By Sarah Stenabaugh

The growing financial insecurities of families around the globe have been fast becoming a chronic issue for many communities. As the cost of living continues to surpass minimum wage, tuition fees steadily rising and contract employment is becoming the norm, many families have little to no savings in case of an emergency.

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By Michelle Madden

Canada’s first peoples have fought for and won the right to be involved in the use and development of their traditional lands, which is formally recognized under Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution. Since the Constitution’s patriation in 1982, they have continued their fight in the courts to refine these rights, and the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the Crown has a “duty to consult” with Aboriginal people in a meaningful way. This does not officially extend to municipalities, but may apply in some circumstances and is important in establishing and maintaining a good relationship with Aboriginal peoples.

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By Aileen Murray

So you’ve just landed a job in economic development. Congratulations! Now, how do you go about making this job the first step in a successful career?

Just as careers in economic development have many entryways, the career path is broad and varied. Economic developers are by the nature of the job, polymaths or persons of wide knowledge. This knowledge can be applied in many different directions.

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By Ed Morrison

The next big transformation in economic development is coming. It’s about time. Remarkably, most economic development organizations are still playing a game invented in Mississippi in the 1930s. It goes something like this. (Apologies in advance to those offended by some small amount of sarcasm.)

Make a quick assessment of your economy to figure out your community’s Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats, the ubiquitous SWOT analysis. (Hint: Hire a consultant if you need to.These are “strategy” consultants who help you with defining your strategy. In the process, you will undoubtedly find that you have all of the elements that any company would ever want in order to locate in your community:  competitive commercial and industrial real estate, a committed workforce, a great place to raise a family, a fantastic quality of life. You might also learn that you have some “clusters”. If you don’t know what that is, ask your consultant.)

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By Jennifer Cleary

It is the eternal question: Is money earmarked to eradicate poverty making a difference?  Two decades ago the public, disillusioned over a lack of tangible results, demanded an answer. Faced with aid fatigue and declining aid budgets, the international aid industry required a solution. At the time, governments in the Global North were shifting to a results-oriented, customer-focused approach, encouraging competition between service providers. The emphasis on results leaked into the development world, propelling a widespread fixation on how best to measure and assesses international aid to make it more effective. Enter results-based management (RBM) –a management framework that applies an impact-oriented focus on each activity of a given intervention, with the promise of improving performance and achieving better results.

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By Michelle Madden

We know that engaging the public in economic development activities and initiatives is important, but let’s be frank: it’s difficult and takes skill to do right. With that in mind, Jennifer Lake (the Director of Economic Development and Tourism for the Town of Conception Bay South, NL) saw the need to go back to basics and find the bedrock that public engagement needs to be built on. This blog features the highlights of her findings. The full compilation is available in her Year 3 paper for the University of Waterloo’s Economic Development Program, Public Engagement – Back to Basics.

While public engagement is an extensive topic that can’t be fully covered in a blog—or even a paper—this guide can serve as a checkup to make sure your community is on the right track. Links to quality resources are included throughout the paper to help you learn more.

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