By Eric Bourque
THE VANGUARD
NovaNewsNow.com
Among the efforts aimed at helping the region’s economy in the months following the loss of the Yarmouth ferry was Team West, an initiative that contributed to various projects in the western part of the province.
“Team West was the provincial government’s response to the economic downturn in western Nova Scotia,” said Toby Koffman, a spokesman for Economic and Rural Development and Tourism. “Resources from several provincial departments were engaged in this multi-sector, strategic approach.”
Team West covered a large area, well beyond Yarmouth County, from the Liverpool area on the south shore to Annapolis Royal on the north shore.
It was a one-year initiative, ending at the conclusion of the 2010-11 fiscal year, the Vanguard was told last week.
Still, people continue to ask questions about it. It’s not unusual for people to ask, “Whatever happened to Team West and Team Southwest?” (Team Southwest was an economic development initiative facilitated by ACOA).
Even councillors around the Yarmouth Town Council table were asking about the status of these initiatives as recently as a few months ago. When people asked about these initiatives, they often seemed confused.
Offering an overview of the Team West initiative, Koffman said, “Team West worked with the community to identify and support a dozen projects, worth more than $400,000, to help the economy of the region.”
Significant projects, he said, included regional tourism marketing ($200,000) to promote Yarmouth and Acadian Shores.
Other organizations that received assistance through Team West for various projects included the Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency (which received $25,000 towards a $62,500 project), the Mersey Tobeatic Institute ($7,500 of a $12,500 project), the Hanse Society of Annapolis County ($22,500 of a $49,300 project) and Team Weymouth Action Association ($12,000 of a $42,000 project).
“This does not include the recent announcement of $250,000 for Mariners Centre enhancements,” Koffman said.
But do people feel Team West made an impact?
Argyle MLA Chris d’Entremont says he heard very little about Team West since the time it was announced.
“We haven’t got an update,” he said last week. “We haven’t got an email. We haven’t been contacted – nothing – since its inception. I’m not aware of them doing anything.”
He added, “As far as I’m concerned, it was a waste of time because nobody seems to know what it did.”
When Team West was being launched two years ago, the word from the province was that the team was “focused on an analysis of the region and developing a comprehensive economic development strategy.”
The idea, the province said at the time, was that sectors such as agriculture, tourism, fisheries and forestry would be reviewed “as they relate to sustainable employment, improving economic infrastructure and opportunities to make the region more competitive on the international stage.”
Team West would benefit, the province said, from the funds the government saved through an early buyout of its contract with Bay Ferries.
Rather than having to pay out $3 million on that contract after ferry service ended, the province paid $2.4 million. This was after the province’s decision not to fund The Cat service any longer. The province said it was not a viable ferry service.
Read also:
Whatever happened to Team Southwest?
