Whose job is it to bring the jobs here?

[WTTG]

Some ideas have been floated . . ..

For instance:

Regarding IT jobs for the Okanagan Valley, here’s a proposal posted here that went to the Federal Government a while ago—to which the reply was a form (thank you) letter from a top civil servant outlining how the Harper Government does a good job to ensure Canadian’s get first priority in the job market. Other than that . . .?

“How Canadian Retirees Might Take Over RBC’s Offshore Jobs”
http://forums.castanet.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=50460

[nextimeround]

All good points. Keep in mind, RIM (Research In Motion) was just a couple guys with a good idea and some IT knowledge and they built a business that employed thousands, including support and admin staff. I'm not saying that manufacturing isn't good, it is necessary, but that we are not ideally situated in the Okanagan to make for a viable manufacturing business. If you puff out smoke, forget it. Of if you have heavy goods coming in or out, forget it. It could be done but it is likely more viable in another location.

The OP asked who's job it is to bring jobs here. Economic development is shared by the feds, province and municipality. They have shrugged this off to a large degree for various reasons. Some good, some not so much. I'm simply saying that in order for our economy to grow in our little piece of heaven we need to start thinking in terms of the new world economy. That means it's unlikely you'll be able to build and ship widgets from Kelowna more economically viable than other places in the country or the world. Therefore we should look for business models that are a good fit for the Okanagan. Growing fruit is one. Tourism another obvious choice. The next on the list is quite possibly IT. By the way, there are some very large IT companies in Kelowna that employ hundreds of people, including accountants, carpenters, electricians, HVAC, transport, etc.

The challenge is that our politicians don't understand the new economy or things like "cloud computing" so they don't promote it. One RIM in West Kelowna could be equivalent to several Gormans (who by the way are an excellent employer IMHO). Time to move into the future :)

[WTTG]

Sure, in regards to the previously proposed proposal:

“How Canadian Retirees Might Take Over RBC’s Offshore Jobs”

http://forums.castanet.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=50460

What do we have in good supply or potentially in good supply in our community?

Retirees who would likely welcome a chance to top up their incomes and spend more freely in our local economy (eg. season tickets to Big White, buy our organic produce and wine, and have some nice dinners out).

What do the Banks seem to need within parameters that fit their corporate culture?

In short, cheap call centres with little investment in training and supervision.

What coming problem has the Federal Government indicated they will need to deal with?

A swarm of retirees with their potential to swamp its retirement systems.

But even though the Federal Government seems to have indicated they have the money to spend on programs such as Targeted Initiatives for Older Workers (for small population centres), it doesn’t seem to be interested in considering or participating in cooperatively developing the above type of proposal—seems to have taken the proposal as a form of criticism.

Yet if you’ll read the above thread on this subject, it seems to present a small model of community support; questions asked and answered; and even contains an indication of interest to fill a job if one came about.

Hey, maybe what we need to add to OP’s list here is a Paid Lobbyist.

[Donald G]

Private industry creates the majority of jobs. The government creates the financial atmosphere to encourage private industry. The job positions required to provide government services is in addition to that.

Most people realize that they usually have to travel to the good jobs in order to get their start.

[WTTG]

Yes, I’m thinking of taking the above 'Canadian Retiree's Proposal' to India so West Kelownans can work winters in the RBC call center there as a way to subsidize our CPP-OAC. We might be able to afford to bring back our savings and live well here for the rest of the year. We could tap into the Federal Targeted Initiatives for Older Workers Program for our training this summer, and then we could open our own, “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” near the India jobsite to house us all.

So maybe it’s the Government's job to encourage a private industry financial atmosphere here to allow job creation for us over there, and to create more silly servant positions to keep track of the paperwork.

[Donald G]

The caption of this thread is IMO a question about a world that has never existed and does not exist at the present time. Who is going to open up a business where I live (of the type I am qualified to do) so that I do not have to be like every other citizen and move or commute to where the good jobs are?

What part of I, ego and me do some of the people commenting not understand?

[WTTG]

A google turned up a couple of semi-random examples.

Maybe not West Kelowna, but . . ..

