Gold River Economic Diversification Progress Report May 2012

Submission to the Chief Administrative Officer
Village of Gold River

Gold River Twenty Twelve
Economic and Diversification Assessment
This report is submitted in conformance with the requirements specified in the Letter of Expectation
confirmed by Village of Gold River August 18th
2011

Submitted to:

Mr. Larry Plourde
Chief Administrative Officer
99 Muchalat Drive ‐ PO Box 610
Gold River, British Columbia
Canada V0P1G0
Phone: 250‐283‐2202
Fax: 250‐283‐7500
villageofgoldriver@cablerocket.com

MAY 2012 VERSION 1.4

Submitted by:

Patrick Nelson Marshall
Consulting Economic Developer
Capital EDC Economic Development Company
4341 Shelbourne Street
Victoria, British Columbia
CANADA V8N3G4
www.capitaledc.com
T: +1 250 595‐8676
C: +1 250 507‐4500
www.patrickmarshall.tel

CAPITAL EDC Economic Development Company
This is a draft plan and is confidential: No reproduction or distribution without written permission from Patrick Nelson Marshall
+1 250 507-4500 - draft version dated - Thursday, June-07-12 Page 2
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Forward Looking Statements
The following document is presented for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be, and is not, a
prospectus, offering memorandum or private placement memorandum. The information in this document
may not be complete and may be changed, modified or amended at any time by the owner, and is not
intended to, and does not, constitute representations and warranties of the proposed business.
The information in this document is also inherently forward‐looking information. Among other things, the
information:
(1) discusses the owner’s future expectations;
(2) contains projections of the owner’s future results of operations or of its financial condition; or
(3) states other “forward looking” information.
There may be events in the future that the owner cannot accurately predict or over which the owner has no
control, and the occurrence of such events may cause the owner’s actual results to differ materially from the
expectations described herein.
This document constitutes confidential and proprietary information and may not be copied, faxed,
reproduced or otherwise distributed by you, and the contents of this document may not be disclosed by you,
without the proponent’s express written consent.

i. Table of Contents
Forward Looking Statements ............................................................................................................................... 3
ii. List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................................... 7
iii. Table of Figures................................................................................................................................................ 7
iii. Engagement Letter .......................................................................................................................................... 9
v. Report to Council ............................................................................................................................................ 13
Issue:........................................................................................................................................................... 13
Background: ................................................................................................................................................ 13
Discussion: .................................................................................................................................................. 13
Options: ...................................................................................................................................................... 17
Recommendation: ...................................................................................................................................... 17
v. Draft Briefing Note ......................................................................................................................................... 18
Topic: .......................................................................................................................................................... 18
Issue:........................................................................................................................................................... 18
Background: ................................................................................................................................................ 18
Discussion: .................................................................................................................................................. 19
Options: ...................................................................................................................................................... 20
Recommendation: ...................................................................................................................................... 20
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. 21
1.1 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 21
1.1.1 Tangible Results ................................................................................................................................. 21
1.1.2 Committee Operations ...................................................................................................................... 21
1.1.3 Village of Gold River Capacity ............................................................................................................ 21
1.1.4 Business Community Interest ............................................................................................................ 22
1.1.5 Options for Diversification ................................................................................................................. 22
1.1.6 Restart the Process ............................................................................................................................ 22
1.1.7 Short‐term Action .............................................................................................................................. 22
1.1.8 Long‐term Action ............................................................................................................................... 22
1.1.9 Advocate ............................................................................................................................................ 23
1.1.10 Next Steps ........................................................................................................................................ 23
1.2 Assessment Objective............................................................................................................................... 23
1.3 Assessment of Opportunities ................................................................................................................... 23
Existing Strategies and Operations ............................................................................................................. 24
Stakeholder Interviews ............................................................................................................................... 24
Opportunities Most Relevant to the Village of Gold River ......................................................................... 25
1.4 Assessment Contents ............................................................................................................................... 25
2.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 27
2.1 Purpose of the Assessment ...................................................................................................................... 27
2.2 Assessment Statements include ............................................................................................................... 27
Overarching Plan Governance: ................................................................................................................... 27
Plan Vision: ................................................................................................................................................. 27
Our Plan Mission: ....................................................................................................................................... 27
Village of Gold River Market Position Objectives: ...................................................................................... 27
Community Development .......................................................................................................................... 28
Community Economic Development .......................................................................................................... 28
Economic Development ............................................................................................................................. 29
2.3 Approach and Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 29
Research Stage 1 ........................................................................................................................................ 29

Assessment and Reposition Stage 2 ........................................................................................................... 29
Strategy Stage 3 .......................................................................................................................................... 30
Building Stage 4 .......................................................................................................................................... 30
Implementation Stage 5 ............................................................................................................................. 30
2.4 Assumptions & Limiting Factors ............................................................................................................... 30
3.0 ASSESSMENT CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................ 32
3.1 Current Environmental Scan .................................................................................................................... 32
January 4th
2012 Financial Services ............................................................................................................ 32
February 2nd
2012 Retail Store ................................................................................................................... 32
February 7th
2012 Regional Television News Segment .............................................................................. 32
Environmental Scan Summary ................................................................................................................... 33
Primary Resource Extraction Scan .............................................................................................................. 33
Secondary Manufacturing and Processing Scan ......................................................................................... 34
Retail and Service Commercial Scan ........................................................................................................... 34
Public Sector Services and Government Scan ............................................................................................ 34
Non‐Government Organizations ................................................................................................................ 34
3.2 Regional Economic Summary ................................................................................................................... 35
Figure 1 North Island Employment Foundations Society Economic Scan 2010 ......................................... 36
3.2.2 Resource Industry Opportunity [Synergy List 2005] .......................................................................... 36
3.2.3 Manufacturing and Processing Industry Opportunity [Synergy List 2005] ........................................ 37
3.2.4 Retail and Service Commercial Opportunity [Synergy List 2005] ...................................................... 37
3.2.5 Government and Institutional Opportunity [Synergy List 2005] ....................................................... 38
3.2.6 Non‐Government Opportunity [Synergy List 2005] .......................................................................... 38
3.3 Comparison of Gold River to peer group of BC Villages ........................................................................... 38
Table 1 British Columbia Village Administration 2012 ............................................................................... 38
3.3.1 Description of Gold River Diversification Efforts ............................................................................... 39
Table 2 Village of Gold River Official Community Plan 2003 ...................................................................... 39
3.3.2 Village of Gold River – Ranking of Issues 2008 .................................................................................. 40
3.3.3 Economic Development Committee Progress 2010‐2011................................................................. 41
3.4 Assessing an Economic Development Organization ............................................................................. 42
Table 3 Economic Development Value Requirements ............................................................................... 42
3.4.1 Other British Columbia Village Efforts ............................................................................................... 44
3.4.2 The Provincial Association ................................................................................................................. 44
Economic Developer of the Year ................................................................................................................ 45
Community Project Award ......................................................................................................................... 45
Economic Development Marketing Award ................................................................................................ 45
3.4.3 Economic Developers Association of Canada 2010 Marketing Canada Awards ............................... 45
3.4.4 Government of British Columbia Economic Development Context .................................................. 46
3.4.5 Regional Economic Development Context ........................................................................................ 46
3.6 Local Sustainability Plan ....................................................................................................................... 47
Figure 2 Triple Bottom Line Approach to Sustainability ............................................................................. 49
Figure 3 New Zealand Relationship between target dimensions and key indicators ................................. 50
4.0 ASSESSMENT OF DIVERSIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES ................................................................................... 51
4.1 Retention and Expansion .......................................................................................................................... 51
4.2 Recruitment .............................................................................................................................................. 51
4.3 Stakeholder Contact and Interviews ........................................................................................................ 52
4.4 Business Opinion ...................................................................................................................................... 53
4.4.1 Gold River Business Scan Survey Responses ..................................................................................... 53
4.4.2 Stakeholders Views and Attributes ................................................................................................... 53
4.4.3 The Top Ten List and need for Strategic Focus .................................................................................. 54

