By Andrew de Souza

Vision for economic development released

Nov 6, 2010 | 7:25 AM

paNOW Staff

The North Central Economic Region held a presentation on Friday to show their plan for securing the region’s economic future beyond the North’s mining boom.
“The Prince Albert region has the infrastructure, the quality of life and the size to service these huge investments and profit from their economic outcomes,” said Louis Grenier, a consultant on the project with a company called Intelegia.
“But this is your priority, this is your community. You have to do the work or it won’t work.”
Grenier outlined the plan for the region, which had been in the works since the economic group was founded a year ago. He said the region needed to focus on three key areas – being the hub for northern mining, promoting and attracting green businesses and exploiting tourism and real estate opportunities that come from abundant nature.
“There are a lot of jobs, a lot of money and a lot of people working in the mines. That alone will fuel the economy, but that has an end,” he said. “What will be left after the mines? It’s the manufacturing, it’s the tourism that will remain and that is sustainable.
“But if we don’t do anything it won’t happen.”
Also present at the presentation was Intelegia president, Isabelle Poirier. She said, the first and most crucial step was creating a positive web presence.
“If you’re not found easily on Google, you’re not found – you don’t exist. Site selectors and potential investors will start their search for new sites by Googling new regions,” she said.
Poirier added, the region would begin creating Internet content and have a definite presence by mid-December.
In charge of making the consultant groups plan a reality, is NCER chief executive officer, John Ondrusek. He says he’s ready to begin implementing the plan and that’s it’s the right way for the region to move.
“It is the right thing. The province is booming and unless we get proactive about things we’ll get left behind. We’ll be just another skipping stone for other communities that northern mining is being serviced by now,” he said.
The plan proposed by the group is available at www.ncer.com
adesouza@panow.com