This past week I had the pleasure of meeting with the mayors of Cranbrook, Kimberly and Sparwood. The reason for these discussions had nothing to do with politics. They were initiated as a result of business opportunities in the region, and irrespective of their individual political histories and affiliations, it was refreshing to hear the mayors’ perspectives on how communities and businesses can and should interact.
Each of the communities has a different economic history. One was originally built around a single large employer (and accompanying tax base) and has spent years transitioning to a new economy. Another is a regional hub with more diversity in population and business type, while the third is somewhat remote and centred around mining.
However, in spite of those differences, their leaders have a common desire to work proactively with industry and have various initiatives underway to attract new businesses and business ideas. They do it because they realize that sustainable businesses are key to creating a commercial and industrial tax base that alleviates the tax pain on residents.
I couldn’t help but reflect on how that compares to the Squamish experience. The feedback I hear from many business folks who are thinking about establishing in our community is more typically: “Town council is really difficult to deal with,” “There is way too much red tape in Squamish” and “I won’t invest in a place where the rules keep changing.” It’s very different from some other municipalities who have recognized that the presence of practices that are unfriendly to business will ultimately be their downfall.
None of the municipal leaders I spoke with are seeking out bad corporate citizens. Quite the opposite. They are very keen to solicit companies that bring good jobs to the area, treat employees well, and respect the community, First Nations and the environment. They are activating plans to cut bureaucracy, and their action seems to be generating significant interest on the parts of existing businesses and potential new entrants to the area.
It should be a wakeup call for those of us in the Sea to Sky Corridor. Watching our tax bills climb into the stratosphere isn’t a plan of any kind. An increasing number of North American municipal governments have filed for bankruptcy. Stockton, Calif., with a population of almost 300,000, filed when it couldn’t climb out of a $26 million hole caused by “steep pension and payroll costs while taking in less money from property taxes.”
Think about that with our small community of less than 20,000 people, a need to spend millions on roads and water and the additional $12 million our local leaders spent trying to market the SODC lands.
Sit back and watch if you will. But if you think that Squamish can’t be faced with financial doom when the district keeps chasing away taxes from prospective business, I suggest you think again.
