The 10 per cent shift movement in Ladysmith is getting a little neighbourly help from Leadership Vancouver Island’s Shift Happens team.
Residents can expect to see an increasing community presence in the coming months as Shift Happens, along with the Town of Ladysmith, Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce and Ladysmith Downtown Business Association, work to promote a shift from out-of-town to local spending.
“What we’re trying to do is create awareness of being able to take 10 per cent of what you might normally go and spend in Nanaimo or Duncan, and allocating it back and reinvesting it in the community,” said Jocelyn Dewar, a member of Shift Happens. “We want people to see that when they invest their money in Ladysmith, they invest in their friends, their neighbours and the people they live with, and their community.”
Dewar said there have been a few misconceptions about what the 10 per cent shift means. Some see it as a tax or that they’re being asked to spend additional money, she says.
“I think there’s some misunderstanding around what 10 per cent shift actually means,” Dewar said. “There’s a lot of people thinking its a whole lot of other things it’s not.”
The basic concept of the shift is taking 10 per cent of the money you’re already spending in other towns like Duncan and Nanaimo and spending that in Ladysmith. That percentage is then compounded and returned back into the community.
“A lot of the businesses in town give back to the community through scholarships, grants or supporting sports teams,” Dewar said.
Residents can expect to see the 10 per cent shift campaign hit the 49th Parallel Grocery and the Ladysmith Home Garden and Business Show in late March. There will be literature and other information for both consumers and vendors wanting to market the campaign.
“The biggest idea of what we’re trying to do with Leadership VI is create awareness about what 10 per cent actually means and the power behind what it can do to revitalize the community,” Dewar said.