Business-people in Quesnel gathered at the Billy Barker Casino in Quesnel, as the chamber of commerce hosted a networking dinner. Local businesses decorated their tables to show off their products and services.
Chamber manager Kathy Somerville was beaming with happiness as Quesnel’s business owners and managers mingled, chatted and networked.
“We are in this together, so lets find ways of doing business with one another, and working together stronger than we ever have,” she said during a speech.
“More than ever, we have to find ways of creating dynamic teams, secure retention, flexible wages, and finding ways to meet employees’ needs.”
The dinner was sponsored by Osisko Development and West Fraser. In a presentation to council, Osisko leadership said they expect to bring hundreds of jobs to the area when their Barkerville Gold Mine project begins. The mine is currently undergoing environmental review.
Simpson said Quesnel is on track to add over a thousand jobs in the coming years, and said the city should shift its mindset from attracting growth to managing growth.
“It’s one of the most exciting times to be in business in Quesnel,” Simpson said.
“We are on the cusp of one of the largest growth phases this community has ever seen… It’s going to be a period where we’re going to be bringing people into our community who have different expectations of you as business-people and entrepreneurs.”
READ MORE: Quesnel chamber of commerce president praises local business resilience
Simpson said for the first time the majority of people who submitted feedback for the city’s budget were under 45 years old.
“In that younger demographic, they were sending signals to us of a different set of expectations of the kind of community they want to live in,” he said, noting the city’s investment in trails was part of an attempt to appeal to that demographic.
“They’re also looking for green communities, they’re looking for livable, walkable communities, they’re looking for communities who have moved into the domain of zero waste and zero greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a real shift in how people are thinking about community.”
Simpson said the city is already in a housing pinch, and predicted it could get worse with those jobs coming to Quesnel.
“We have a pretty much zero vacancy rate, we have very limited market housing,”
“As a council we’ve done a good job on the social housing side, and you’re going to hear more announcements about more social housing over the next little while. We are all over the issue of market housing.”
Quesnel could have challenges attracting new developers to the city, as the recent census numbers showed very little population growth in Quesnel.
READ MORE: Quesnel population steady according to 2021 census
“We know our housing demand isn’t articulated in that flatline on the population, there’s something else going on there,” Simpson said, noting the city will be targeting medium and small builders to come to Quesnel.
“At the same time, we’re looking at our land bank, and making sure it’s readily available and zoned. We know what’s happening with the infrastructure, and we can get those developers in here and get them building as soon as possible.”
The Chamber is planning on hosting an outdoor trade show on Friday, May 27. For more information on the Quesnel and District Chamber of Commerce, check out their website, www.quesnelchamber.com.
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Businesses decorated their tables to show off their products and services. (Cassidy Dankochik Photo - Quesnel Cariboo Observer)