4.4.4 Recruitment 2011 Q4 ........................................................................................................................ 54
4.4.5 Business Activity 2011 Q4 ................................................................................................................. 55
4.4.6 Views on Regional Workforce ........................................................................................................... 55
4.4.7 Regional Change ................................................................................................................................ 56
4.4.8 Technology Talk ................................................................................................................................. 56
4.4.9 Management Team Dynamics ........................................................................................................... 56
4.4.10 Ranking of Services and Utilities ...................................................................................................... 56
4.5 Gold River Focus Group Meeting Responses ............................................................................................ 57
4.5.1 Business Infrastructure ...................................................................................................................... 57
4.5.2 Community Capacity Infrastructure .................................................................................................. 58
4.5.3 Human Capacity Infrastructure ......................................................................................................... 58
4.5.4 Physical Infrastructure ....................................................................................................................... 58
4.5.5 Gold River Economic Development Committee Recommendations ................................................. 59
Table 4 Economic Development Committee Recommendations 2010‐2011 for Council consideration
2012 ............................................................................................................................................................ 60
Table 5 Chief Administrative Office Revised and Assessed List for consideration 2012 ............................ 62
Table 6 Village of Gold River Economic Development Recommendations to a New Alliance for
consideration in 2012 ................................................................................................................................. 64
4.5.6 Gold River Council Strategic Plan 2008 ‐ 2011 .................................................................................. 66
Table 7 Village of Gold River Ranking of Issues 2008 Council Decision 2012 ............................................. 66
Table 8 Chief Administrative Officer Responsibilities Decision 2012 ......................................................... 66
4.6 Opportunity Assessment Summary .......................................................................................................... 68
Table 9 Organizational SWOT Analysis Framework .................................................................................... 69
Table 10 Village of Gold River Economic Development Organization | Current Position 2012 ................. 69
Table 11 Village of Gold River Economic Development Organizational | Desired Position ....................... 70
5.0 Assessing Gold River Economic and Diversification Options ........................................................................ 72
Merge ......................................................................................................................................................... 72
Acquire ....................................................................................................................................................... 72
Contract ...................................................................................................................................................... 72
Partner ........................................................................................................................................................ 72
5.1 Options to be implemented within the Organization .............................................................................. 73
5.2 Options to be contracted by the Organization ......................................................................................... 73
5.3 Alternatives to the Traditional Committee Format .................................................................................. 74
5.4 Options to be partnered with other Organizations .................................................................................. 74
6.0 Implementing the Diversification Recommendations .................................................................................. 75
6.1 Issues and Opportunities Long List Priorities ........................................................................................... 75
Table 12 Issues | Opportunities Long List .................................................................................................. 75
6.2 Issues | Opportunities Short List .............................................................................................................. 75
Table 13 Issues | Opportunities Short List Categories ............................................................................... 75
6.3 Focus Areas ............................................................................................................................................... 75
Table 14 Issues | Opportunities Focus Areas ............................................................................................. 75
6.4 Strategic Priority Work Program .............................................................................................................. 75
Table 15 Strategic Priority Work Program .................................................................................................. 75
6.5 Blueplanet Sustainability Check Up .......................................................................................................... 76
Table 16 Blueplanet Sustainability Check Up ............................................................................................. 76
6.5 Internal Strategic Priority Dashboard ....................................................................................................... 77

Table 17 Internal Strategic Priority Dashboard .......................................................................................... 77
6.6 External Strategic Priorities Dashboard .................................................................................................... 77
Table 18 External Strategic Priorities Dashboard ....................................................................................... 77
Appendix I ‐ Stakeholder Survey and Interviews ................................................................................................ 78
Appendix II – Discussion Paper ........................................................................................................................... 79
Appendix III – Village of Gold River – Ranking of Issues 2008 ............................................................................ 89
Table 19 Village of Gold River Ranking of Issues 2008 ............................................................................... 89
Appendix IV – Village of Gold River Economic Development Committee Progress from 2010‐2012 [Actions] . 91
Table 20 Village of Gold River Economic Development Committee Progress from 2010‐2012 [Actions] . 91
Appendix V – Survey Results .............................................................................................................................. 95
Appendix VI – Raw Log Exports Explanation .................................................................................................... 141
Vancouver, September 26, 2011 .............................................................................................................. 141
Submitted to the Province of British Columbia on behalf of the Truck Loggers Association (TLA)
September 15, 2011 ................................................................................................................................. 141
Log exports: The reality ............................................................................................................................ 141
How do we best apply the existing policy to meet current objectives? ................................................... 142
A Common Problem ................................................................................................................................. 142
Coastal Log Demand ................................................................................................................................. 143
Policy Vision .............................................................................................................................................. 143
To Contact the TLA: .................................................................................................................................. 144
Appendix VII – Independent Wood Processors ................................................................................................ 145

ii. List of Tables
Table 1 British Columbia Village Administration 2012 ....................................................................................... 38
Table 2 Village of Gold River Official Community Plan 2003 .............................................................................. 39
Table 4 Economic Development Value Requirements ....................................................................................... 42
Table 5 Economic Development Committee Recommendations 2010‐2012 .................................................... 60
Table 6 Chief Administrative Office Revised and Assessed List 2012 ................................................................. 62
Table 7 Village of Gold River Economic Development Function Revised and Assessed List 2012 ..................... 64
Table 8 Village of Gold River Ranking of Issues 2008 Council Decision 2012 ..................................................... 66
Table 9 Chief Administrative Officer Responsibilities Decision 2012 ................................................................. 66
Table 10 Organizational SWOT Analysis Framework .......................................................................................... 69
Table 11 Village of Gold River Economic Development Organization | Current Position 2012 ......................... 69
Table 12 Village of Gold River Economic Development Organizational | Desired Position ............................... 70
Table 13 Issues | Opportunities Long List .......................................................................................................... 75
Table 14 Issues | Opportunities Short List Categories ....................................................................................... 75
Table 15 Issues | Opportunities Focus Areas ..................................................................................................... 75
Table 16 Strategic Priority Work Program .......................................................................................................... 75
Table 17 Blueplanet Sustainability Check Up ..................................................................................................... 76
Table 18 Internal Strategic Priority Dashboard .................................................................................................. 77
Table 19 External Strategic Priorities Dashboard ............................................................................................... 77
Table 20 Village of Gold River Ranking of Issues 2008 ....................................................................................... 89
Table 21 Village of Gold River Economic Development Committee Progress from 2010‐2012 [Actions] ......... 91

