Dear editor,

Comox Valley鈥檚 recent economic development budget increase has warranted a personal lack of confidence in our local market makers.

It is interesting that one councillor sees 鈥渧alue鈥� in our Comox Valley Economic Development Society鈥檚 (CVEDS) increased $900,000 budget, when other similar organizations throughout Canada and the U.S. have decreased 鈥� or with drastic cases in the U.K. 鈥� eliminated their taxpayer-sponsored economic development funding.

These decisions on tax funding priorities were based upon measuring the actual direct quantifiable results of their economic development organizations.

As an executive search and recruitment consultant who commutes from Comox, I have an opportunity to travel and partner with many growing employers throughout Canada. With my professional network, I have spoken with several Economic Development Commissions (EDCs) throughout Western Canada.

Given the softened economies and weakened employment markets, I have heard very competitive attraction strategies these EDCs are mounting in an attempt to attract investment and employers.

Yet, when I return home to our Valley, I hear very little in terms of CVEDS鈥� results. I suppose one could easily be uninformed, as the News updates section on the Invest Comox Valley website has not been updated since 2009.

While other similar remote regions 鈥� including neighbouring Island communities 鈥� are aggressively attracting sizable companies in high growth sectors (i.e. web-based technologies, clean energy, new media, etc.) our region seems to be confident that small agri-business, retail, tourism, and the service sector will keep our future economy robust.

Meanwhile, communities such as Kamloops, Prince George, and Lethbridge; with less access than the Comox Valley to large markets, have attracted technology companies and subsequent large employment gains.

As one who is concerned about the long-term sustainability of our local economy, I feel it is time that our local politicians need to ask results-driven questions as to how CVEDS intends to allocate our tax investment.

I will gladly support CVEDS鈥� budget boost over decreased education and healthcare budgets, when CVEDS publicly presents a concrete cost/benefit analysis to local taxpayers.

(Its website mentions their specific objectives. Performance cannot be measured when terms such as 鈥渆ncourage,鈥� 鈥渟timulate,鈥� or 鈥渇acilitate鈥� are benchmarks.)

Perhaps a few questions CVED could answer are:

鈥� What performance metrics were developed to measure the quoted 鈥渧alue鈥� taxpayers received for CVEDS鈥� 2010鈥檚 $700,000 budget?

鈥� How much investment or employment was created in our region as a direct initiative of CVEDS鈥� leadership? Specifically, which companies?

鈥� Which high-growth sectors have been identified to attract? What are the results of CVEDS efforts to date?

Major industries do not just organically grow by themselves. Strong cluster economies are incubated and nurtured over time by strategic market makers for optimum growth.

I suggest if anyone shares a similar interest in seeing the Comox Valley鈥檚 economy prosper over the long term, I recommend that taxpayers ask their local politicians how we are measuring CVEDS 鈥渧alue.鈥�

Craig Senn,

Comox