Powell River Regional Economic Development Society
Texada Economic Development Action Plan
In early spring of 2011, the Texada Chamber of Commerce, Powell River Regional District and the Powell River Regional Economic Development Society identified the need to develop and action plan/strategy to address the downturn in economic activity and continued reduction in population. The three organizations partnered to produce the strategy contained in this document, but first developed the following Mission Statement as a guiding principle:
"To identify opportunities to create a sustainable community on Texada by creating jobs, increasing services and increasing population."
It was decided that the next step would be to perform an analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) of the Texada Island’s economic sectors to identify the issues and obstacles being experienced and opportunities to develop solutions and foster growth. The main sectors identified by the steering committee were:
- Forestry
- Mining
- Agriculture
- Recreation/Tourism
- Seniors – Retirement Market
- Arts, Culture and Education
- Retail/Commercial
- Trades & Construction
- Green Economy
- First Nations
Representatives were then selected from each of the sectors who would best be able to bring together other people from their sector to participate in focus group sessions. The focus groups sessions were held in late May, and input was gathered for the SWOT analysis. The first draft of the strategy was formulated from the information that was gathered from the focus group sessions, and after being reviewed by the sector representatives, suggested changes were made.
The second draft of the strategy was then circulated as widely as possible to Texada Island residents, and input was gathered at two open house sessions held on October 11th and 12th in Van Anda and Gillies Bay. A final draft of the document was then produced after changes and additions were incorporated from the feedback generated at the open houses (Appendix A).
It is important to note that this action plan is not written in stone. It reflects the input provided by the residents of Texada Island in 2011. This plan will evolve and surely new ideas for improving the economy of the Island will come forward. It is a living document and is expected to be revised to fit the needs and desires of the community as time goes on.
Download the plan in pdf format: