For a lot of years now, Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce has held a desk in the Clearwater information centre. The staff that runs that desk is tasked primarily with providing high quality information for tourists, but they also handle everything from inquiries about the local real estate market to questions about moving to the valley and starting a business here.
The chamber has been offering this service on behalf of its members and the greater community without really questioning whether or not it’s something our members want us to continue with. Economic times are tight; the chamber is feeling the pinch just as much as the rest of society is. Are we putting our efforts and the few dollars we have left in the right direction, or is it time for us to start focusing our energies somewhere else?
The valley has a lot of potential change on its plate. At least one mine is in the high certainty category and world timber prices are improving. We need to gear up to become the social and supply base for a return of resource industries. On the flip side, the high Canadian dollar and the low rate of the Euro and the British Pound could have serious implications on our tourism industry. For the last two years, our area has been treading water on tourism dollars and government project dollars, which may take a downturn this year. We may not have seen the worst of this recession yet.
Not having all our eggs in one basket has saved us from the fate of places like Mackenzie and Kitimat. The battle as to which industry is more important will rage on over coffee forever - the likelihood is that a balance of both is our best bet. Which way we will tip the scales of our investment for the next few years is the real question.
The next chamber meeting will be Tuesday, Feb. 8, 7 p.m. at Clearwater Lodge. We need your input on the future of the chamber, and what direction that future will move in. with the scarce resources we have, should we keep our position at the info centre, should get ahead of the game on the returning resource, or should we continue forward trying to both sectors? Give us your input.
Merlin Blackwell, president
Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce