Athabasca recovery task force meets mandate

ATHABASCA — Since being launched May 25 the Athabasca Region Business Normalization and Recovery Task Force has now completed its mandate of surveying area businesses and defining recommendations to be sent to the Tourism and Economic Development (TED) committee regarding getting back to some kind of normal after the coronavirus pandemic. 

At an Aug. 18 meeting, the 16-member task force was presented with the results of the recent survey by interim TED coordinator Luke Pantin and discussed the findings, which Pantin put into a final report with the recommendations. 

The final step is approval from the task force on what the report says before it is turned over to the TED committee. 

“I am confident that the recommendations proposed in this report will enable our economy to navigate through the current challenges to secure our future prosperity,” said chair and Boyle mayor Colin Derko. 

Relying on the gathered data to make the recommendations, Pantin's report stated the recommendations would neutralize a range of negative economic impacts by developing a roadmap of actions aimed at stabilization, recovery, sustainability and growth. 

“An important longer-term intent of the task force was to ensure that the recommended measures are sufficiently waterproof and agile to respond effectively to a resurgence (second wave) or to other forms of economic distress in the future,” Pantin said. 

Key findings in the survey included that 83 per cent of businesses support the creation of an online business directory and 60 per cent fear for the endurance of their business. 

Seventy per cent require help with access to financing and funding and 41 per cent said they needed help locating, understanding and applying for government funding. 

Just over half remained open, but modified hours of operation, and 41 per cent had some form of staff reduction either in reduced hours or layoffs. 

Thirty-six per cent of businesses had losses between 10 to 40 per cent and 34 per cent had losses from 60 per cent and up. Only 7.5 per cent achieved revenue increases. 

One of the biggest concerns was that the cost of personal protective equipment (PPE) is hurting small businesses. 

From all the data gathered the task force came up with 11 recommendations for TED. 

One is to create a regional centre for business recovery and resilience that positions economic development and tourism as a business hub. 

“This Centre for Business Recovery and Resilience would enhance the role currently carried out by the TED office and would offer a single, easy access point for businesses to seek information and support,” Pantin said. 

Other suggestions include advocating for government support on PPE, working with the childcare sector and employers to support parents returning to work and developing a digital development support program. 

“The task force identified a digital presence as an essential component of small business resiliency during both the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and beyond,” said Pantin. “However, small businesses have varying levels of digital literacy and many do not have e-commerce sites, websites, Google My Business profile or social media profiles.” 

The task force will recommend the creation of a “digital main street” and connecting businesses with existing economic recovery information and resources as well as determine ways to unlock capital for business loans from financial institutions.

“Many small businesses do not have a choice but to continue operations through and beyond COVID-19, with thin margins and high fixed or operating costs, making financial management a concern,” Pantin said in the report. 

Recommendations also include creating incentives and supports to position the greater Athabasca region as a hub for new entrepreneurs, develop a “Buy Local Athabasca” rewards program and facilitate business training and education workshops. 

“The task force strongly encourages the TED committee to establish partnerships with provincial, public and private sector experts who can deliver a structured series of business training and education workshops on website development, business continuity best practices, finance and funding, government business programs and regulations and mental health preservation.” 

The report will be finalized this week and will be sent to the TED committee which will decide which, if any, recommendations they will take up. 

Derko thanked the task force for their hard work and hopes by TED and businesses working together it will bring the region out of the hardship it is in. 

“Finally, I offer thanks to the TED committee for supporting this study, to the business community for their invaluable input, and again to the 16 task force members for contributing so much of their precious personal time and expertise to this process,” Derko said. “If we continue working together and collaborating on executing this plan and similar future initiatives our accomplishments will be limitless.”