– Amy Melmock is the Manager at Economic Development Cowichan. She can be reached at 250.746.7880 or amelmock@cvrd.bc.ca.
COWICHAN VALLEY – As technology jobs rise to record numbers in British Columbia, Economic Development Cowichan is working with regional government partners and industry stakeholders to create a Cowichan Tech Strategy.
The study is aimed creating a tech environment in the region that will help established firms in the region grow and prosper – while also attracting new tech innovators to the Cowichan Valley.
The strategy is being funded in collaboration with Island Coastal Economic Trust and is being developed by the Vancouver based consulting firm Goss Gilroy under the guidance of a local Project Task Force.
In recent years, Goss Gilroy has played a significant role in determining the tech and innovation investment agenda for the federal government. In the coming months, the company will be reaching out to local tech firms and to community, government, business and academic leaders to help lay the groundwork for new tech development in Cowichan.
Key to the project’s success will be defining the best ways innovators and influencers can work together to build on Cowichan’s strengths as a tech savvy region. While tech software developers, digital animation companies, and other technology firms already have a toehold in Cowichan, an overall strategy is needed to build on collective strengths, celebrate successes and attract new players to the region.
The Cowichan Tech Strategy emerged as a priority for Economic Development Cowichan during roundtable discussions that took place with the sector this past November.
As the strategy is completed in early 2018, Economic Development Cowichan is already looking ahead at ways it can be integrated with opportunities in emerging sectors and priorities in Cowichan. And at the municipal and the Cowichan Valley Regional District level, the strategy is a building block for realizing shared goals in creating tech friendly, accessible, networked communities.
This year, municipalities in Cowichan jointly adopted the online platform PlaceSpeak as a community engagement tool. So far, more than 600 local residents have signed up for PlaceSpeak in order to weigh in on regional issues. For more information on PlaceSpeak, please visit the following link.