Essentially, CED is about building a community by empowering its members, increasing local self-reliance, so that informed decisions can be made. These decisions might be about investments, land use, environmental concerns, new amenities needed - and the list goes on. CED is about long-term, "generational" thinking that focuses on sustainability - and it is the whole community, not one or two organizations or individuals, that makes CED happen - and that benefit.

As our communities struggle for continuity, they realise that they must nourish what is traditional and cherished, but they must also be cognisant of changing conditions and look to new opportunities that allow them to move forward.

The LQRDA works alongside our citizens and our other economic partners to build community capacity. Our goal is to improve the local economy through enhanced business and community sectors that are knowledgeable, capable, and receptive - allowing our communities to remain competitive and nourished, and bringing us stability for the present, while preparing us for the future.

Business and Sustainable Economic Development

Growth through small-to-medium sized business development is considered the “centrepiece” of CED. The idea is to build businesses from the ground up, one piece at a time, and to generate momentum through smaller successes. The telling of these success stories helps others achieve their goals.

The LQRDA also focuses on business retention and expansion, on infrastructure and on capitalizing on identified opportunities. While some of our work concentrates on attracting new business, our main focus is on the businesses we have here already. We want to ensure the stability of these businesses by assisting with problematic areas, by embracing new technologies, and by being innovative.