It’s been a couple of days since the ‘State of the Island Economic Summit’, an annual two day event held at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo.  Reflecting back on the keynote speakers and the array of informative sessions, I feel we are so fortunate to have this unified approach to making our beautiful Island a better place to live, work, and play.

It wasn’t long ago that each of the communities on Vancouver Island were trying to develop their economy in isolation from their neighbours and the rest of the island.  The very fact that we are an island means that many of the issues facing the communities are shared whether you are in Port Hardy or Victoria.

We are all affected by the state of the forest industry, aquaculture, government programs, attracting investment, competitive markets, tourism, workforce challenges, transportation, and the changing economic landscape in communities.

This summit exposes us to the realities of these issues, giving us an opportunity to learn from those involved.  Better decisions can be based on this information so that communities can move forward in unison.

With over 500 delegates in attendance, the opportunity to network with those you need to be face-to-face with is huge.  There are representatives from municipal and provincial government, utilities, First Nations, education, corporations, and suppliers of goods and services to these areas.

The Vancouver Island Economic Alliance (VIEA) is to be congratulated for putting this excellent summit together.  It is a tremendous amount of work and gets bigger and better each year. Next year will be the 10^th anniversary of the event and, if you are in business on Vancouver Island or do business with Vancouver Island, you cannot afford not to be at the 2016 Economic Summit!  For more information visit their website at www.viea.ca

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