The CEO of General Electric Canada says the government needs to think long-term when it comes to working with isolated and remote communities whose resources are being mined.
Elyse Allen spoke yesterday at the Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce.
Allen says more investment must be put into isolated and remote communities who reside near natural resources.
She says natural resources are important to the Canadian economy, and everyone should remember that when they’re taken out of the ground.
Allen says investment must be put into these communities, so that workers can be attracted to work there and the standard of living can go up for local residents:
“Developing those resources actually requires us to think about our remote communities, and how do we invest to make sure that we are successful in terms of attracting people and providing a strong and good quality of life in those communities — because the resources are not located in the cities.”
Allen also believes remote communities should look to diversify themselves as much as possible so they are ready for the day when the resources are gone:
“So, take the good times now and the funds that we might be making from those good times now, and in fact, use that to begin to diversify, not only our training, but also our community assets for growth.”
She adds communities should look for ways of tapping into new technologies and educational opportunities for their residents.