[ad_1]
Mount Pearl was almost part of the band.
Conception Bay South Mayor Darrin Bent says they were part of a regional economic jam session “right up until the 11th hour.”
But in the end, Mount Pearl Mayor Dave Aker bowed out of a deal to pool tax dollars in a “regional economic development agency,” deciding he didn’t want to use city money and staff to help the economic development of three other municipalities, instead opting to “do something different.”
“We just feel it makes more sense for Mount Pearl to focus more on what’s happening in the city of Mount Pearl,” said Aker in an interview with CBC News.
Aker’s comments came after the mayors of St. John’s, C.B.S. and Paradise announced Wednesday afternoon that they’re joining forces, and aligning their resources with hopes of enhancing their economic prospects as a collective.
What that means is the communities will use money to form an agency which will focus on what St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen says are current priorities — ocean technology, attracting business and foreign investment to the regions, and nurturing the municipalities’ startup sector.
“Working together for the betterment of all just makes good sense,” said Bent. “In fact, we do it all the time. Our staff meet, we share resources and we often work together on files of mutual interest.”
“We are all part of the global community, which has become more evident from the recent pandemic,” said Dan Bobbett, mayor of Paradise. “And we can no longer think solely within our municipal boundaries.”
The initiative, which was first announced in June 2021, is aimed at enhancing economic development among the municipalities, which collectively make up about 40 per cent of the province’s population, said Bobbett.
When asked whether the decision to align resources will stall competition between the three municipalities, Bent says each region will continue working to enhance its own economy. The purpose of creating a regional economic agency, he says, is to enhance the municipalities’ economic prospects on a global scale.
“When we get out of like, the Newfoundland and Canada spectrum, we become smaller as individual municipalities,” said Bent. “Together, we are bigger.”
According to a press release from the municipalities, each municipality will provide financial and non-financial investments to the agency, and each municipality will be represented on a governance board that will be in place no later than Dec. 31, 2023.
The release also states that financial investments to the agency will be divided based on each region’s tax assessment and population, with C.B.S. contributing 16.5 per cent, Paradise providing 13.5 per cent and St. John’s providing 70 per cent of the investments.
The mayors also say they will look for money from federal and provincial governments, and although St. John’s is set to contribute the most in terms of financial investments, each municipality will be represented on equal grounds.
According to the release, each municipality will also determine how they will maintain their individual “programming and supports.”
The release also states that a consultant, MDB Insight, was brought in to complete research, interviews and analysis for the initiative, and that an interim committee will determine the final name and brand of the agency. The initial length of commitment to the agency will be no less than four years.
Meanwhile, Aker says the relationship between Mount Pearl and the other municipalities is positive, and that the city’s independent initiatives will organically benefit the other regions. However, he says, the city wanted to take a “less structured approached,” because it has the staff and resources to continue developing its economy on its own.
[ad_2]
Source link