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Vol. 90 Issue 47 • Wednesday, November 20, 2013 • www.arrowlakesnews.com • 250-265-3823 • $1.25 •
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Business survey shows challenges, reasons for optimism Craig savage Arrow Lakes News
The Nakusp and Area Development Board hosted a presentation on Nov. 13 at Selkirk College, where they presented the results of the Business Retention and Expansion survey. Laurie Page, chair of NADB, thanked fellow NADB member Vivian Berry for taking charge of the project. “It would not have happened without her,” said Page. Remarking on those in attendance at the meeting, she noted that “community leader types outweigh the business leader types.” Forty-six local businesses were surveyed on a variety of topics, part of a regional effort by the Rural Development Institute (RDI). The Columbia Basin RDI is a “multiyear partnership between CBT and Selkirk College to support informed decision-making,” explained presenting researcher Jonathan Buttle. Buttle then presented in detail the results of the survey, which also included twohour interviews with each business. The breakdown of sectors of those surveyed was 43
per cent retail and wholesale trade; 22 per cent accommodation and food service; and 11 per cent agriculture, forestry and fishing. Furthermore, 95 per cent of the facilities of surveyed businesses were for services. He explained that these numbers were very typical of similar communities in our region. The need to recruit and retain quality staff was a recurring theme of the report. Sixtyseven per cent of businesses listed “quality staff” as a factor for success, 73 per cent said they were experiencing recruitment challenges, and 72 per cent said they were experiencing retention challenges. Local Interfor manager Geoff Bekker concurred with the report. “Recruitment’s a big issue,” he said. Buttle noted that these are concerns throughout the region as well. One of the quotes from the interviews summed it up this way: “There is not a good pool of qualified workers in our community, therefore the workers that are available here have ‘floated’ around from business to business.” The fact that 84 per cent of businesses said their employees were
“skilled/professional” further underscored the need for good people. One surprising statistic was that 57 per cent of the businesses had been in existence for 20 years or more, which was high compared to other areas surveyed. Many of those were family businesses, some of which had been passed on from generation to generation. Buttle explained that the high number of long-term businesses could be a sign that this is a tough community to break into, that most businesses are healthy and well-managed, or some combination of the two. There were some bright spots in the report. More than 70 per cent said their sales were either stable or increasing, and 37 per cent report expansion plans within the next three years. “I see that as a fairly positive sign,” said Buttle. As for why that expansion might not be occurring, the report listed local regulations and zoning (20 per cent) and lack of skilled staff (18 per cent) as top barriers to expansion. The report concluded with some recommendations to improve the busi-
ness climate. One recommendation for increased business expansion was “collaboration between business community and local government focused on improving government approval processes.”
Along those same lines, it also recommended a business forum regarding regulatory barriers. Other recommendations of the report included enhanced
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‘Tis the season to celebrate
Terri McLeod and Deb Rushfeldt enjoy some cheer and company at Studio Connexion’s Deck the Walls opening. More photos on p. 7. Claire Paradis/Arrow Lakes News
Big plans on horizon for Nakusp Hill Climb Claire paradis Arrow Lakes News
Plans that began last year to hold a race up the Hot Springs Road are coming together, said race planner Guy Duchaine. Since the idea’s inception, volunteers including Duchaine and Dr. Donato Desandoli, have been educating themselves about what it takes to stage a road race. Last year, organizers volunteered at the Knox Mountain Hillclimb to get some on-the-ground experience to
understand what’s involved. The group is going again this year to volunteer and learn more, particularly about the details like waivers and forms. At the moment, the Nakusp group is busy getting their business plan together in order to present it to the Ministry of Highways. Duchaine said they are hoping to present their plan to the Ministry on Dec. 15. The Ministry piece is only one of several. Duchaine said safety is key, as is crowd control, but one of the biggest hurdles is determin-
“ I want to know more about mutual funds.”
ing how to run the race without interfering with the regular operation of the Nakusp Hot Springs. “We don’t want to be a hindrance to the hot springs,” said Duchaine, who is proposing that all entrants will pay for two entries to the hot springs as part of their race fees. He hopes this will not only offset the cost of any lost admissions, but also promote the hot springs to the racers. But how will people get up to the pools during race days? Duchaine said the road will be opened between events, which he said
would be held all-day Saturday and Sunday. The organizer would like the weekend involve the whole town, with a dance to be held and possibly vintage and specialized cars shown downtown as well. Duchaine, a former military man, is thinking big, and would like to get the 408 Squadron to bring their helicopters to the party too. “To put a thing like this together takes a lot of people,” he stressed. Involving high school students is another part of the plan, said Duchaine, who would
like to see the route signage be built by the NSS woodwork classes, and get the metal shop involved in creating the start and finish line frames. Dr. Desandoli said he would like to lend a race car to the school and rebuild it with them as an educational experience. These are only a few ideas that the group has got going to involve the town as much as they can. The public are welcome to come to the Nakusp Hillclimb upcoming meeting and share their thoughts and suggestions, said Duchaine.
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