Dear editor,
Who or what is the Comox Valley Economic Development Society?
Having sat on the board for the past 15 years and currently on my way out as past president I could not miss this opportunity to counter some of the negative press and misunderstanding over CVEDS.
We are a society with half our board consisting of local politicians representing the City, the Town, the Village, rural areas A, B, C and First Nations. The other half of our board are non-politicians elected by the politicians on the board.
What we try to do is promote the Comox Valley, attract new business, and try and retain existing businesses. We do this to create jobs, hopefully improve our standard of living and increase the tax base that supports arts, culture and recreational activities within the Valley.
What we do not due is sit in judgment on the types of economic activities that come to our door; we leave those decisions to local governments or the Province.
The staff at CVEDS takes direction from the board and their strategic plan (we are currently in the process of creating a new five-year plan) to determine where we spend our limited resources.
Unfortunately, we cannot support every economic opportunity that may come our way and have to make some difficult decisions on where we can get the most value for our efforts.
J. Murray Presley,
Courtenay