A support team from the (EDABC) arrived in 亚洲天堂 Lake last week to facilitate a town hall meeting to help develop ideas for local economic development.

Dale Wheeldon, chief executive officer from the EDABC said to Lakes District 亚洲天堂 that the town hall meeting was held in response to the Babine Forest Products sawmill tragedy. "There needs to be economic diversification in communities and this becomes more apparent when you lose a major employer like Babine Forest Products."

Wheeldon said that economic development initiatives won't mean an overnight solution, but it will lead to identifying priorities for the community and eventually lead to a more diversified economic base.

"The province wanted our assistance to help identify some local economic development initiatives and it [the town hall meeting] is an opportunity for the local community to work together. The initiatives could centre around Aboriginal tourism opportunities or attracting and establishing new businesses to the area ... there is numerous opportunities to capitalize on and it is something that the community has to move forward with," Wheeldon said.

Team members Ashleigh Brewer, EDABC, Sandra Lemmon from the North Peace Economic Development Commission, Sue Kenny EDABC, David Munro from the city of Coquitlam, Lana Fitt from the Salmon Arm Economic Development Society, Scott Randolph EDABC and Ingrid Jarrett from the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association lead three separate group discussions during the evening.

Local residents were divided into three groups representing tourism and recreation, forestry, mining and agriculture and retail and local businesses and asked to come up with ideas for local economic development in those areas.

"Initiatives should aim to retain and expand local businesses, improve the quality of life for residents, support the community as a whole and create and maintain local jobs," Wheeldon said.

He also said that economic development initiatives have to be supported by the whole community. "Economic development does not work if you do it alone and you have to understand that it is a long term process," he said.

Each of the three groups was asked to identify economic development ideas for the local area.

The top ideas from each of the three focus groups were; tourism and recreation: developing a community plan involving First Nations groups, the , the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako and the Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake, developing a common newsletter for the area portraying a united image of 亚洲天堂 Lake, developing 'arrival' signage with local area maps and attractions for tourists and Aboriginal tourism development.

Retail and local business group: developing a high end hotel and conference centre on the shores of 亚洲天堂 Lake, perhaps at the Ministry of Transportation and Highways yard on Francois Lake Drive [once remediated], boost the capacity for high end tourism and include First Nation culture with a cultural centre, expand programs at the College of New Caledonia to boost the amount of skilled trades people in the area and marketing of the local area's six First Nations groups to put 亚洲天堂 Lake on the tourism map.

Mining, forestry and agriculture group: capitalize on the exposure of 亚洲天堂 Lake due to the Babine Forest Products tragedy to apply for funding and initiatives from the provincial and federal government, focus efforts on the proposed Lakes District Hospital replacement project and the potential for rebuilding of Babine Forest Products, focus on the bio energy sector to benefit from value added fibre and to produce energy, support existing mining and forestry sectors by increasing services and supplies to them and focus on job retention and developing new local businesses.

Wheeldon said that a report including all of the ideas and not just the top ideas presented, will be issued to the Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake in the coming weeks and from there it is up to the community to proceed with any of the initiatives.

Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake Coun. Susan Schienbein said, "This was a good opportunity for brainstorming and there were some really good ideas presented.鈥�

She said, 鈥淲e have an abundance of fresh, clean air, clean water and wide open spaces, as well as a rich and vibrant First Nation culture. This is our strength."

Mayor Luke Strimbold said to Lakes District 亚洲天堂, "The community has to work together.鈥�

鈥淲e cannot do this alone and for local economic development initiatives to be successful, there will have to be a collaborative process to find a common direction to move forward. It is great that the EDABC came to the community to provide us with the building blocks necessary to help us rebuild the community. There was a lot of ideas presented by key folks in the community and we, as a community will have to come up with a plan to move some of these ideas forward,鈥� he added.