Economic Development Task Force
Managing Rossland’s growth to align with community needs
What we do
The task force compiles and analyzes information associated with Community Economic Development, identifies issues that need to be addressed and develops recommendations for discussion and endorsement at the Sustainability Commission table for presentation to council. Then with the support of council, the task force takes action to help solve the highest priority issues.
Projects Planned for 2022:
Broadband:
- Background: Little has changed since the highly successful install of fibre in the downtown core 5 years ago
- Goal: Work is to engage with CBT/CBBC, Shaw, Telus, et al and improve broadband access for Rosslanders, as well as explain the technology to allow for informed choices.
- Volunteers: Looking for individuals who have a reasonable familiarity with internet technology – or at
least a strong desire to learn; persistence; negotiation - Timeline: months to years
Housing:
- Background: Work already underway on affordable rental housing. The Task Force will engage a wide range of partners and stakeholders, including CoR council and staff.
- Goal: Address concerns about the rising costs and lower availability of housing.
- Volunteers: looking for individuals with a strong interest in housing (no prior experience in the domain required), patience and perseverance plus eventually negotiation and communication skills.
- Timeline: years.
Daycare:
- Background: Rossland has roughly 100 spots for 700 children = 14%; 50% is considered reasonable. This is a gender issue, since women tend to have their work more affected by a lack of effective day care. A major challenge is support outside of school hours as pre-K support requires a higher standard of facility. Both the federal and provincial government have announced childcare as a priority to fund.
- Goal: work with current providers as well as facilitate more providers in the area.
- Volunteer: looking for individuals with a strong interest and familiarity with the issues, strong negotiation and interpersonal skills
- Timeline: years