iii. Table of Figures
Figure 1 North Island Employment Foundations Society Economic Scan 2010 ................................................. 36
Figure 2 Triple Bottom Line Approach to Sustainability ..................................................................................... 49
Figure 3 New Zealand Relationship between target dimensions and key indicators......................................... 50

iii. Engagement Letter
August 18th
, 2011
Mr. Larry Plourde
99 Muchalat Drive ‐ PO Box 610
Gold River, British Columbia
Canada V0P1G0
Phone: 250‐283‐2202 Fax: 250‐283‐7500
villageofgoldriver@cablerocket.com
Subject: Gold River Economic Diversification Program
Business Retention, Expansion and Recruitment
Dear Mr Plourde:
Thank you for the confirming the receipt of my proposal at Council on August 15th
, 2011.  The following is my
understanding of what Council wishes to do.
My understanding of your needs with respect to economic development includes the following points:
Take the Committee work completed to‐date, all previous Strategies and the priorities of Council and prepare
a succinct work program for consideration by your office, grouped into Physical Infrastructure, Human
Capacity Infrastructure, Community Capacity Infrastructure and Business Infrastructure;
Take the proposed work program and meet with the employers, large and small, in a focus group setting in
Gold River and secure their input, feedback and support for the work program;
Present the revised work Program to the Village CAO for comments and feedback, along with a revised Terms
of Reference for a Task Force to govern the work program for Council;
Take the Work Program and all input and present it to Council for approval, along with reasonable financial
implications for the 2012 budget year in December 2011;
The first part of the plan must be completed on or before December 31st
2011 and include monthly reports on
progress from Capital EDC;
None of this commitment will be sub contracted to any other person or firm; and;
Patrick Marshall, acting as the Consulting Economic Developer will be responsible, accessible and accountable
to the Village Administrator throughout this process;
In support of this, Capital EDC Economic Development Company will deliver a Decision Paper entitled
“Economic Diversification | The Village of Gold River and Partners” in which 21 steps to achieve successful
diversification, business retention and expansion of investment are outlined. Our initial consultation and
subsequent conversations have made me aware that there are divergent expectations from a variety of
interests in your community and I will be sensitive to those expectations as we move through the process.
I am also aware of the need to ensure that technology and process built for this plan are constructed by
people who hold a business license in your jurisdiction and are located in the region in which the wood is
sourced. I will do my best to ensure that resident businesses and qualified suppliers are given every
opportunity to fulfil the requirements of this plan.
The purpose of this letter of engagement is to outline the details of the services to be provided by our
company in facilitating an in‐depth program from identifying prospective partners through to building the
pieces and resources required in each step. This can best be accomplished by the preparation of a
Management Plan that will detail the requirements of the Village of Gold River and others and the scope of
detail required for each stage.
I would also advise that when we have completed the plan, there will be assignments for a variety of
organizations and people. I will also identify which elements of the Plan I can deliver under a separate

agreement for implementation. My role at this point is to review resources, conduct interviews, shape the
framework and make recommendations to your office.
I have included a work plan that will cover off a six month period. My fees for the work identified in the
attached outline will be $10,000.00 plus HST, plus expenses anticipated to be $2,500.00 to be approved by
your office.
My understanding of Council’s expectation is that we proceed with the first part of the work outlined.
Consideration of further work may or may not be considered when Council convenes following the Municipal
Elections.
I expect that the majority of the work will be completed by remote communication and that any travel,
accommodation, or other expenses required will be submitted to your office for approval prior to making
purchases.
Please also find a copy of references for your use.  I would appreciate a signed copy of this communication
sent to my efacsimile at +1 866 827‐1524 at your earliest convenience. Thank you very much for the
opportunity.
Yours truly,
Original Signed P.N.Marshall
Economic Developer

As to concurrence:

Original Signed L, Plourde
Larry Plourde
Village of Gold River Date August 22nd
, 2011


Work Program | hours|rates Patrick
Marshall

Admin

Project Initiation [September 2011]
Kick off Meeting to confirm approach and expectations by Phone
Email to Council and Committee Members
Complete Survey of Business people, Council and Committee on‐line
Complete
Final Work Plan Detail by email
Deliver Discussion Paper “21 Steps”
$5,000.00 Complete
Build the Plan Document [September 2011]
Prepare a Plan Framework Document for review Complete
Interview Prospective Partners to determine scope of interest
Focus Group meeting in Gold River
Complete
Form the Diversification Team [October 2011]
Establish the Team and Letters of Expectation Between participants
Deliver Draft Management Plan to Village CAO
$5,000.00 Hold
Terms of Reference for Partnership between Village, Band and Business
Community
Hold
Secure Feedback from Business, Advisory Committee, Taxpayers and Council and
deliver final Plan to Council for Approval December 2011
Hold
Subtotal $10,000.00
Professional Services $10,000.00
Other Costs [Estimated Travel and disbursements] $2,500.00
HST exclusive Total $12,500.00

