Post by ferryfast admin on May 23, 2011 9:35:50 GMT -5
Business sector has key role to play, MP say
By Eric Bourque
THE VANGUARD
www.thevanguard.ca/News/2011-05-23/article-2527887/Business-sector-has-key-role-to-play,-MP-says/
Newly re-elected West Nova MP Greg Kerr says he hopes to work more closely with the business community in an effort to help strengthen the local economy.
He says he also hopes the area will have a new development authority or agency in place soon.
Interviewed in his Yarmouth office 10 days after the May 2 federal election, Kerr said he thinks the business community will have an important role to play in the area’s long-term economic development plans.
While these have been challenging times, he said, it’s important for those involved in economic development – including a new RDA, once it’s in place – to take a positive approach.
“Part of that,” he said, “is saying ‘hey, it’s going to get better. We’re going to make things happen. We’re going to bring development.’ And the federal government’s role normally in that is to be a support mechanism … I think there’s a good opportunity to move forward, but part of it’s got to be, I think, to set an optimistic tone that things are going to improve, things are going to get better. How do we work together? How do we partner to make sure we get the best bang for the buck and get the priorities in place?”
As for the Yarmouth ferry situation, he said he remains optimistic about the chances of finding a ship, although he adds that the ferry issue is part of a bigger economic picture and that even if the ferry connection with the United States can be re-established, there are other factors to consider, including an American economy that is still struggling.
“I know there’s interest down there,” he said. “They’ve had a lot of their own problems the last few years, but there is interest.”
As he has said before with regard to the ferry issue, Kerr pointed to the importance of having the Yarmouth ferry terminal in local hands and the federal government’s $600,000 investment in terminal improvements.
Looking at the economic situation more generally, he said, “It’s not a time of huge new spending so much as stability and maintenance … We’re still not out of the recession. There’s still work to be done.”
However, as far as the Yarmouth area is concerned, Kerr said he feels good about what can be accomplished here, notably with the business community.
“You’ve got a very strong private sector and a lot of innovative people,” he said. “I look forward to working with them.”
Aside from working with the business sector, Kerr said he would like to make communication with the community at large a priority too, perhaps with town hall-style sessions where he would have a chance to take people’s questions and listen to their concerns.
As he begins his second term as West Nova MP, Kerr said he appreciates how big an area he has to cover and how much work it takes.
“It’s a huge riding and there’s a lot going on,” he said.
By Eric Bourque
THE VANGUARD
www.thevanguard.ca/News/2011-05-23/article-2527887/Business-sector-has-key-role-to-play,-MP-says/
Newly re-elected West Nova MP Greg Kerr says he hopes to work more closely with the business community in an effort to help strengthen the local economy.
He says he also hopes the area will have a new development authority or agency in place soon.
Interviewed in his Yarmouth office 10 days after the May 2 federal election, Kerr said he thinks the business community will have an important role to play in the area’s long-term economic development plans.
While these have been challenging times, he said, it’s important for those involved in economic development – including a new RDA, once it’s in place – to take a positive approach.
“Part of that,” he said, “is saying ‘hey, it’s going to get better. We’re going to make things happen. We’re going to bring development.’ And the federal government’s role normally in that is to be a support mechanism … I think there’s a good opportunity to move forward, but part of it’s got to be, I think, to set an optimistic tone that things are going to improve, things are going to get better. How do we work together? How do we partner to make sure we get the best bang for the buck and get the priorities in place?”
As for the Yarmouth ferry situation, he said he remains optimistic about the chances of finding a ship, although he adds that the ferry issue is part of a bigger economic picture and that even if the ferry connection with the United States can be re-established, there are other factors to consider, including an American economy that is still struggling.
“I know there’s interest down there,” he said. “They’ve had a lot of their own problems the last few years, but there is interest.”
As he has said before with regard to the ferry issue, Kerr pointed to the importance of having the Yarmouth ferry terminal in local hands and the federal government’s $600,000 investment in terminal improvements.
Looking at the economic situation more generally, he said, “It’s not a time of huge new spending so much as stability and maintenance … We’re still not out of the recession. There’s still work to be done.”
However, as far as the Yarmouth area is concerned, Kerr said he feels good about what can be accomplished here, notably with the business community.
“You’ve got a very strong private sector and a lot of innovative people,” he said. “I look forward to working with them.”
Aside from working with the business sector, Kerr said he would like to make communication with the community at large a priority too, perhaps with town hall-style sessions where he would have a chance to take people’s questions and listen to their concerns.
As he begins his second term as West Nova MP, Kerr said he appreciates how big an area he has to cover and how much work it takes.
“It’s a huge riding and there’s a lot going on,” he said.