The Parksville and District Chamber of Commerce is hoping to receive $150,000 annually from the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) to help fund its five year strategic plan initiatives.
Corry Gervais, the chamber’s economic development coordinator, provided a delegation at the RDN’s July 27 meeting, where she summarized the strategic plan and highlighted recent initiatives.
She said the chamber is focused on business retention, expansion and attraction, supporting the tourism sector and small businesses.
“All of these priorities focus on the same mission — that of growing our local economy and creating opportunity that will attract young families to the Oceanside region,” she said.
The chamber launched Rebound Oceanside, a program to assist businesses with economic development during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The lesson learned from Rebound helped us to a deeper understanding of the gaps in the supply chain on Vancouver Island, allowing us to develop our first major project — the Mid Vancouver Island Micro Fulfillment Centre, in which we have received a provincial grant of $620,000 to start,” Gervais said.
The chamber also received a provincial grant last year to open an office, which acts as a co-working space. It then created a database of businesses in the Oceanside region and developed its strategic plan, according to Gervais.
Director Brian Wiese moved to refer the funding request to the RDN Oceanside Services Committee. His motion was carried unanimously.
