Let's Move Mountains Together - HELP CREATE AN AMBITIOUS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE TOWN OF SMITHERS - We can embrace big ideas about the future in an Economic Development PLAN. We also need to focus on identification of pragmatic actions that generate progress toward our vision of the future. 

“The goal of this Economic Development Plan for our community is to embrace big ideas that will nurture a sustainable and prosperous local economy for people to pursue a high quality of life,” says Town of Smithers Mayor Gladys Atrill. “We also need to focus on clear actions that will support our ambitious economic vision for the future of Smithers.”

What if we could achieve the exceptional as a community? What kind of community do we want to leave behind for our children and grandchildren? How do we create the transformative in our plans that help get us to our aspirational horizon line? The Town of Smithers is creating an Economic Development Plan that aims to answer these questions.

Good things have been happening in Smithers. As the Bulkley Valley’s economic, recreational, and cultural hub, the community hosts a diversified economy with a large business sector. Smithers is a “Town for all Seasons”, with a reputation as an exceptional place to live and work. The Town's pedestrian-friendly streets, mountain-themed building façades, and vibrant culture present a unique rural example of a thriving northern community. This said, the global, national, and BC economy continues to rapidly evolve and innovate, and recent economic activity in Smithers generates a number of economic development considerations – including the future of resource-based industries, workforce and resident attraction and retention, housing affordability, placemaking, and nurturing of entrepreneurship - that are important means to achieve economic resiliency. Recent economic activity in Smithers generates a number of considerations – from housing to placemaking – that are important economic development enablers.

Economic Development Strategies speak the language of job creation, workforce attraction, and workforce retention – which is the heartbeat of community vibrancy. But it also speaks the language of broader community development and the joy we seek in life well-lived - from placemaking to downtown vibrancy to housing choice and affordability. An Economic Development Plan can be the ONE plan that answers the question: what does the future of Smithers look like and why does it matter?

Thank you in advance for spending your valuable time completing this survey. All responses are confidential and only aggregate results are used to inform the creation of the Economic Development Plan.

The Town of Smithers will not collect, use, or disclose personal information using SurveyMonkey. Please be aware that SurveyMonkey may collect information, such as IP addresses, and information collected will be stored on Survey Monkey’s servers located inside and/or outside of Canada. Please review the Privacy Notice of SurveyMonkey for further information.

The survey is voluntary, and a response is encouraged but not required. For more information on the collection of personal information by the Town of Smithers, please call 250.847.1600. Personal information is collected by the Town of Smithers pursuant to Section 26 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purposes of supporting effective communications.

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* 1. The Town of Smithers is providing a draw for gift card for completing this survey. If you would like to be entered into the contest please provide your name and telephone below.

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* 2. How long have you lived in Smithers?

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* 3. Do you own or operate a business in Smithers?

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* 4. What attracted you to Smithers vs other places you have considered living? (choose up to your top 3)

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* 5. What makes Smithers different/better than other places when it comes to working? (choose up to your top 3)

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* 6. What makes Smithers different/better than other places as a matter of lifestyle? (choose up to your top 3)

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* 7. What needs to be done to attract people/workforce to Smithers and have them stay long-term? (choose up to your top 5)

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* 8. What are 2 or 3 things that make Smithers a great place to do business?

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* 9. Thinking about the varied needs, interests and priorities of the Town, in your opinion what are the top economic priorities that must occur to enhance the future local economy. 

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* 10. What are Smithers' specific competitive advantages that would attract new business?

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* 11. What are 2 or 3 specific things that could be improved in Smithers to make it more business friendly and support business growth?

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* 12. Do you know people who have left Smithers? If so, why did they leave?

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* 13. How long do you intend to stay in Smithers?

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* 14. Keeping Smithers’s value proposition in mind, what industries do you believe Smithers should pursue to further diversify the economy? (choose up to your top three)

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* 15. Are there any other specific initiatives / actions / facilities / opportunities / recreation or other amenities, and / or "fixes" that would encourage more people to live in Smithers longer or move to Smithers?

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* 16. Imagine the Official Community Plan "Smithers 2030" has achieved something exceptional. What BIG IDEA(S) did the Town and its residents implement?

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* 17. What short term initiatives should Smithers consider and implement now to maximize community vibrancy, highlight collaboration in community economic development and support a growing economy in 2024. Please indicate your top two initiatives.

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* 18. Using 25 words or so, what is your vision for the future of Smithers?

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* 19. How likely is it that you would recommend Smithers as a place to live and work to a friend or colleague?

Not at all likely
Extremely likely
The following questions have a business context which apply mostly to business owners and operators. If you have some awareness of business issues but are not a business owner or operator, please feel free to answer these questions, otherwise please scroll to the end of the survey and click "Done".

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* 20. If you own a business or work with one, what are your key challenges in operating and growing that business? (choose your top 5)

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* 21. What priorities should a Smithers Economic Development Plan place on the following business, investment and community enablers? (choose your top 5)

Municipal economic development programs typically contain the following elements:

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* 22. Based on what you feel is important to a prosperous future for Smithers, which of the following economic development program elements do you think Smithers should focus on? (choose only your top 2)

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* 23. The following principles will provide the foundation for the implementation of the new Economic Development Plan. Please rank these principals in the order of which you think will most benefit the implementation the plan. (move the arrows up or down to complete your ranking) 

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* 24. What recommendations, steps or resources would you suggest are needed in  Smithers to establish an entrepreneurship-friendly climate that encourages significant business start ups/expansions within the Town?

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* 25. Up to 80% of new economic growth in a community is created by existing businesses - which is why business retention and expansion is so important to the future prosperity of Smithers. What kinds of business retention and expansion initiatives would you be interested in seeing in Smithers that you feel are a best bet in terms of promoting business growth in Smithers? (choose up to your top 3)

The “Middle Ground”

As an entrepreneur in BC and Canada, there are gaps – in either availability of the right type of space, or support programs – that can stand in the way of a business idea coming to life, or that constrain business growth. As one example, cost barriers can be too big to jump from home-based business to large commercial space. A little help from others at a key time can be critical. These entrepreneur challenges are often called “missing middles.” The space gap can be visualized as:



Image source courtesy: Strong Towns www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/11/6/theres-a-missing-middle-for-commercial-spaces-too


We can add to this visualization of missing middles: Accessory Commercial Units (like a garden suite but a visible commercial enterprise in a residential district typically in a mixed-use zone or adjacent to a commercial area); co-work spaces, incubator/accelerator/hub space to grow companies – particularly tech companies; market spaces and buildings; and the “corner store.”

There’s no end to the types of financial, mentorship, learning, start-up and other support programs that can help support entrepreneur development and business growth. What is ultimately offered is about considering programs that best work for local business.

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* 26. What types of “middle ground” spaces do you feel would best help businesses and entrepreneurship grow in Smithers? (choose up to your top 5)

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* 27. Land within Town boundaries is scarce. There is a need for the Town to focus on increased density and optimization of underutilized land in the future for housing, light industrial and downtown retail in particular. Please rank your level of support for possible actions that the Town can consider re land optimization. (move the arrows up or down to complete your ranking)

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* 28. What sector is your business in? (check the category most appropriate to your business) Note: these are standard Census Canada Industry Sector categories.

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* 29. If you have any additional comments about the future of Smithers and its needs, challenges and/or opportunities please comment below.

Thank you for contributing to the Town of Smithers Economic Development Plan!

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