THE City of Maple Ridge will hear from business, economic, government and community leaders during the City’s first Economic Development Summit on Wednesday, October 11 at the ACT Arts Centre.
Brenda Bailey, BC Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation will open the summit as the keynote speaker.
Maple Ridge Mayor Dan Ruimy and Council will then host key regional economic partners and community members during two panel sessions moderated by Laura Jones, President and CEO of the Business Council of British Columbia.
In the first session entitled, “Unpacking our City and Region’s Competitive Advantage”, panelists will explore how Maple Ridge can use its position as the region’s fastest growing city, and its central location within Metro Vancouver, to manage both population growth and a strong economy, while preserving the quality of life cherished by local residents.
Scheduled panelists include Brenda Bailey, Dan Ruimy, Jacquie Griffiths, President of Invest Vancouver, Josh Gagliardi of Orion Construction, Marko Dekovic, Vice President Public Affairs of Global Container Terminals, and Matt Laity, Owner of Laity Farms.
The second panel, “Business Retention and Expansion – Support for Local Businesses” will discuss how to attract more businesses to Maple Ridge and further develop our robust local economy.
Scheduled panelists include Dan Ruimy, Kristi Maier, Executive Director of Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce, Cindy Stephenson, President of Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association, Karoline DeVries, Program Manager of WorkBC, and Tyler Westover, Director of Economic Development for the City of Maple Ridge.
The summit will also feature a business showcase and will wrap up with an Innovation Awards presentation.
“Maple Ridge is one of the fastest growing cities in the region, growing twice the rate as the rest of Canada, and is now home to 95,000 people,” said Ruimy. “We also expect to see a further growth of 23 per cent by 2040, so now’s the time to take stock and find ways to ensure our success in attracting and retaining businesses, and with our central location, ensure our role as an important regional economic hub. By ensuring a strong economy we enable investments into critical community infrastructure for the benefit of our residents and tax payers.”
The summit is one pillar of the City’s ongoing economic planning process and follows the recent unveiling of the Maple Ridge Moves strategy to improve transportation infrastructure and transit, and to open up new areas for housing development and industrial lands.
The Economic Development Summit is the third in a series of Leadership Summits organized this year by Mayor and Council. A Climate Action Summit was held in April, followed by a Housing Affordability Summit in May.
For more information, or registration details, for the one-day Economic Development Summit on October 11, visit www.mapleridge.ca/summit
