Creating a Sustainable and Local Economic Development Plan for Bowen Island

News Release
February 21, 2021

Residents, businesses, and community members invited to have their say on Bowen Island’s economic future.

BOWEN ISLAND – Recognizing that sustainable and local economic development will help our community thrive now and in the future, Bowen Island residents, businesses, and other community stakeholders are invited to share their ideas for the economic future of Bowen Island.

Funded by the provincial Rural Dividend Fund, and after a pandemic-induced delay, Bowen Island is re-starting work on a community economic development plan in support of our ambition to be a viable, resilient, and sustainable municipality within the Islands Trust and Metro Vancouver.

The project will examine short and long-term issues, needs, and opportunities to enhance existing and new businesses and associated employment. The goal is for the final plan to be comprehensive, easily understood, achievable, innovative and measurable, setting a safe and clear course as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and move ahead in creating a prosperous economic future for all members of the Bowen Island community.

From February to September 2021, community members are invited to help explore economic development priorities of Bowen Islanders. Information on upcoming engagement opportunities will be shared widely with the Bowen Island community through social media, via e-mail, at the ferry terminal, and through existing networks.

Starting February 25, community members are invited to participate in the first round of engagements on sustainable and local economic development for Bowen Island. Please visit www.bowenisland.citizenlab.co for more information and to have your say.

“We hope that everyone will get involved in this important project about the future of Bowen Island. It is essential that we hear from community members who do not typically speak up. We’re aiming for an economic future that creates opportunities for everyone in the Bowen Island community to thrive,” said Mayor Gary Ander.

The Community Economic Development Plan for Bowen Island is scheduled to be completed and made public in September 2021. Opportunities to engage online and in paper format will be publicized over the next several months.

Consultation and plan development is being coordinated by Hill+Knowlton Strategies, working with community engagement expert Vince Verlaan, Principal of OD4Impact, and community economic development expert David Van Seters, Founder and President of Sustainability Ventures.

To help spread the word, we will be hiring individuals to serve as part-time consultation ambassadors. This will be a paid role and training will be provided. Residents seeking more information about this opportunity are encouraged to contact Vince Verlaan, OD4Impact at vince@od4impact.com.

BACKGROUNDER

Bowen Island Municipality began work to create a new community economic development plan in 2019. Paused since March 2020 due to COVID and associated challenges, the project will get underway soon.

Three phases of community consultation will take place, beginning in February. The first will involve all community members who wish to participate, and be an opportunity to provide feedback and opinions about current economic opportunities on Bowen Island, as well as opinions about the community’s economic future. During the second phase of consultations, invited stakeholders and as many members of the community as possible will have the opportunity to discuss key economic development themes that emerged during the first round of community consultations. The third phase will provide all members of the public a chance to comment on a draft Community Economic Development Plan before it is finalized and released to the public for implementation in September 2021.

Bowen Island Municipality is committed to supporting our local business community as we advance through a careful economic recovery. Bowen Island Municipality Community Economic Development Committee (CEDC) hosted free Business Continuity Planning workshops via Zoom for local essential service providers. Free, confidential, one-on-one support sessions were also offered to local businesses to ensure they remained well-supported by the municipality during the pandemic.

The CEDC Business Engagement Working Group also hosted weekly online sessions to support businesses. These Zoom meetings, called “Bowen Island Digital Meet Ups for Businesses” were held on Wednesdays from March to June 2020, and transitioned to monthly sessions in the fall of 2020.

Consultations and plan development is being coordinated by Hill+Knowlton Strategies, working with community engagement expert Vince Verlaan, Principal of OD4Impact, and community economic development expert David Van Seters, Founder and President of Sustainability Ventures.