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v. Report to Council
File: Village of Gold River
Date: July 7th
, 2011
To: Mayor and Members of the Village of Gold River
Chair and Members of the Economic Development Committee of Council
From: Patrick Nelson Marshall, Consulting Economic Developer
Subject: Economic Development Assessment Village of Gold River
ISSUE: Councillor Lynn Unger, Chair of the Economic Development Advisory Committee of Council asked
Patrick Nelson Marshall, Consulting Economic Developer for the Capital EDC Economic Development
Company to provide the Committee with his thoughts on how to actively move forward with a new Economic
Development Agenda for the Village.
Patrick visited with Council on the evening of June 1st
to engage in a conversation regarding Members of
Council’s views on Economic Development. He presented to the Committee on June 2nd
, 2011 and also
engaged in a conversation to better understand the progress made by the Committee to date. Before leaving
town, he took time to visit with the Chief Administrative Officer for the Mowachaht Muchalaht First Nation,
Ms Cynthia Rayner.
The objective was to prepare a response to several questions that arose from his conversations, with a view
to providing Council and the Committee with some simple next steps.
BACKGROUND:
Mr. Marshall reviewed the following documents provided prior to meeting with Council and the Committee:
 Annual Report Objectives – Progress Report for 2010 Articles 4 through 6[b]
 Appendix One Ranking of Issues Village of Gold River
 Committee Minutes January 28th
2010 to April 7th
2011
 Economic Development [A statement by Kate undated]
 Economic Development Strategy Update For the Village of Gold River July 30th
1999, Penfold, Dixon and
Pinel
My Vision of Gold River by Lynne Under [undated]
It should be noted that Mr. Marshall served as the Principle Economic Developer and General Manager of the
Campbell River EDC Economic Development Corporation from 200 to 2007, the Property and Economic
Development Manager for the City of Campbell River 1989 to 2000 and provided support to the Village of
Gold River, Gold River Chamber of Commerce and other community organizations on many occasions over
the past twenty years.
There was no commitment to further engagement of Capital EDC Economic Development Company by the
Municipality or the Committee and Mr. Marshall contributed his time in lieu of remuneration.
DISCUSSION:
It is clear that the Penfold Strategy Update written for the Village in 1999 was for a different time and will not
work in the post 2008 recession. There are doubts that Canada’s economy let alone the Village of Gold River
will return to a place where this type of Strategy would be considered functional.
Also, it is the opinion of Patrick Marshall that “Economic Development” practices have changed dramatically
as well. Few organizations have the resources, the capacity or the skill set to sustain the strategic efforts for 5
and 10 year plans. Today, successful organizations attach issues and opportunities on shorter cycles, with
results, or they delete the strategic priority as unattainable.
In order to assist Council in its deliberation, I prepared the following most Frequently Asked Questions [FAQS]
for their consideration prior to making a decision on how best to proceed.

Review different types of Economic Development (EDO) position options. What works best in a community
of Gold River’s size?
The Village of Gold River already has an Economic Development Officer. Most Municipal Chief Administrative
Officers serve as EDO’s by default. “Economic Development Officer” is a traditional job title that is a
throwback to the 1950’s and describes people that work inside Local Government. There are many titles that
are used in this context. Unfortunately, today, many EDO’s have been relegated to writing grant applications
and used to feed the sustainable revenue stream that keeps many organizations going. I doubt that an EDO
would be able to achieve much in the context of the Village of Gold River as they would be drawn into long
term grant making activities which take away from the core job of delivering business retention, expansion
and recruitment.
This is not to say that Economic Developers could not do the job, just not in the traditional “office‐bound”
way of the past.
There are many types of economic development. Here are three separate definitions that differ in scope and
scale:
Community Development: Community development seeks to empower individuals and groups of people by
providing these groups with the skills they need to affect change in their own communities. These skills are
often concentrated around building political power through the formation of large social groups working for a
common agenda. Community developers must understand both how to work with individuals and how to
affect communities' positions within the context of larger social institutions.
Community Economic Development: is the process by which local people build organizations and
partnerships that interconnect profitable business with other interests and values ‐ for example, skills and
education, health, housing, and the environment. In CED a lot more people get involved, describing how the
community should change. A lot more organizations look for ways to make their actions and investments
reinforce the wishes and intentions of the whole community. Business becomes a means to accumulate
wealth and to make the local way of life more creative, inclusive, and sustainable ‐ now and 20 or 30 years
from now.
At its most effective, CED is characterized by:
 a multi‐functional, comprehensive strategy of on‐going activities, in contrast to individual economic development projects or other
isolated attempts at community betterment.
 an integration or merging of economic and social goals to bring about more far‐reaching community revitalization.
 a base of operating principles that enables a broad range of residents to assume responsibility in the governance of development
organizations and in the community as a whole.
 a process guided by strategic planning and analysis, in contrast to opportunistic and unsystematic tactics.
 a businesslike financial management approach that builds both ownership of assets and a diverse range of financial and other
partners and supporters.
 an organizational format that is nonprofit, independent, and non‐governmental, even though for‐profit or governmental entities
are closely linked to its work.
1

Economic Development: These are most commonly described as the creation of jobs and wealth, and the
improvement of quality of life. Economic development can also be described as a process that influences
growth and restructuring of an economy to enhance the economic well‐being of a community. In the
broadest sense, economic development encompasses three major areas:
 Policies that government undertakes to meet broad economic objectives including inflation control, high
employment, and sustainable growth.
 Policies and programs to provide services including building highways, managing parks, and providing
medical access to the disadvantaged.
 Policies and programs explicitly directed at improving the business climate through specific efforts,
business finance, marketing, neighborhood development, business retention and expansion, technology
transfer, real estate development and others.

1
   http://www.cedworks.com/CEDdefinition.html

The main goal of economic development is improving the economic well‐being of a community through
efforts that entail job creation, job retention, tax base enhancements and quality of life. As there is no single
definition for economic development, there is no single strategy, policy, or program for achieving successful
economic development. Communities differ in their geographic and political strengths and weaknesses. Each
community, therefore, will have a unique set of challenges for economic development.2

It is also important to understand that there are five Economic Sectors. Not all business activities are
“Sectors”:
 Economic Sector: A nation’s economy can be divided into various sectors to define the proportion of the population engaged in the
activity sector. This categorization is seen as a continuum of distance from the natural environment. The continuum starts with the
primary sector, which concerns itself with the utilization of raw materials from the earth such as agriculture and mining. From
there, the distance from the raw materials of the earth increases.
 Primary Sector: The primary sector of the economy extracts or harvests products from the earth. The primary sector includes the
production of raw material and basic foods. Activities associated with the primary sector include agriculture (both subsistence and
commercial), mining, forestry, farming, grazing, hunting and gathering, fishing, and quarrying. The packaging and processing of the
raw material associated with this sector is also considered to be part of this sector. In developed and developing countries, a
decreasing proportion of workers are involved in the primary sector. About 3% of the U.S. labor force is engaged in primary sector
activity today, while more than two‐thirds of the labor forces were primary sector workers in the mid‐nineteenth century.
 Secondary Sector: The secondary sector of the economy manufactures finished goods. All of manufacturing, processing, and
construction lies within the secondary sector. Activities associated with the secondary sector include metal working and smelting,
automobile production, textile production, chemical and engineering industries, aerospace manufacturing, energy utilities,
engineering, breweries and bottlers, construction, and shipbuilding.
 Tertiary Sector: The tertiary sector of the economy is the service industry. This sector provides services to the general population
and to businesses. Activities associated with this sector include retail and wholesale sales, transportation and distribution,
entertainment (movies, television, radio, music, theater, etc.), restaurants, clerical services, media, tourism, insurance, banking,
healthcare, and law. In most developed and developing countries, a growing proportion of workers are devoted to the tertiary
sector. In the U.S., more than 80% of the labor force is tertiary workers.
 Quaternary Sector: The quaternary sector of the economy consists of intellectual activities. Activities associated with this sector
include government, culture, libraries, scientific research, education, and information technology.
 Quintenary Sector: Some consider there to be a branch of the quaternary sector called the quintenary sector, which includes the
highest levels of decision making in a society or economy. This sector would include the top executives or officials in such fields as
government, science, universities, nonprofit, healthcare, culture, and the media. An Australian source relates that the quintenary
sector in Australia refers to domestic activities such as those performed by stay‐at‐home parents or homemakers. These activities
are typically not measured by monetary amounts but it is important to recognize these activities in contribution to the economy.
3

