The Town of High River is looking into how they deliver economic development services in the community.

Former Economic Development Officer Jodi Dawson has moved to a new job at Farmers Business Network.

Mayor Craig Snodgrass told the audience at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Feburary 21st, the town needs to re-think what the program looks like.

"We have had a lot of government funding that has funded positions like Jodi Dawsons," said Snodgrass. "And marketing efforts and studies and consultants, but that provincial funding we got after the flood is coming to an end."

He says the department and a task force, might become a committee and they are currently looking into what economic development needs, what can they do and what does the department look like going forward.

He adds the Town does need to keep their fingers on the pulse of two key business sectors which is Agriculture and Health Care and they get a lot of support from people involved in those industries.

Snodgrass says there are some projects that still need to be developed like getting the high speed fibre optic Internet installed in the downtown.

"Construction of fibre optics start this spring. We are good. It was going to go last fall but with the weather and everything else it got too expensive to do through the winter so we are going to do it in the spring."

Snodgrass says they will also work with all the communities involved in the economic development of the business corridor along Highway 2A between High River and Okotoks.

"It is getting brought back online with the meetings between Okotoks, High River and Foothills County. That area was put on the back burner for us because of everything we had to get done in Town. Now that that stuff is starting to subside finally we are able to start to look at a more regional scope of things."

 

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