The newly re-elected mayor wants to see Castlegar continue to grow

Castlegar mayor Lawrence Chernoff. — Photo courtesy of the City of Castlegar

Growth and economic development are the main priorities going forward for recently re-elected mayor of Castlegar Lawrence Chernoff.

Chernoff, now in his second term as mayor, said construction has been a major factor in Castlegar’s economy in recent years and his goal is to keep that going.

“We have a lot of construction going on. Last year we did $26 million worth of construction and there’s new construction taking place,” Chernoff said.

He said one of the main projects the city plans to focus on is the development of 37 acres of land it owns near the Castlegar Airport, which will see the installation of water and sewer services for an upcoming development as well as for the Kootenay Gallery and Doukhobor Discovery Centre located nearby.

“What we’re trying to do in economic development is prevent leakage over to the Okanagan or into the U.S.,” Chernoff said. “We’re looking at what’s lacking in the community that we need to have and working closely with businesses and asking what they think the opportunities are here.”

He said creating jobs that will allow young people to stay in the community and even return from away is a key priority.

“We see all these young people move away from the community because there’s no jobs here,” he said. “We have to look at how many people are returning and see if there’s an ability for the city of Castlegar to create opportunities for people who have moved away to come back.”

He adds that Castlegar is looking at economic development with a regional perspective, as well. He pointed to the recently opened Chances Castlegar gaming centre as an economic driver that supports the entire region, not just Castlegar.

“You need to think regionally because what gets built in one city benefits the other cities,” he said. “When people look at what the three [cities] can accomplish together, it gives a better outlook for everyone.”
Chernoff said the international economic scene is the biggest challenge for Castlegar in the immediate future.

“The worldwide economy affects us; everything is on a global basis right now,” he said. “It affects the operations of [Zellstoff] Celgar and Interfor. We’re trying to maintain a level of service, but this may be difficult if you see what’s happening in the rest of the world–which doesn’t look good.”

But he adds that his vision going forward is to provide great service to the community and allow people to stay at home and work.

“The challenge is to maintain the level of service the community is looking for, but to still provide that with the dollars of today,” Chernoff said. “You have to think of the 10-year and 20-year horizon; if you can meet the expectations of the community. That’s what I’m trying to do.”