EAST CENTRAL — When COVID-19 first hit, Verona Thibault wanted to be pragmatic about keeping communities strong in the face of the health orders that have affected businesses.
That pragmatism is continuing as the Saskatchewan Economic Development Association prepares for their yearly Be the Changemaker forum. Thibault is the CEO of the association.
This year’s one-day forum, which will be online, features discussions and speakers around supporting rural communities and promoting the growth mindset that many Saskatchewan communities need to survive.
With Saskatchewan being a province with strong exports, many of the sessions will be a discussion around communities creating those economic opportunities and creating partnerships that benefit economic growth, including sessions on the future of agriculture and how the province should capitalize on the film industry.
There are a lot of factors in a community’s success, from tourism to economic development to business improvement. Different members of different chamber organizations will be presenting their outlook on these elements, including Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Brent Fitzpatrick, during the Inspection for Growth panel.
Even in times of a global pandemic, being proactive is still an important aspect of community resilience, Thibault said. Growing a community will take getting ahead of the curve, she said, especially through public/private partnerships and community-driven telecommunications.
“I don't think we realize that catching up is not good enough. We need to get ahead of the curve if we want to capitalize on this opportunity to attract professionals and residents in rural Saskatchewan.”
There are some benefits to going virtual, Thibault said, especially since they jumped at the chance early to have 10 impactful webinars in the early spring that also dealt with community resilience, Thibault said.
Having a digital platform like Zoom to connect people across the country and the world to discuss these issues has been a wonderful addition to the discussions while creating opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to afford, Thibault said.
“You're able to get great presenters that we never could have afforded and that is the advantage. So we're really excited about the speakers.”
Registration is still open to the Dec. 2 event by visiting seda.sk.ca/events/2020-conference/.
