KITIMAT – The first Kitimat Business Walk was held November 4 led by Rose Klukas, Economic Development Officer for the District of Kitimat and staff from the ED Department. Additional Walkers included representatives from the Advisory Planning Commission, the Chamber of Commerce, District staff and Council.
Business Walks are a regular occurrence in many communities across British Columbia, and the Kitimat Chamber will work with Kitimat’s Economic Development Office to continue the walks on a regular basis.
November’s “Business Walk” provided the opportunity to gather information from local businesses, large and small through face-to-face interviews. The information collected will be compiled by the Economic Development Office and shared back with the local business community and build a foundation for a stronger business climate in Kitimat.
Kitimat is a community in transition with businesses continuing to meet the needs of residents while transitioning from the demands a major project coming to completion and anticipating the future needs for new major projects on the horizon.
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Where Does One Apply For A Social Licence?
Brian Lee Crowley, managing director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute addressed members of Kitimat Chamber of Commerce at our October dinner meeting on his final day of his Northwest BC tour.
“Social Licence” – How does one apply? Who are the authorities to approve the application? Are there rules? Can the decision be appealed? Mr. Crowley did raise a number of questions that highlighted the vagueness of the term. Also noted was that in recent years the term has been taken to new extremes as a reason for opposition to some projects.
The announcements of major projects across Northwest BC in recent years has peaked interest in the notion that these projects must win public approval – “social license”, before they can proceed. Companies looking to develop Canada’s natural resources frequently use the term social license, or winning public support for potentially contentious projects. In recent months opponents to mega projects have determined that the proponents do not have “social license” for their projects.
Mr. Crowely also noted in his presentation that consultation between proponents, government, First Nations and community are producing constructive results and continued engagement between all involved will benefit all Canadians.
– Trish Parsons is Executive Director of the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at 250-632-6294 or tparsons@kitimatchamber.ca.
