Rural development can't be lumped in with economic development for urban areas and requires a separate strategy, according to members of the province's beetle action coalitions.
The three groups, including the Omenica Beetle Action Coalition (OBAC), have put together a set of recommendations they see as necessary to stimulate growth in rural areas.
The recommendations grew out of the Rural BC Project, an initiative meant to stimulate discussion and understanding of the challenges facing rural B.C.
Last week, Regional District of FraserFort George directors approved drafting a letter of support for the project's five recommendations, which ask for the province to create a B.C.-specific rural development strategy, new rural economic development programming, a mechanism for rural communities to get a share of resource revenues, a rural advocacy organization and a rural B.C. venture capital program.
"Most major development projects and many operating projects are no longer delivering rural benefits as they once did," said OBAC member Don Basserman, who made a presentation to the regional district board of directors. "Fly-in, fly-out camps, imported labour, a lack of localized training to match local skills with in-demand occupations are symptomatic of the dilemma facing rural areas."
Similar presentations are being made across the province as the coalitions - which were formed to address the fallout from the downturn of the timber supply - worked to drum up support and pressure on the government for their idea.
The Cariboo-Chilcotin Regional District will present a resolution of support at the Union of B.C. Municipalities' convention in September and the coalitions are also working towards hosting a clinic at the annual meeting as well as the concurrent B.C. Mayors' Caucus.
The group has looked at successful strategies in other provinces, such as Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. A local approach could be patterned off of those as well as the international Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's rural program.
"B.C. has historically not engaged in rural development, unlike most other provinces," said Basserman.
With the forest industry sustaining rural communities in the past, there wasn't seen to be as great a need for a separate strategy.
"The current environment is a vicious de-investment cycle," Basserman added. "The lack of population growth reduces local government fiscal capacity, labour availability and infrastructure capacity so that when projects do proceed, their spending leaks out of the region, disabling rural communities from closing those gaps."
Area F director Kevin Dunphy said he was happy to see these recommendations, as he has been frustrated when looking at places in the United States and across the country that are working to stimulate their rural communities, but can find nothing of the same in B.C.
