It might take a village to raise a child, but it takes a region to create economic development.
That is what County of Barrhead county manager Debbie Oyarzun told councillors Sept. 18 about what it takes for municipalities to attract industry and business.
On Sept. 7, the county hosted a session with a Toronto-based business person who is looking for a location for a hemp decortication plant, which is used to separate the various components of the plant from the tough, woody interior (the hurd).
The softer fibrous strands and oil from the hemp plant can be used to manufacture numerous products, ranging from cooking oil to soaps and shampoos to kitty litter and even concrete.
It should be noted that although cannabis and hemp are varieties of the same plant, hemp only contains trace amounts of THC — the psychoactive compound in marijuana.
Oyarzun said the meeting was attended by representatives from both Barrhead municipalities, as well as the Chamber of Commerce, GROWTH Alberta and two community business people familiar with the hemp industry. It was supposed to be in person, but due to a last minute cancellation by the businessperson, it was conducted via teleconference.
“The meeting went well and I think we were really able to get our message across about not only what the county has to offer at its industrial park, but the entire community,” Oyarzun said.
“Every municipality has a piece of land for sale if they are trying to do any type of economic development at all, so we have to find a way to compete and we do that by showing what our community has to offer ... It is the region as a whole that has the workforce, the acres, the supporting services and the quality of life and I think that is what we were able to successfully demonstrate.”
Coun. Bill Lane agreed, but noted they still had an uphill battle. “We have to compete with dozens of municipalities that have thrown in their name, and have tons of money, and can just give them a chunk of land,” he said.
Coun. Darrell Troock said money was one vital part of a deal, but the other is how easy it was to do business with the county.
“It’s the amount of red tape, the atmosphere, and the willingness to work with them to go forward, not leaving anything back,” he said.
Coun. Walter Preugschas agreed, saying the important thing is to follow up and continue to try to build a relationship.
“It is great to see the work we have done start to pay off,” he said.
It started 10 to 15 years ago with Rick [Neumann] and Jenny [Bruns, development officers] getting the municipality ready for industry and promoting it. Economic development is a slow process and it is hard to see results, but they are starting to come.”
