic Plan. Hansson says the township values residents input, and collecting information from these focus group feedback sessions is a necessary step in developing an updated plan, which will serve as a guide to future economic development.
The final and official Strategic Plan update will be a result of much more research and discussion over the coming months with Council, based in part on these preliminary focus groups.
Hansson says the next focus group session will be held in November.