If you have not asked your residential taxpayers, business or industrial taxpayers, what they need to retain
and expand existing business, there is no point in hiring a person to do the job. Some functions are best
suited to a Regional Economic Development Collaborative like Destination Management for Tourism,
Economic Diversification of the Forest Economy, and other regional subjects.
I would recommend that Gold River pursue a “Blended” approach to engaging in this activity. That means
wait and see what the Regional approach looks like, then hire someone to facilitate some exploratory focus
groups in the community, prepare a report to Council, have it validated, and then take another small step.
The days of behemoth “Strategies” have passed. Challenge a service provider to show results in 30, 60 and 90
day increments, before the decision is made to commit to a full time position.
Also, don’t be restricted to a full time person. Consider buying support services as and when you need them
on a retained basis. This would be to support the CAO and or their designated staff member to get elements
of foundation building completed before a line is placed in the Annual Budget.
Do community demographics make a difference to economic development approaches?
No. However, the location of the community in a cycle is important to understand. See the Matric at:
http://www.theciel.com/publications/currentmatrix_grid_v2.6.pdf
Can a half‐time EDO position be effective, especially when first establishing programs, awareness of the
office/service, etc.?
No. This only sets the position and the person up for failure.

2
http://www.iedconline.org/?p=Guide_Overview
3
   http://geography.about.com/od/urbaneconomicgeography/a/sectorseconomy.htm

How should Gold River work with Regional economic development initiatives/programs?
Assess what is needed locally by speaking with your employers [public and private sector], develop a stepped
strategy, and then take it to the taxpayers for ratification before Council approves it.
When that work is being done, ask if the economic activity is exclusive to Gold River. Those activities that are
should be included in the “Local Economic Diversification Plan” that fits up into the Official Community Plan.
The Land Use Plan usually is five years. In the sub plan, make it a smaller profile like 36 months made up of
quarterly 90 day periods.
Help Council and the Committee identify “early win (low hanging fruit)” projects in Gold River.
A Review of the Strategic Plan developed by the Committee by someone that has economic development
experience will show what is achievable and what is not. Ask the reviewer to package the Plan for the
employers to review in a focus group, revise it, then arrange for public meetings in the community and have
that same person answer questions, then take it forward to Council for approval, in 30 days.
Don’t call it an “Economic Development Strategy” as taxpayers no longer trust the term.
The Mayor can establish a “Gold River Leaders Roundtable” comprised of the elected leaders of other
organizations exclusive to Gold River like the Chair of the School District, Chief of the Band Council and others
to collaborate and inform each other on progress. In fact, any of them could do that at any time.
The CAO probably has a group like this already for CEO’s General Managers and others that are responsible
for operations in the area.
Council could convene a “Community Forum” of local organizations with the expressed intent of taking the
pulse of where everyone is at, then finding the top 5 list of projects on the go. From this, the Task Force could
derive a top list of issues and opportunities so as to determine the skill set they might want to “Scope” the
issue or opportunity.
Do not overestimate the “Listening Function”. The Task Force could ask that staff or the Consulting Economic
Developer to arrange a series of focus groups in each of the five sectors to sound out interest levels in
addressing a small list of the top three issues and the top 3 opportunities.
The Task Force could ask staff to engage a small team to conduct a “Business Retention and Expansion”
Barriers to Business Assessment and bring the results back to the Task Force for recommended actions to
Council.
What reporting structure should the person responsible for economic diversification have?
There are two types of Economic Development Reporting structures. They both report to the CAO who is
responsible for overall operation of the Municipality on the direction of Council. One is when a full time
position is established. The second is when a Consulting Economic Developer is engaged on a project by
project basis.
How do you set goals and identify measures of success for an economic diversification plan or program?
Not goals and measure, but real numbers based on tangible things like property, people, and capital invested.
Conduct a governance session, define what you want to achieve, and then let someone qualified propose
how to get there, and then measure how far they take you towards the End Statement. Do not count the
number of people through the door. It’s the ones that purchase something that count.
What are realistic expectations of an economic diversification plan or program (in the first and subsequent
years)?
If you hire someone to work part time in the Village Office to conduct all the consultation before they start,
don’t look for results before 18 months.
You reduce the period of time if you hone in on what you want before you start, and then get someone that’s
good at it and has proven skills.
What type of an operational budget would be required?

$40,000 to $60,000 in salary and benefits for a candidate under 5 years’ experience. The new City of Nanaimo
Corporation is offering $150,000 for an Economic Development CEO.
An annual Contract with a Consulting Economic Developer might include a monthly retainer for a total
estimated cost of $30,000 plus HST, expenses and disbursements related to the plan.
It doesn’t matter where the persons chair and table are as long as there is someone providing administrative
support connected to the CAO’s office or the Director of Finance. Placing this person in any other Department
presents a problem.
It would be helpful to have a budget allocation of $40,000 with the qualifier that every effort to double the
expenditures by leveraging from other sources is made.
Another approach is the engagement of an Economic Developer on retainer. That would be $2500 to $5000 a
month that gets you two days support, and reduces the hourly rate on actual other work from $150 to $100
an hour with $65 hour for administrative support.
There are no barriers in front of taking steps now.
Without taking action locally on this file, there will be limitations to meeting future financial obligations as
out migration of youth and an aging population continue.
The business community is likely to support action on this file. Retired people represent a literal army of
support that can be taped to participate in the process, in spite of volunteer fatigue.
OPTIONS:
1. Engage a Consulting Economic Developer to help get the municipality to the starting point that would
require full time staff with a budget tied to an approved plan at $30,0000 plus HST, expenses and
disbursements; or;
2. Engage a contract Economic Developer Full Time in a term limited engagement, 3 to 5 year term at a cost
of $40,000 to $60,000 plus benefits, plus plan related disbursements and expenses.
RECOMMENDATION:
I would recommend Option 1 in order to complete the ground work to make ready for a full time solution
should the feedback from the community indicate the need for this approach. I would expect that the Plan
and the meetings required to get a Plan approved by the business community, interested taxpayers and
Council would cost $10,000, and I would recommend that Council engage the Consulting Economic Developer
to start the implementation process, through to the Inaugural Meeting and Strategic Planning session for the
new term of Council in January.
Yours truly,

