Wow, summer is here!
Not only do we live in the best province in the best country in the world, but we most definitely live in the best community. I was out for a ride on my bike the other day and happened to go over the Kingswood overpass which connects Brackendale with Garibaldi Estates. While I stopped on the overpass I couldn't help but to reflect on how many cycling initiatives Squamish has recently implemented. To name only a few, this very overpass, the Corridor Trail, and the shoulder improvement of Government Road from Brackendale to downtown. This year's budget includes in excess of $1 million funding to complete the Brackendale to Valleycliffe Bike Lane, the Corridor Trail, solve the Hunter Trail (Valleycliffe to downtown) route, Trails Coordinator, trails maintenance, and funds to aid in construction of the Diamond Head Trail.
With Canada Day fast approaching and the Canucks well on their way to winning the Stanley Cup (hopefully), it feels like the Olympics all over again.
The success the Canucks have had this year is not just by chance or good luck. It has been a 40-year building process with successes and setbacks along the way.
Our great community of Squamish is an excellent twin (pardon the Sedin pun) to the Canucks. We have come through many periods of ups and downs but have now matured into a successful family-friendly community.
The history of economic growth and development in this province is like a graph of the stock market with significant and dramatic ups and downs. Squamish has had a similar experience. We were very much a "live, work and play community" with the Woodfibre pulp mill, Interfor sawmill and BCR works yards as some of the major employers. All three of these major industry employers are now gone, yet our population never took a drop but instead continues to climb. This is mainly because Squamish is such a great community in which to live, play and raise a family. Unfortunately for many, this means a commute for work and more time away from families.
Your council recognizes the importance of increased opportunities for employment in our community. With the Service Squamish Initiative we have seen a realignment of staff and departments in Municipal Hall to better serve our businesses and developers. The realignment creates a management team who work together to eliminate the right hand not knowing what the left is doing. The intention is to streamline the processing of permits and approvals. Each year we have been reducing the tax rate for business and industry to make Squamish more competitive with other locations. We have just completed an Economic Development Strategy plan. We are already implementing Phase I which includes the hiring of an Economic Development Coordinator. The plan also focuses on improving the service provided by Municipal Hall, coordinating the efforts of organizations like the BIA, Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Squamish, and ensuring that existing local businesses have every opportunity to prosper and grow. The greatest opportunity for economic development, growth in employment and driving the success of the downtown lies in the development of our Oceanfront lands.
The Oceanfront development will provide years of employment in the construction phase. Once this project is complete, it will provide perpetual jobs in business, education and industry as well as wonderful community facilities and substantial tax revenue. It will make us even more like the Canucks - it will be like Squamish winning the Stanley Cup!
