Local business owners and economics enthusiasts, take note:
The City of Prince George, Integris Credit Union and Innovation Central Society are bringing world-renowned economist Michael Shuman to Prince George to present a free, half-day workshop.
“Michael Shuman guides participants to conduct a leakage analysis on the community to find out where money leaves the community and to find ways to plug those leaks,” says city Economic Development manager Melissa Barcellos. “He’s going to be presenting [Local Economy Solutions] on economic development but the main focus is on building up local businesses and inviting community participation, really focusing on opportunities to block leakages out of the economy”
What is leakage? Hint: it has nothing to do with liquid or drainage.
“An example could be retail. If people are finding there’s a product that they can’t find in Prince George and they go to Vancouver and shop, that’s considered a leakage. We want to find ways to provide services and products in Prince George.”
The workshop will be taking place on May 30 at Hubspace from 1:00 until 5:00pm. While the event is free, Barcellos says registration is required due to limited space. She encourages anyone with an interest to grab a spot.
“I think it’s really important that the overall community knows the importance of economic development and shopping local, spending money within the city rather than taking that money elsewhere, it really has an impact on the city and the businesses here.”
Shuman will also be making stops in Quesnel, Vanderhoof, Hazelton and Smithers. You can register for the workshop here.