Putting together our annual Port Alberni Progress edition is always a challenge—but not for the reason one might think.
We started the tradition of printing this special section four years ago, partly to answer critics who assert Port Alberni is a dying city.
We can assure you, it is not.
Every year we try and choose a theme, then create our stories around it. This year the stories chose the theme: building business. And there were so many stories, we were limited by our print deadline.
Young entrepreneurs are setting a new tone to how business is done in the Alberni Valley, and it’s paying dividends, according to businesspeople like Aaron Colyn and Desja Walker.
Other businesspeople have taken a look at how business has been done in the past, and have set that on its end: people like Wayne Coulson, who saw potential for growth at the Alberni Valley Regional Airport and is now creating a new culture that will draw in new interest, or Dale Leier and his partners who have big ideas for Codfather Seafood.
This year, we came up with more stories than we had space in our special edition. As a result, we will be running more Progress stories in upcoming editions of the Alberni Valley News and online at www.albernivalleynews.com.
For example, technology is driving a couple of important changes at West Coast General Hospital: the emergency room is going to a “nurse first” format, thanks to a new electronic health record system called FirstNet. And Telehealth—video conferencing with a doctor—has allowed a patient in Bamfield to have a doctor’s appointment with a general physician.
West Coast Aquatic has applied for a multi-million-dollar grant from the federal government that will drive salmon enhancement in the Somass River system for a minimum of five years.
And the business vibe at Harbour Quay is changing and expanding, while just down the waterfront Tyee Landing presents possibilities.
Business is no longer “same old, same old” in the Alberni Valley, and the change is looking good.
— Alberni Valley News