By Fred Morley
On the Fifth day of Christmas
My network gave to me... the CORDA Christmas Party.
The Colchester Regional Development Agency Holiday Open House in Truro always brings together all the movers and shakers in central Nova Scotia. Now I didn’t actually get to this one because I was called to city council for something on the convention centre. However, it’s always a pleasure talking the great folks at CORDA. The team at CORDA has a great reputation for idea generation and innovative implementation. They’ve been a great partner on a number of joint projects in recent years, like the Halifax-Moncton Growth Corridor, the Central Nova Scotia Growth Alliance Asset Mapping, and others.
Had I been able to get there I’m sure we would have been talking about the potential for greater regional partnership involving the counties surrounding Halifax. Regional Development alliances or partnerships are becoming increasingly common in both North America and Europe as communities scramble to find new ways to attract, keep and grow business. Smart regions recognize that business needs vary and having a range of business options and value propositions within a region is a competitive advantage. Smaller communities also understand that associating their community with a known brand can put them on the business radar.
Successful regional partnerships involve cities joining forces with surrounding communities to market their region internationally. It means sharing best practices, effort and success. Regional partnerships recognize that the assets that communities need for success are not confined to one city or town and that scope of economic regions don’t often coincide with political boundaries. Partners in a regional alliance believe that by working together they can help every part of a region grow. Maybe it’s time to think of a new big idea, a new dedicated partnership focused on tapping the economic potential of the already growing communities of central Nova Scotia.
Imagine, competitors working together to help grow their communities and their province.
Must be Christmas.
Fred Morley is the Executive Vice President and Chief Economist at the Greater Halifax Partnership.
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