Okotoks Aims to Attract Doctors and Tech Firms

High River Online

Written by Jessica Hallam

Thursday, 13 February 2014

http://www.highriveronline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24968&Itemid=344

. . . "The bottom line of the technology attraction strategy is to attract 50 new companies with average employment of 10 people per-business for the creation of 500 professional jobs in Okotoks," said Rockley. . . .

And it looks like we're not the only ones discussing this type of question.

The future of employment in Montreal: Whose job is it to create jobs?

A University of the Streets Café public conversation

March 3, 2014, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

http://www.concordia.ca/events/cuevents/main/2014/03/03/Thinking-vs-doing-howusefulistheoryinanticapitaliststruggles.html

[Glacier]

Klowna is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, so clearly someone is bringing jobs to Kelowna -- ether those moving here or those already here.

[Bsuds]

Where's Klowna?

It's all the retirees moving here, has nothing to do with job creation. lol

[Glacier]

Where's Klowna?

It's all the retirees moving here, has nothing to do with job creation. lol

Sure there are lots of retirees, but lots of young people are moving to Kelowna as well and they are getting jobs. As a matter of fact, the average age in Kelowna is much younger than most towns and cities in BC. Of the 100 population centres in BC, 55 have older populations than Kelowna.

Read'em and weep...

POPCTR_Name-------------Median Age
1) Parksville--------------------60.7 years
2) Osoyoos-----------------------60.3 years
3) Chemainus---------------------57.7 years
4) Oliver------------------------57.5 years
5) Blind Bay---------------------56.6 years
6) Ashcroft----------------------55.2 years
7) Creston-----------------------55.2 years
8) Logan Lake--------------------54.8 years
9) Harrison Hot Springs----------54 years
10) Chase-------------------------53.8 years
11) Sechelt-----------------------53.2 years
12) Summerland--------------------53.1 years
13) Deep Cove---------------------53.1 years
14) Grand Forks-------------------52.7 years
15) Princeton---------------------52.6 years
16) Cultus Lake-------------------52.5 years
17) Sicamous----------------------52.4 years
18) Cache Creek-------------------51 years
19) Nakusp------------------------50.5 years
20) Gibsons-----------------------50.3 years
21) Penticton---------------------50.3 years
22) Enderby-----------------------50 years
23) Powell River------------------49.6 years
24) Ladysmith---------------------49.3 years
25) Trail-------------------------49.2 years
26) Kent--------------------------49 years
27) Hope--------------------------48.9 years
28) Lions Bay---------------------48.7 years
29) Roberts Creek-----------------48.7 years
30) Salmon Arm--------------------48.6 years
31) White Rock--------------------48.5 years
32) Courtenay---------------------47.8 years
33) Fruitvale---------------------47.3 years
34) Cowichan Bay------------------47.2 years
35) Port Alberni------------------46.9 years
36) Gold River--------------------46.8 years
37) Lake Cowichan-----------------46.7 years
38) Mill Bay----------------------46.6 years
39) One Hundred Mile House--------46.3 years
40) Armstrong---------------------46.2 years
41) Kimberley---------------------46.2 years
42) Lillooet----------------------46.2 years
43) Vernon------------------------46.2 years
44) Invermere---------------------45.8 years
45) Welcome Beach-----------------45.8 years
46) Salmo-------------------------45.7 years
47) Campbell River----------------45.6 years
48) Duck Lake---------------------45.5 years
49) Castlegar---------------------45.3 years
50) Nanaimo-----------------------44.9 years
51) Duncan------------------------44.7 years
52) Miller's Landing--------------44.7 years
53) Kitimat-----------------------44.2 years
54) Victoria----------------------44 years
55) Merritt-----------------------43.9 years
56) Kelowna-----------------------43.8 years
57) Cranbrook---------------------43.1 years
58) Lumby-------------------------42.9 years
59) Mackenzie---------------------42.4 years
60) Crofton-----------------------42.3 years
61) Quesnel-----------------------42.1 years
62) Kamloops----------------------42 years
63) Nelson------------------------41 years
64) Dallas------------------------41 years
65) Walnut Grove------------------40.9 years
66) Chilliwack--------------------40.4 years
67) Revelstoke--------------------40.1 years
68) Shawnigan---------------------40.1 years
69) Vancouver---------------------39.8 years
70) Rossland----------------------39.8 years
71) Fernie------------------------39.7 years
72) Sooke-------------------------39.7 years
73) Williams Lake-----------------39.6 years
74) Sparwood----------------------39.4 years
75) Prince Rupert-----------------39.3 years
76) Terrace-----------------------39.2 years
77) Tumbler Ridge-----------------39 years
78) Fraser Lake-------------------38.3 years
79) Elkford-----------------------38.3 years
80) Cumberland--------------------38.2 years
81) Golden------------------------38.1 years
82) Ucluelet----------------------38.1 years
83) Port McNeill------------------38 years
84) Vanderhoof--------------------37.8 years
85) Abbotsford--------------------37.8 years
86) Prince George-----------------37.7 years
87) Smithers----------------------37.2 years
88) Squamish----------------------36.8 years
89) Houston-----------------------36.4 years
90) Dawson Creek------------------36.2 years
91) Aldergrove--------------------36.1 years
92) Port Hardy--------------------35.3 years
93) Fort St. James----------------35.2 years
94) Pemberton---------------------34.9 years
95) Burns Lake--------------------33.9 years
96) Aldergrove East---------------33.1 years
97) Chetwynd----------------------32.7 years
98) Fort Nelson-------------------32.6 years
99) Whistler----------------------31.8 years
100) Fort St. John-----------------30.6 years

