COMOX VALLEY – The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) Board decided to provide the Comox Valley Economic Development Society (CVEDS) with a six months’ termination notice for their economic development service contract.
CVEDS has been the contractor for the delivery of economic development services in the Comox Valley since 1988. Over the years, CVEDS has helped existing businesses grow and worked with potential investors and entrepreneurs to realize the benefits of investing and doing business in the Comox Valley.
In 2020, the CVRD entered into a two-year agreement with CVEDS to continue to deliver economic development services in our region. Later in the year based on transition to the new contract deliverables including enhanced reporting and defining service goals, the board set their strategic priorities for economic development moving forward.
Subsequently, a formal service review was initiated to consider governance, roles and service delivery. The recent decision to terminate the contract aligns with the CVRD Board and its municipal partners’ interests to pursue economic and community development initiatives at a more local level.
The CVRD with their municipal partners (City of Courtenay and Town of Comox) will continue reviewing the economic development service to provide a path forward on how economic development will be delivered within the region. In addition to decision-making, the review will consider how to provide support to tourism, visitor services, core economic development activities, and the Economic Recovery Task Force created to support businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Details regarding the results of this review will be provided in the coming months.
The Comox Valley Regional District is a federation of three electoral areas and three municipalities providing sustainable services for residents and visitors to the area. The members of the regional district work collaboratively on services for the benefit of the diverse urban and rural areas of the Comox Valley.