Economic Developer

v. Draft Briefing Note
DATE: May 2012
PREPARED FOR: Larry Plourde, Chief Administrative Officer, Village Of Gold River
Topic: Economic and Diversification Assessment Report
Capital EDC Economic Development Company was engaged to conduct a no‐fault assessment of the work of
the Village of Gold River, Economic Development Committee with respect to determining the relevance and
feasibility of engaging in continued and coordinated economic development and diversification. The following
report documents the findings of Capital EDC’s Economic Developer in the role of Assessor.
Issue: What should the Economic and Diversification efforts of the Village of Gold River look like?
The report demonstrates that coordinated and effective economic and diversification efforts are possible for
the Village of Gold River, with some refinements to the process, terms of reference, relationships and
resources at hand. The work completed to‐date is useful to some degree and can be brought forward into
more conventional economic development frameworks. Mayor and Council, elected in November of 2011 will
deliberate on the findings of this assessment and select the next course of action subject to a
recommendation by the Chief Administrative officer. Previous work by the Village and its volunteers in no
way precludes new ideas or paths from the new Council.
Background:
The Village of Gold River Economic Development Committee delivered its work in the form of Minutes to
Council.
Council received the Minutes and in some cases took action, in others, remained silent on the subject.
Capital EDC was approached by a Member of Council and the Committee Chair to provide a proposal for the
Chief Administrative Officer as to how the context could be reviewed and assessed so that work could
proceed.
Capital EDC Economic Development, in the spirit of building a new working relationship that could result in
the training of volunteers to sustain community based economic development, invested extra hours to
provide a full and holistic view of the context for stimulating volunteer efforts to facilitate investment and
jobs in the community. The Community Economic Development Partnership Project involved the following
investments in hours illustrated as a cash equivalent:
Summary of Proposed Contributions Supporting this CEDP Project
Contribution Source Financial In‐kind Total
Confirmed Requested Confirmed Requested
Kick off Meeting to confirm
approach and expectations by
Phone CEDC
$2,500.00 $2,500.00
Email Preliminary Draft Assessment
to Council and Committee Members
CEDC
$1,000.00 $1,000.00
Complete Survey of Business
people, Council and Committee on‐
line CEDC
$10,000.00 $10,000.00
Deliver Discussion Paper “21 Steps”
CEDC
$5,000.00 $5,000.00
Interview Prospective Partners to
determine scope of interest
Focus Group meeting in Gold River
CEDC
$5,000.00 $5,000.00
Prepare a Plan Framework
Document for review CEDC
$15,000.00 $15,000.00
Final Work Plan Detail CEDC $5,000.00 $5,000.00

Contribution Source Financial In‐kind Total
Confirmed Requested Confirmed Requested
Village of Gold River Contribution to
Planning Phase
$5,000.00 $5,000.00
Sub‐Totals $5,000.00 $43,500.00 $48,500.00
Implementation and Execution
Stage from this point forward

Establish the Team and Letters of
Expectation Between participants
Deliver Draft Management Plan to
Village CAO
$10,000.00 $10,000.00
Build the Plan Document $5,000.00 $5,000.00
Form the Diversification Team $5,000.00 $5,000.00
Terms of Reference for Partnership
between Village, Band and Business
Community
$10,000.00 $10,000.00
Secure Feedback from Business,
Advisory Committee, Taxpayers and
Council and deliver final Plan to
Council for Approval
$15,000.00 $15,000.00
Community Economic Development
Orientation and Forum CEDC
$20,000.00 $20,000.00
Build Business Network CEDC $5,000.00 $5,000.00
Blueplanet Sustainment Certification
CEDC
$15,000.00 $15,000.00
Village of Gold River Contribution to
Implementation Execution
$5,000.000 $5,000.00
Total financial | in‐kind
contributions
$5,000.00 $128,500.00 $5,000.000 $138,500.00
This work represented a considerable amount of time contributed by Capital EDC Economic Development
Company in the form of hours that would not be invoiced to the Village by the company as the Consulting
Economic Developer viewed this as an opportunity to demonstrate capabilities in a context where repeated
one‐off studies have not been successful. The total cash contribution for this work expected and agreed to by
the local government would have been $10,000 in cash plus the time contributed by Council, staff and
volunteers. The results of the Community Economic Development Partnership can be sustained as an ongoing
investment by all project partners to support ongoing development efforts on behalf of the community.
The decision to defer the final report until after the local government election was made between the CAO
and the company so as to allow more business people to complete the online survey, and so as not to provide
subjects that might inappropriately influence the elections held in November 2011.
The final report was deferred once again until such time as Council could complete its inaugural meeting, new
Councilors receive their training in local government by UBCM, and a delay caused by the consultant due to
other commitments made prior to the decision to defer.
Council decided in February to suspend the remainder of the work program.
Discussion:
March is the month in which local governments finalize their corporate strategies and financial plans.
Capital EDC has presented a proposal to facilitate Council’s strategic plan in order to take advantage of new
information and familiarization of Capital EDC with the current state of policies and prospects for the Village.
This is covered under a separate communication and proposal for work.
Include factors to be considered in making the decision (e.g., financial, legislative, policy or communications
considerations) and any required consultations.
Council’s decision to suspend the completion of the work proposed by Capital EDC to allow a presentation by
the consultant was expected. Council needs to orient itself and understand the value of the information in
the report before its commits to next steps.

Options:
As of this date, Council may:
1. Suspend
Decide to receive and file the Report taking no further action;
2. New direction
Decide to use some of the elements in the report and seek other consultants for the implementation; or;
3. Completion
Decide to proceed with the completion of the work and engage Capital EDC for the facilitation of the
corporate strategy to ensure that the economic and diversification component is connected, responsible and
will produce results.
Recommendation:
Option 3 will ensure that Council communicates to the taxpayers of Gold River in a clear, concise and visible
way. It will also ensure that the relationship between the all Members of Council and the CAO is documented
and can be reviewed at year end. This will document progress in a way that taxpayers expect and will show
that this Council is moving forward in a measurable and responsible manner.
Council has not communicated any decision to the Capital EDC Economic Development Company.
PREPARED BY: Patrick N. Marshall, Business and Economic Developer
DATE: May 23rd
, 2012