If we include unincorporated towns, then there are 15 towns in BC with a median age over 60. According to Statscan, Kelowna has the 98th youngest population BC out of the 355 communities listed in the "designated places" and "population centres" sections. In other words, there are 257 communities with older populations.

[Joe Public]

I'm not sure how median age relates to rich retirees, who may retire younger, and may financially support the younger members of their family through house down payments and such. As well, I'm not that sure that there are very many younger people moving here without that family support. The fact is that my university educated daughter could not find suitable employment here and could not afford to live in the city that she grew up in and has moved away.

[Glacier]

The numbers don't lie, but they only show net gain, not the people moving in the minority direction. Way more young people are moving to Kelowna for work than places like Prince George. I know several from where I grew up who have come to Kelowna within the past 10 years without any money, but as a result of finding employment, they now own their own house. For every person I know, there are 100s of people I don't know who are also moving to Kelowna for work. I only know one family from Kelowna that has gone the other way, and it was only because they wanted to retire to somewhere more remote.

There is a reason that you can get a nice home on 1 acre in Bella Coola for $190,000 while it would cost you a million bucks in Kelowna -- people moving to Kelowna and creating their own jobs to pay for those homes. In turn this is driving up land values relative to other locations.

[Volvotrucker]

Another major issue for bringing any kind of new industry to our area is regulations, taxes, transportation and an all over positive climate for business. A great example of how the taxation and regulations affect new business is the moving of a lot of downtown businesses to WFN lands. Taxation transportation, and industry regulation have a major impact on where new business will locate to. Rick Perry, Governor of Texas went across the USA and promised business cheaper taxes less useless regulations and red tape if they relocated to Texas. They are a booming state while highly regulated states like California and New York are having business move out or just fold under the burden of Government. In BC and the Okanagan we need to tread carefully between taxation and over board red tape and regulations and create a climate where business would like to do business. Another major issue we have is our transportation. Any service business that has been here for a long time are now spending more and more time sitting in traffic while development spreads to all corners with an outdated and inadequate transportation system.

[WhenWhatWho]

To give the remedial version of the question, perhaps I should give you a start. Working from your "list" let's see...

Oh wait, some of those examples you gave are extraordinarily vague. Technician...hmm what type? Trash Removal Technician? Supervisor...uh where?

How about the better ones?
Electrican - What training/licenses are required?
Tool and Die Maker - What training/licences required?
Millwright
Accountant
Heavy Duty Mechanic

May I suggest that if one can't or doesn't want to do their own career research then these skilled jobs may not be for them.