Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation - AGM

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NEDC 2013 Annual Report

The annual report presented by Sasha Angus at the NEDC AGM highlighted some of the exciting new projects and investments NEDC is proud to have played a part in this past year.

"The Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation continues to strive towards developing and promoting the region as a destination for visitors, residents, innovators and investors" declared Angus in his opening message.

The annual report deals with economic conditions including employment, income, population and building activity this  past year. This past year has seen the release of the Economic Indicators Report which is a vital tool in attracting key industries by providing timely and relevant information as to the state of the local economy.

NEDC has also released economic indicator reports for several of the region's key industries which includes, art and culture, technology and tourism. Surveys have also played a role by collecting feedback from the region's business owners and from visitors to our region. The business conditions survey provides information needed to address the many issues that most influence our business community.

The Visitor Experience Survey was developed working with VIU and Tourism Tofino to gather the first set of primary research data collected for Nanaimo in over a decade. If you want to know what your customer wants............... it's a good idea to ask them, advised Angus during the presentation.

Quarterly Business Retention & Expansion seminars were hosted to shed light on important topics of interest to business owners. The project was very successful and of great value for the many who attended.

Business highlights from this past year included the Tilray Medical Cannabis facility which will see between $6.5 - $7 million spent on capital improvements in the $3 million 35,000 square foot facility in the Duke Point Industrial Park. The Divers Lake innovation and technology park was announced in collaboration with the Sirri Group and Inuktun Services Limited which will see a 70,000 square foot centre open in 2014 which is a major step forward for the knowledge-based economy in Nanaimo.

The finalization of the Conference Centre Hotel deal which will see a 240 room tower complete with swimming pool, shops, restaurants and connecting bridges between the conference centre and Piper Park. The hotel is expected to attract 70,000 Chinese visitors while promoting Nanaimo as a tourism destination in China. The $50 million project will be a major asset for the community and will bolster the conference business at VICC.

A passenger ferry service from downtown Nanaimo to downtown Vancouver is another project the NEDC have been working diligently to see come to pass. The 68 minute trip would use two high-speed passenger ferries, each carrying approximately 300 passengers.

Two other exciting transportation events included the WestJet to Calgary non-stop daily service from Nanaimo to Calgary and the Kenmore Air to Seattle service which started in March of this year.

The filming of Godzilla saw 300 crew members land in Nanaimo for an eight day central Island shoot which was expected to have pumped about $800,000 into the local economy.

Tourism destination development saw Tourism Nanaimo develop the Cedar Yellow Point Artisan Trail which showcases 24 artisans, restaurants and attractions in that region. To further support Tourism a development fund has been established making $125,000 available to help groups and businesses attract overnight visitors to Nanaimo and Region.

The year of 2012 was described as a year of planning, while 2013 was referred to a a year of doing. The meeting was well attended by members of the board of NEDC both incoming and outgoing as well as stakeholders from across the business community.

You can download and view the complete annual report from NEDC HERE.