Time is running out for local workers and businesses to weigh in on challenges and opportunities for sustainable economic development, according to organizers of a survey.
Earlier this year, the Rural Islands Economic Partnership (RIEP) was awarded a provincial grant through the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation’s Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program to study what rural island business owners and workers think about the ecological and social impacts of our collective economic activities in B.C. The project’s purpose is to identify what resources businesses and workers need to manage those impacts, as well as ideas on how RIEP can help deliver that support to island communities.
The work begins, according to organizers, with a 15-question survey — aimed at anyone who owns, operates, manages or works at a business on a rural island. This includes artists and artisans, freelancers and entrepreneurs. The answers can help bring additional resources to support B.C.’s rural island and coastal community economies.
Once the research is complete, RIEP will deliver a full report to the provincial government, along with its recommendations.
To participate in the survey, visit riep.ca/impact by Friday, Sept. 22.