PORT ALBERNI — How does a 20th-century company town work from within to reinvent itself in the 21st century?
As part of its monthly series of public presentations focused on the next 20 years in the Alberni Valley and the city’s official community plan review, AV Transition Town Society (AVTTS) hosts a talk on local jobs and affordability.
Traditional models of economic development in Port Alberni would envision a business-friendly community that attracts people with money to invest, creating jobs and opportunity. The initial investment would create ripples of change within the community; good jobs create good incomes and higher standards of living. However, the experiences of other B.C. communities, such as Squamish, tell a different story, according to the AVTTS.
Can the community of Port Alberni write its own economic future? Can its residents collectively imagine an economy that creates good local jobs, keeps profits within the community, contributes to healthy, fulfilling, and affordable lifestyles, and reduces the community’s impact on the earth? Can local values form the foundation of the city’s economic future, or are its residents helplessly at the whims of investors and developers? These are some of the questions that will be considered during the next public presentation.
On March 20 at 7 p.m., join AVTTS at Char’s Landing (4815 Argyle St.) with special guests Elvezio Del Bianco (BC Co-op Association), Dr. Cliff Atleo (SFU School of Resource and Environmental Management) and Terry Deakin (INEO, Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce) in a discussion of economic futures for Port Alberni that challenge traditional growth models while ensuring a more equitable and sustainable community.