The International Economic Development Council has recognized the South Island Prosperity Partnership for its role in paving the way to recovery out of the worst of the pandemic.
The partnership, the region’s economic development agency, received two gold awards and one silver award for initiatives in 2020 designed to strengthen the region’s economy and accelerate recovery.
“The awards are a recognition of our entire region’s innovative, collaborative response to the pandemic,” said SIPP chief executive Emilie de Rosenroll.
“I particularly want to recognize the members of the Rising Economy Taskforce and its committees and our partners, UVic and Royal Roads, for their vision and innovation. The awards demonstrate how an economy based on resilience, innovation, sustainability and equity resonates across sectors and communities.”
The organization won a gold award for innovation and program planning for Reboot: Greater Victoria’s Economic Recovery Plan (2020-2022), born of the efforts of more than 120 local leaders.
The other gold award was for the impact of Rising Economy Week 2020, a conference that rallied the region around recovery. The conference featured local and international speakers, and drew 1,100 participants to engage in urgent conversations around economic recovery.
The silver award was for partnerships with education and recognized the success of MicroStartBC, a website and marketing campaign developed with the University of Victoria and Royal Roads in response to workforce disruption. The site focused on skill improvement for workers looking at moving to evolving sectors such as healthcare.
“The winners of IEDC’s awards represent the best of economic development and exemplify the leadership that our profession strives for every day,” said IEDC chair Tom Kucharski.
