Building capacity

I know I am going to step into ‘it’ with this one but I’m still going to put it on the table (again).

I just got back from a meeting with one of my clients. They are, in my opinion, one of the top and best managed economic development organizations in the Atlantic provinces.

They are crisp, professional, on message and very articulate. They also know their community inside and out. Put anyone of them in a corporate boardroom in Toronto and they would fit the part.

I couldn’t help myself. As we were chatting, I thought it would be nice to plop these guys/gals down in rural NB or NS or PEI or in other areas that are facing significant challenges.

We need to get top shelf economic developers where they are needed the most and we need to pay them top dollar if necessary to get them there. Then we need to give them the infrastructure and budgets to get things done.

Some of you will call me elitist. But I stick to my guns on this. You will pay a doctor a premium to go to northern NB but you will pay your economic developer less.

That’s not right.