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Remove hurdles for businesses: Robson

Greg Robson wants to give North Cowichan a business-friendly face, if he is elected to council on Saturday, Nov. 15.

It's time for some action on behalf of business, he said.

"I'm not happy. The economy's been slack for too long and there's been nothing proactive from our local governments to kind of spike it. If got myself elected, I'd like to have an open for business attitude."

But that means a change in attitude at council, Robson said. "A municipality can help by letting people who want to be in business just go ahead and do their business rather than put so many roadblocks up that they can't develop."

He himself is working on his third or fourth building in the past nine years and gave the example of the hurdles he has had to surmount on the subject of landscaping his properties.

"North Cowichan is telling me what I should be doing and what I should be planting, something that looks good in their eyes. But at the end of the day, it should be up to me to present a nice product or people aren't going to come to my store," he said.

In addition, the length of time involved in getting approvals is frustrating.

"Development employs a ton of people. But everybody is relying on things to happen. If a developer cannot get a product out there on time, he'll miss the mark. It becomes not feasible to do a project."

Robson said North Cowichan needs more building to spur relocation to the municipality.

"There are no new subdivisions going in, no people working. We've got people who have moved to Alberta to continue on with their trade. And it's because of the attitude of council."