“For the first time in history, every economic developer is facing the same challenge.”

The world has been collectively dealing with a crisis that none of us were truly prepared for. We've deliberately shut down major segments of our economy in order to encourage people to stay home and practice physical distancing. So as economic developers, what should we be doing?

We've all felt the call to action. When our business communities are forced to close their doors, we need to find ways to keep supporting them now, and to give our local economies the best chance of bouncing back when this is all over. And there are reasons to be optimistic; in response to this crisis, we've seen government efficiencies, businesses finding creative ways to pivot, innovate and modernize, and Economic Development offices really proving their worth.

We don't claim to have all the answers. At a time like this, we need to take a deep breath, think strategically about the short, medium and long-term, and consider all the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode, we're simply offering some thoughtful consideration about economic development in Canada as we move through this crisis, and what we might expect when the dust settles.

This episode features Lauren Millier and Paul Blais, two of MDB Insight’s co-founders and Executive Vice-Presidents.

Insight: Canada's Economic Development Podcast is presented by MDB Insight and produced by Derek Harrison. Each episode explores the economic development field in Canada, celebrates the work of professionals across the country, features news and thought leadership from across Canada and digs into some of the most interesting (and important) topics in economic development.