This letter was sent to mayor and council and copied to The Chief for publication.
My name is Kerry Brown. I am writing on behalf of the Inside Edge Knowledge Industry Association (www.insideedgebc.org), which is a not for profit organization comprised of local knowledge industry professionals.
Our mission is to represent the knowledge-based industry within the Sea-to-Sky Corridor and foster growth through collaboration, incubation and business advocacy, and to act on behalf of the industry, and supply the necessary leadership, forum and resources to develop, support and promote knowledge-based business, research, and employment within the Sea to Sky Corridor.
Inside Edge supports the Squamish Oceanfront sub area plan and urges all councillors to vote affirmatively for this plan on the third and fourth readings.
Inside Edge believes there is a strong future for the knowledge based industry (KBI) in Squamish, and we anticipate that the sub area plan will support the development of KBI firms and local employment.
Many regions compete to attract the KBI industry. The land use synergy between the KBI, academic, arts, and recreational zones of the sub area plan, combined with our existing recreational opportunities and the Olympic legacies of a fibre Internet connection and the improved highway granting easy access to an international airport, will be particularly enticing for KBI firms and professionals.
On a personal note, I believe developing the knowledge based industry is crucial to the future of Squamish. I have lived in Squamish for 47 years. I grew up here. I started my working career in logging, moved on to retail, and now work in the knowledge industry.
When I first entered the job market, it was easy to get a good job in the logging industry. There were many other resource industries in the area that offered good, high paying jobs as well. It was easy to grow up in Squamish, start a career, and stay in Squamish to raise a family.
Over time, the resource industries declined and Squamish evolved into a service based economy. I reinvented myself and joined the retail service industry, running businesses in Squamish and Pemberton.
As Squamish further evolved, the retail service sector started to decline. I reinvented myself once again and entered the knowledge industry.
I now run a successful consulting business, and sit on the board of directors as chair of the technical oversight committee for the Canadian Internet Registration Authority.
Some service sectors, like tourism, are growing, but with the highway improvements providing easy access to Vancouver, big box stores moving in, and the popularity of online retailers, other areas of the service industry may no longer supply diverse opportunities for employment.
Young people have had to leave Squamish to advance their careers, and once established, there may be little opportunity for them to return, unless they want to commute elsewhere to work. We are becoming a suburb of Vancouver and Whistler.
It's now time for Squamish to reinvent itself and focus on industry sectors that will provide jobs for young people, jobs with a future so they can stay in Squamish.
The Squamish Oceanfront sub area plan, with an emphasis on the KBI, academic, arts, and recreational components, is a crucial step in this reinvention. It is a progressive step that will be attractive to KBI firms and professionals.
It will ensure Squamish has a place in the current and future changing and diverse global economic environment. It will provide future jobs for our children.
Kerry Brown
Vice Chair - Inside Edge Knowledge Industry Association
