The Town of High River has joined the Invest Greater Calgary Initiative as part of a three-year pilot program to support economic development.
The initiative is in partnership between economic development specialists in High River, Okotoks, Foothills County, Chestermere, Airdrie, Calgary, Cochrane, and Rocky View County.
“The town formally joining this partnership enables the community to benefit from regional economic development,” said Jocelyn Dunsmore, Community Development Liaison Officer.
The initiative was established through the now dissolved Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB).
During the July 14 Regular Council Meeting, town administration was directed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Service Agreement, committing $6,445 annually for the three-year pilot.
The funding was chosen by the Invest Greater Calgary Advisory Committee and divided among the members based on population and tax value assessment.
During the partnership, all decisions are made as a collective, despite financial contributions varying among partners.
Craig Snodgrass, High River Mayor, expressed his support for the MOU to see how the initiative will benefit the town.
“Economic development for a town of 15,000 people is very expensive, very hard to do, and very hard to measure any results from any work we’ve done,” Snodgrass said. “If we're going to do something, it should be done on a regionally because of the expense, and maybe we can share a few things with others to get the bang for the buck.”