The partial and preliminary report by Steve Nicol of Lions Gate Consulting, commissioned by the District of Hope and their Economic Development Committee Steering Committee, is already an interesting read.

If you do not see the value in getting involved in economic development you just may after reading through a few statistics contained in the report – statistics that are a frightening reflection on this community.

Over the next few days, Lions Gate Consulting, will be holding marathon focus-group sessions of two hours each, as they test the waters on what the hand-picked movers and shakers in this community envision for our future and what needs to be done to get there.

The general public can share their dreams and action plans by submitting a mailed-out survey to the District. Add a page if there is not enough room on the survey to express your ideas. Copies are also available on line at www.hope.ca or at the district hall.

As for the movers and the shakers in the community it must seem like one more exercise in futility –been there, done that, nothing came of it…

But in referencing the Lion’s Gate’s draft report, business owners still should see the desperate need to help build up their local market. Without a healthy citizenry, business suffers. Get involved.

The report points out a number of plummeting factors. Our population growth has dropped by 4.3 per cent from 1996 to 2008. According to the report the province’s population has built up by 17.6 per cent.

Public school enrolment from 2004 – 2009 has dropped in Hope by over 150 kids. Families are going.

The median income for Hope residents is well below counterpart communities within the region.

Employment in social services and health care, and education is the only industry in Hope that has boomed, jumping from 280 local jobs to 380 local jobs from 2001 and 2006. Possibly the reflection of the provincial government’s drive to bring up another set of fairly frightening local statistics, contained in the Lion’s Gate draft report.

BC Stats and social ministries like health and welfare have been tracking communities throughout the province using a set of social indicators on a community’s viability. The indicators are based on the health of the residents, education levels, number of children at risk, number of teens at risk, economic hardship of its residents, and crime.

And not only should local business note of the unhealthy stats of its customer base, but residents should take a serious look as well.

Compared to similar communities, our community ranked seventh from the bottom out of 77 communities for economic hardship within the lives of our neighbours and friends. Within 78 communities Hope ranked fourth from the bottom for its crime rate. In tracking the health of our residents, Hope dropped to the bottom three out of 78 communities. Children at risk? We were rated twelfth from the bottom out of 78 communities. Teens at risk? We were rated eleventh from the bottom out of 78 communities. Ironically, in tracking our level of education, Hope fared in the middle of the pack.

Hope ranked “as fourth worst Local Health Area in the province with only the Upper Skeena, Bella Coola Valley and the Alberni Local Health Areas ranking below” this community, reads the report….

With our resources and close proximity to the 2.5 million person-market within the lower mainland… we have only a lack of investment in ourselves, lack of confidence in ourselves and lack of cooperation, to blame.

We need to take action.

By Simone Rolph (Black Press)