Ladysmith Mayor Aaron Stone and North Cowichan Mayor Jon Lefebure have been elected to the Island Coastal Economic Trust.
Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICET) announced last week that four new Island mayors will be joining the 13-member board of directors, filling vacancies created by the November municipal elections.
“ICET is seen as a successful economic development model, largely because of its collaborative structure including more than 40 locally-elected officials,” according to a press release. “This community-centred decision making process enables the region to set its own investment priorities.”
Stone and Mayor Bill McKay of Nanaimo were newly elected to ICET’s Board of Directors by the Central South Island Regional Advisory Committee (CSIRAC). Lefebure was also elected as Chair of the CSIRAC, and he will sit on the Board ex-officio.
The North Island Sunshine Coast Regional Advisory Committee (NISCRAC) saw Mayor Andy Adams of Campbell River and Mayor Michael Berry of Alert Bay chosen to help direct the investments and strategic direction of ICET. Mayor John MacDonald of Sayward was elected as Vice-Chair of the Committee.
“ICET’s success in helping communities leverage funding and create economic infrastructure that creates jobs is rooted in our local decision-making structure,” board chair Mayor Phil Kent of Duncan said in the release. “As a group, we bring our communities’ perspectives forward and make investments in projects that we all agree will benefit the region.”
Both Regional Advisory Committees elect four board members for two-year terms, and the Province appoints five members for three-year terms.
Continuing locally-elected board members include Kent, Nanaimo Regional District Chair Joe Stanhope, Mayor Josie Osborne of Tofino and Mayor Paul Ives of Comox. Mayor Teunis Westbroek of Qualicum Beach continues as Chair of the NISCRAC. Provincially-appointed members include Camela Tang, Dallas Smith, Dave Mannix, Arlette Raaen and Kevin Tevington.
The NISCRAC held elections Feb. 6, while the CSIRAC elections took place Feb. 13.
The appointments are effective until July 2016.
The Island Coastal Economic Trust is a $50-million endowment established in 2006 by the provincial government to help diversify the economies of central and northern Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.
ICET is guided by a board of directors and two regional advisory committees, which include more than 50 locally-elected officials and MLAs and five appointees. This team collaborates to set regional priorities and build vital multi-regional networks.
Learn more about what ICET does at www.islandcoastaltrust.ca.