Community Economic Development Committee

Purpose of the Committee:

To facilitate Bowen Island community economic development and provide advice to Council about economic development for Bowen Island.

Buy Local: Click here to read 15 benefits of shopping locally.

Governing Documents:

Terms of Reference

Committee Members:

  • Rod Marsh, Chair
  • Ed Wachtman, Vice Chair
  • Kim Brooks
  • Wolfgang Duntz
  • Kiersten Enemark
  • Robyn Fenton
  • Vaune Kolber
  • Maureen Sawasy
  • Natasha Vaz
  • Councillor Michael Kaile
  • Councillor Alison Morse
  • Councillor Maureen Nicholson 

To contact the Economic Development Committee please email: edc@bimbc.ca

Video Recordings:

Agendas

Minutes

You may also find agendas, minutes and videos on the Committees webpage.

Sign up for the EDC Newsletter to receive e-mails about business on Bowen. Click HERE to subscribe.

Business Licensing

On July 25, 2016, Council directed the EDC to include the development of recommendations for municipal business licensing in its 2017 Work Plan.

On October 18, 2018, EDC members provided a presentation to members of the business community regarding business licensing at the Fall Business Summit and received their feedback.

On November 27, 2017, the EDC presented its Business Licensing Feasibility Report to Council who directed staff to identify next steps and resources required for a business licensing program as a priority under Strategic Pillar F - Robust and Resilient Local Economy - of the 2018 Island Plan. Work on this project is ongoing. 

On January 23, 2018 EDC members provided a presentation to members of the business community regarding the implementation of business licensing at Business Summit and received their feedback.

Council asked staff to review the report and return with an analysis of the recommendations, and identified business licensing as a priority in the Island Plan.

In 2018, staff reported back to Council with a detailed analysis of the recommendations, including a proposed business licensing bylaw and a proposed implementation schedule.

Staff Report: July 13, 2018

Open House Display Boards: September 13, 2018

Communication Plan

Staff Report: September 24, 2018

Staff Report: October 1, 2018

The Business Licence Bylaw No. 465, 2018 was adopted on October 9, 2018, and will take effect on January 1, 2019.

A transition period was scheduled in early 2019 while the business licensing program is being set up. Municipal staff will begin accepting applications in January 2019.

During this time, staff will also be developing an online business directory that will be available for the public to find businesses on Bowen Island, and an online platform that will make applying and paying for business licences as simple as possible for businesses.

For the most up-to-date information on business licenses, please go to this link.

Branding

On October 1, 2014 the EDC presented their branding initiative to the Committee of the Whole:

On December 15, 2015, the EDC provided the following presentations to the Committee of the Whole: 

On January 25, 2016 Chris Staples of Rethink Solutions provided a branding presentation to Council:

On February 15, 2016, the EDC delivered a presentation of their branding research to the Committee of the Whole: 

On June 27, 2016 Chris Staples of Rethink Solutions provided a presentation to the Committee of the Whole:

Subsequently, on June 27, 2016, Council adopted the Community Brand.

On November 17, 2016, Chris Staples provided the following presentations to the Economic Development Committee:

Read a brief history of the Bowen Island Branding Initiative.

Public support for the brand story includes:

 

Events

2016 Building Bowen Island's Local Economy Workshop
(Co-Hosted by BIM EDC and the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training)

On March 31, 2016, in collaboration with the Minstry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, the EDC hosted an all- workshop. Below are links to presentations and notes.

2016 EDC Business Summit 

On October 18, 2016 the EDC hosted an open meeting for Bowen businesses. Over 65 business owners were in attendance for a lively evening of discussion, small group exercises and networking. The following topics were presented:

Other information from the 2016 EDC Business Summit includes:

2018 EDC Business Summit

On Tuesday, January 23, 2018 the EDC hosted an open meeting for businesses. 

Work Plans and Annual Reports

Community Engagement

Surveys

Three surveys were conducted in 2014 and 2015:

Summits

Three Local Business Summits and Workshops were held in 2016 and 2018 (see Events tab above)

Conversations

The EDC holds regular Business Breakfasts with various sectors of the Bowen Island business community including:

  • Food Businesses (April 11, 2018): Notes
  • Retail Businesses (June 27, 2018): Notes
  • Trades (October 24, 2018): Notes

Committee Meetings

Most Economic Development Committee meetings are open to the public and are publicized on the BIM website. Special promotion will occur when a guest speaker has been invited to present or an EDC initiative is going before Council for approval.

Subcommittee Meetings

EDC members often form subcommittees to work on priority initiatives which are open to members of the community. If you are interested in participating in a subcommittee, please contact edc@bimbc.ca.

 

Publications

Publications

The Economic Development Committee has been involved in the production of several documents including:

Publications that inform the work of the EDC include:

Guest Speakers

The EDC often invites guest speakers series to present for the Committee and members of the public. These include:

Lindsay Bisschop, Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training (2016)

Wes Regan, Community Economic Development Planner for the City of Vancouver (December 15, 2017)

Stephen Mikichich, Economic Development Manager, District of West Vancouver (April 20, 2018)

Councillor Silas White, Town of Gibsons (May 11, 2018)

Zarah Gale, Community Futures Sunshine Coast (June 8, 2018)

 

Reference: Bowen Island

The following is a list of resources specific to Bowen Island.

Reference: General

The following is a list of general resources regarding economic development.

Last Updated on 2019-05-06 at 3:14 PM