Athabasca town and county councils are each working with a different private enterprise towards the development of additional non-subsidized seniors housing in the community. Good on both of them for tackling this important issue and we hope their plans come to fruition.
And if they do, both councils should try to maintain the momentum by taking the same approach towards other economic development opportunities.
It’s ironic that elsewhere in this issue, we report that the Alberta Energy Corridor, missing and presumed dead for months, can be officially laid to rest. Though it started with great promise, competing interests, bureaucracy and poor management spelled its doom.
Yes, economic development can get complicated. But it doesn’t have to start that way. The discussions regarding seniors housing began with people listening to presentations, making a few phone calls and starting a conversation. It’s a simple approach, but so far it seems successful.
So rather than getting bogged down in mandates, mission statements and cost-sharing breakdowns, perhaps the region’s next economic development strategy — because it clearly doesn’t have one now — should be simply for councillors and others to listen to the right people, ask some good questions and start some conversations.
Rest assured, if any of the ideas take off, there will be a need for more elaborate administration.
But for now, let’s keep it simple.