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1 Recommendations
This report is essentially housekeeping from the 2008 to 2011 term of office for the Village of Gold River. It
brings together the corporate strategy built by Council and Staff, with municipal policy and the proposals
from an Economic Development Committee into one strategic document for review and assessment. The
purpose of which is to enable the incoming Council to assess where the Village is in the economic and
diversification process from a “no‐fault” perspective, account for previous directions so that duplication does
not occur and those paths that led to nowhere are not repeated, and those that demonstrated results, are
emulated in the new term.
Once Council understands where the local government has been in terms of strategic targets, policy and
proposals, it will be better positioned to determine the most appropriate targets for the next 36 month term.
This report does not confine the new Council or Administration, but demonstrates to the taxpayers of Gold
River that the local government is accountable and responsible for its decisions to act. It also demonstrates
that the Village of Gold River is not solely responsible for progress in the economic and diversification subject
area, but one of many participants that when working together, produce results.
Council has not reviewed the Report or the Strategy submitted by the Capital Economic Development
Company with the Consulting Economic Developer, Patrick N. Marshall, nor has it given any direction to Staff
with respect to moving forward or implementing the work.
The following are recommendations made to Council in March of 2012 and are based on the thorough
assessment of the Village of Gold River action to the fourth Quarter 2012:
1.1.1 Tangible Results
The Official Community Plan and existing policy documents prepared by the Village of Gold River provide no
information to assess whether or not there are tangible results from the Economic Development Committee
process.
There are valuable recommendations from the Economic Development Committee that need to be
deliberated upon by Council [Table 6], reported on by the Chief Administrative Officer [Table 7] and referred
to a community wide effort to engage in what is defined as Community Economic Development [Table 8], a
process in which the Village of Gold River is an equal partner, but not the sole participant.
Council also needs to revisit priorities outlined by the previous term to determine if there any long term
targets that need to be brought forward into the new term [Table 9].
There are those subjects from the previous term that Council should request a Report from the Chief
Administrative Officer on their current validity [Table 10].
1.1.2 Committee Operations
Council should not establish another Committee or Commission. The Community is too small. Council should
develop a Corporate Strategic Plan for their three year term using the formats identified in Tables 14 through
20 illustrated in Section 6.
Council should consider enabling the Chief Administrative Officer to hire support for short term planning and
development support on an as needed basis, and resource to engage a third‐party to prepare cost effective
business cases for major projects before making commitments. Business cases will provide Council with the
cost benefits of making large infrastructure investments.
1.1.3 Village of Gold River Capacity
The Mayor and Chief Executive Officer have acted as a reception function for the Village. There are no reports
available that account for time or resources spent on this activity.
Council should give consideration to taking a leadership role in establishing an alliance with the Mowachaht
Muchalaht Administration and Major Employers.

Again, engaging short term assignments to support this role and alliance is the most cost effective means of
assuring results.
Taking revenues from resource investments and applying them directly to operations or special projects
makes no sense and is not sustainable. Council would be well advised to engage a third‐party to assist in
facilitating the community economic development process, building the 12 month and 36 month strategic
plan, then picking 1 to 3 tasks to complete each year, building confidence in the Village and Alliance while
reconstructing community esteem.
1.1.4 Business Community Interest
Business owners and operators responses to requests by the assessor to meet and participate in the on‐line
survey were low.
Council, if the Mayor requested similar attention, would no doubt receive a more favorable response.
The focus group and online survey results provide solid background information which supports the
recommendation to lead in establishing a community alliance. The Village should suspend any development
expenses until such time as a Strategic Plan can be put in place, and only offer matching dollars to what major
employers, small and medium enterprise offer to contribute.
There are no grants.
1.1.5 Options for Diversification
The three areas that arose as prospects for diversification included small and medium enterprise supporting
the Forest industry, ocean and marinespace enterprise and am integrated approach to outdoor recreation,
from education and training a workforce, through to developing more commercial operations in the region.
Here again, the Villager should not attempt action in isolation, but seek leadership in each of these areas to
lead the community wide effort. This involves sub‐plans for the retention or existing business and the
recruitment of new business.
1.1.6 Restart the Process
Council needs to decide if it will maintain the status quo, which is predominantly being responsive to
enquiries if leading the way to establish a community economic development initiative around establishing a
realistic community alliance.
If the second approach is selected, the following short and long term actions would apply.
1.1.7 Short‐term Action
Within 90 days of receiving and adopting this assessment, the Village of Gold River may:
1. Engage a professional to design, host and report out on the outcomes of a community economic and
diversification forum;
2. Provide a terms of reference for a new organization to manage the outcomes of the forum;
3. Update the framework provided in the assessment;
4. Assist the Chief Administrative Officer in preparing a report to the Mayor and Members of Council
regarding the Human Resource and Community Capacity required to fulfill the forum and strategic plan
outcomes; and;
5. Assist the Chief Administrative Officer in fulfilling the other components of the plan outlined in Section
6.0 of this Report.
1.1.8 Long‐term Action
On or Before December 31st
2012, the Village may:
6. Revise and communicate its 5 Year Infrastructure Plan
7. Revise and Communicate its 3 Year Corporate Strategy
8. Publish its Communications Strategy
9. Publish and Communicate its Business Retention Strategy

1.1.9 Advocate
Council should continue its lead role in monitoring and taking action on the following subjects:
10. Monitor and participate in supporting a positive Metro Vancouver Decision
11. Improve Western Forest Products Relations
12. Develop Grieg Seafood Ltd. Relations
13. Maintain and report out on Covanta Green Energy Relations
1.1.10 Next Steps
Council halted the completion of this work in order to better understand the volume of information. The
timing is right to complete the last three steps of the assignment, once Council understands its position with
respect to corporate strategies, [policies and Committee recommendations.
The next steps in this assignment include:
14. Form the Diversification Team
Appoint a Councillor to work with the CAO and form a 90 Task Force to bring all of the partners together,
review this report and map out recommendations for Council to proceed.
15. Establish the Team and Letters of Expectation Between participants
This is a simple memorandum of understanding or letter of expectation which Capital EDC has templates
ready for use.
16. Deliver Draft Management Plan to Village CAO
This is a one page plan on how the Alliance will proceed.
17. Terms of Reference for Partnership between Village, Band and Business Community
This is a template that Capital EDC has that requires modification based on consultation with the parties
identified by Council and the Task Force.
18. Secure Feedback from Business, Advisory Committee, Taxpayers and Council and deliver final Plan to
Council for Approval
This represents the completion of the tables in Section 6 of this report, complete with financial implications
and expected results.
1.2 Assessment Objective
The objectives for this assessment include:
 A review of the Official Community {Plan and existing policy documents to determine if economic
development was being practiced in a way that demonstrates tangible results for the local government
funding it;
 A review of the Economic Development Committee operations to determine if there were ways to
improve the outcomes of the Committee work;
 An assessment of the capacity and context of the Village of Gold River administration in the context of
facilitating economic development for the community;
 An assessment of the business community’s interest in participating in economic development;
 An evaluation of options for diversification of the local economic condition; and the provision of;
 Some recommended options on how to proceed in restarting the process of addressing economic and
diversification subjects at the Village of Gold River.
1.3 Assessment of Opportunities
The following areas were explored as part of the assessment.

