Economic resilience training is coming to Whitecourt

By Laura Bohnert

The Economic Developers Alberta (EDA) has secured the Community and Regional Economic Support (CARES) funding it needed to run the pilot program for the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Community Economic Resilience Training, and that means economic resilience training will be coming to Canada—and Whitecourt is its first stop.

The Community Economic Resilience Training Course is an interactive training program that is designed to provide communities with a foundation in resilience planning. The course offers four workshops that are set up in a two-day classroom-style boot-camp, including modules on why economic resiliency planning matters and how to do it; how to use a wide range of tools and support programs; how to set up business recovery centres; issues for business re-entry after a crisis; best practices in crisis communications; post-disaster economic recovery; economic diversification; business retention and expansion strategies; and creative recovery financing strategies.

“Local leaders in every community should take this type of training to support economic development, disaster resilience and economic recovery activities in their region,” explains Leann Hackman-Carty, CEO, EDA. “Overall, it will help communities be more prepared for natural or manmade economic disruptions, and hopefully help them be more resilient,” she continues.

“Economic Developers Alberta (EDA) is Alberta’s leading economic development network,” Hackman-Carty explains. “For over 40 years, we have been committed to advancing the economic development profession by providing resources, professional development and networking opportunities. As a non-profit organization, we are governed by a volunteer board of directors that represent the interests of our membership. Our varied membership includes: municipalities, towns, regions, tourism groups, financial institutions, Crown Corporations, businesses, Regional Economic Development Authorities, and Community Futures Development Corporations.”

“Effective local leadership is crucial to economic development, disaster resilience, and economic recovery activities,” Hackman-Carty quoted when she described the Community Economic Resilience Training Pilot Project to Whitecourt Council. “In the past years, Alberta communities have experienced natural disasters and have also been negatively impacted by the low oil prices, significant layoffs, and the urgent need to position their business communities for future economic sustainability. This training will assist to elevate the capacity and future growth potential for the Whitecourt area.”

The training course will be held on June 19 and 20 at the Forest Interpretive Centre.

“This is actually the first time the course is being offered outside of the United States,” Hackman-Carty says enthusiastically. “Whitecourt will be the first community in Canada to host it.”

“I am pleased that the Town of Whitecourt is participating in this first round of training in Alberta,” she adds. “They were one of the first communities to sign up, and this shows me that they understand the importance of preparedness and resilience training in order to support ongoing economic development and recovery activities in their community.”

Interested in getting involved? There is no registration fee to attend the course. “The training is sponsored by Whitecourt’s Economic Development Committee in partnership with Economic Developers Alberta,” explains Rhonda Hough, Economic Development Officer, Town of Whitecourt.

“We encourage community leaders who play a role in economic development, disaster resilience, and economic recovery activities in our region to participate,” Hough continues. “We do not have a restriction on who can attend as all community leaders play an important role in the well-being and improvement of our community.  We are, however, quickly reaching the registration capacity, so I encourage those interested to get in touch as soon as possible.”

For more information or to register for the course, contact Rhonda Hough at the Town of Whitecourt: 780-778-2273.