Islanders will likely soon have the chance to discuss the state of the local economy and how it can be improved, if a plan by the QCI Chamber of Commerce goes ahead.
Chamber members decided September 6 when they met in Port Clements to sponsor a symposium focused on the economy.
Several members expressed concern about the economy, uncertain at the moment while the province and the Haida are negotiating, as well as suffering affects from declining traditional industries, forestry and fishing.
Members decided the chamber should take on one realizable project that would appeal to many people, and decided an all-islands economic meeting was the way to go. They also agreed the chamber was the right organization to sponsor it.
Then they passed the following motion: We set up as a priority a forum to bring all the islands' groups (together) to discuss economic development activities for the islands in the near future, to promote cooperation between communities.
"We need to liaise with the other players on the islands to bring this thing together", Delina Myles of Port Clements said, "we have experts in this room, we have good speakers, we need to take ownership of our own islands. This is for us and we should do it ourselves."
She also said it would be good from a healthy community perspective to get the whole community motivated.
Not date or location for the forum has yet been set, but the chamber's executive will meet September 20 to further discuss the idea. It is expected to take months to organize, and likely won't take place before Spring.