Existing Strategies and Operations
Gold River was the subject of many strategic plans, meetings and reports throughout the 1990’s. In many
ways, the Village of Gold River and its residents were pathfinders and first responders to industry change
heralded late in the decade. No one person could have foreseen the scope of Pulp Mill closures across North
America and Gold River was one of the first communities to survive this process.
As part of mapping out a response to this catastrophic event, the Village of Gold River engaged Penfold,
Dixon and Pinel to deliver an economic development strategy update for the Village of Gold River, a process
completed in 1999. The summary report contributed to the definition and revision of the goals for economic
development in the official community plan.
The Official Community Plan for the Village of Gold River cites the following goals:
“Economic Development
 “To promote a diversified local economy;
 “Natural resource industries will remain integral to Gold Rivers’ future and it is the goal of the Village to
develop both secondary and value added sectors of the local forest industry;
 “To provide for development of the port and access to Muchalat Inlet while maintaining unfettered
public access to the Gold and Heber Rivers and the marine environment;
 “To support aquaculture and mariculture industries within Nootka Sound and the West Coast of
Vancouver Island;
 “To emphasize tourism as integral to the diversification of Gold River and a high priority for the Village;
 “To allow for the development of a mixed‐use industrial site to allow for a variety of types of industry
and industrial services; and
 “Protection and preservation of accessible and affordable mineral aggregate resources for the Village
and surrounding communities.”4

The economic development goals for the Village of Gold River are reasonable, if the community was not
struggling to sustain volunteer efforts, with no full time staff, in the face of an aging population, with rapidly
growing consumer expectations.
The actual strategy rendered by Penfold, Dixon and Pinel [1999] has more than 73 short, medium and long
terms actions, and required an estimated allocation of $370,000. While the report is very thorough, it did not
estimate the person hours of work to complete the proposed work to fulfill the intended results.
The Village of Gold River is now faced with the task of building a small scale, responsive series of actions to
build an alliance of people that can engage in small scale steps to build on the existing foundation of
community. This needs to be presented to the constituents for affirmation and validation, and needs to be in
plain street English so that it is understandable and people can remember what they agree is the message
they want to repeat when asked, “How id Gold River doing?”.
Stakeholder Interviews
A series of interviews of resident business owners and major employers was undertaken to secure a
perspective on economic development from their perspectives. A lot of work had been completed by an
Economic Development Committee of Council; however, it appears that the work, the relationship with
Council and staff and the business community become disconnected in the process.
The subsequent on‐line survey, conversations with both observers and participants indicates that while
volunteers and staff may be fatigued, refinements in policy, process and resources can set the job of engaging
in economic development and diversification efforts on a course that will continue to produce tangible
results.

4
Village of Gold River Official Community Plan Bylaw 636 Schedule ‘A’ pp. 7 adopted 2003

Opportunities Most Relevant to the Village of Gold River
The Forest and access to the Ocean and Marinespace continue to be the fundamental underlying factors in
the continued existence of the Village of Gold River. That said the pursuit of a more direct relationship with
the resource industry will provide the community with more realistic expectations for growth and
development of the local economy.
Results of conversations and surveys indicated that while there is a large interest in facilitating manufacturing
and processing of available harvests and resources, the barriers to realizing these expectations remain large.
That does not discount the continued efforts to illustrate that this community is ready to facilitate this type of
investment, but rather, limited resources may show better diversification results by focusing on a number of
other areas.
Clearly, the facilitation and continued exploration of education and training, small and medium enterprise
development related to the needs and interest of the retiree market and outdoor recreation demonstrate the
longest list of opportunities worth pursuing.
1.4 Assessment Contents
Section 2 holds all of the context setting, environmental scan and definition information required to
understand the context of economic development, business retention, recruitment and diversification.
Section 3 is an account of information, circumstances, current environmental can, existing policy, and
assessment tools. I have shaped what I believe to be actionable recommendations from the Committee in
this section so that Council and Staff can see them in a new light.
Section 4 provides the framework for Council to better understand the sub‐components of economic and
diversifications actions. I have also illustrated the findings of the Focus Group, online survey and organized
recommendations from the 2010‐2011 Committee into this format for the benefit of Council’s review
process. This includes a current and desired opportunity threat analysis of the circumstances if Council takes
no action as compared to what a desirable condition would look like.
Section 5 is a discussion of the factors and options available to the Village of Gold River. This is where my
recommendations rationale is formed.
Section 6 is the framework in which Council can implement the recommendations that I have made. It is a
standard local government strategic plan framework developed by the Local Government Institute, a business
that has been engaged by the Village in previous years.
Appendix I is a list of the companies shortlisted by staff at the Village of Gold River for inclusion in the ion‐line
survey.
Appendix II I have included my “21 Steps” decision paper in Appendix II so that Council can better understand
the process of retaining existing business and recruiting new business to the community. It can be done at
the Village level, not by the Village in isolation, but with the Village as one of many participants.
Appendix III contains the original table illustrating the Village of Gold River – Ranking of Issues 2008
Appendix IV contains the original table illustrating the Village of Gold River Economic Development
Committee Progress from 2010‐2012 [Actions] as reported in Minutes.
Appendix V contains the graphic results of the online survey.
Appendix VI is a discussion on raw log exports which influences the Villages ability to recruit new business, as
are the comments for the manufacturers association illustrated in Appendix VII.


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2.0 INTRODUCTION
2.1 Purpose of the Assessment
There have been at least 4 special Task Forces, 6 Committee’s, two and a half full time economic developers,
8 strategic planning documents, and any number of business organizations addressing the need for a
coordinated economic development strategy for Gold River since 1983.
The primary purpose of assessment is to improve residents understanding of business and economic
diversification and to assist the Village of Gold River in implementing a strategy. The following factors must
apply to the methodology in conducting this assessment:
 Assessment practices must be fair and equitable for all parties.
 Communication about assessment is ongoing, clear and meaningful.
 Professional development and collaboration support assessment.
 Mayor and Council, the CAO and taxpayers are involved in the assessment process.
 Assessment practices are regularly reviewed and refined.
2.2 Assessment Statements include
The following are a set of simple statements that govern the context of this assessment.
Overarching Plan Governance:
The Village of Gold River Economic and Diversification Assessment exists so that the Mayor, Council, staff,
and taxpayers have a terms o4 reference and starting point from which to commence economic and
diversification efforts in a coordinated manner that provides tangible benefits.
Plan Vision:
The vision for this assessment is to provide a framework for an economic and diversification plan than is
operable in 36 month increments that reports out quarterly; that is easily understood by taxpayers and;
partners of the Village of Gold River.
Our Plan Mission:
The Mission for this Plan is to provide coordinated efforts to create the environment for retaining existing
jobs and investment and facilitating the creation of new jobs and investment for the Village of Gold River, its
taxpayers and its partners.
Village of Gold River Market Position Objectives:
The Market Position must contain strategy to translate the business image and competitive advantages into
tangible evidence in the marketplace and to Village taxpayers. The final strategy must concentrate
development on the following specific areas:
 Innovative product design, supported by superior information and communication processes. Products
and services developed to implement the Plan must meet the needs of the target market as determined
through research.
 Delivery system processes that combine human and technical service distribution methods that provide
the ultimate in convenience and access.
 Create an environment where human resources are motivated through opportunities, compensation,
training and recognition to provide the level of service and attain the required sales to gain competitive
advantage.
 Explore and use technology wherever possible to gain operating efficiency and expand traditional
services to the customers.
 Policy and procedures should manage risk, yet always consider the final user when developed.
 Determine, define and target a profitable and suitable niche market.
 Establish reliable research processes that identify consumer needs, wants and perception of the Village
of Gold River.

Gold River Economic Diversification Progress Report May 2012

Gold River Economic Diversification Progress Report May 2012

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Gold River Economic Diversification Progress Report May 2012