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Snuneymuxw councillor Thomas appointed chair of NEDC board

Nov 8, 2016 | 2:34 PM

NANAIMO — An ambitious, young First Nations leader isn’t backing down from the task of unraveling the mess left behind at the Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation (NEDC).

Erralyn Thomas has been appointed as the new chair of the NEDC’s board of directors. Thomas is left with only six other board members around her, two of them appointees from the city of Nanaimo’s staff. The board was at its maximum size of 17 not long ago, but has seen mass resignations amid the firing of their chief executive officer and a city decision to strip tourism from the corporation’s mandate.

“It may be perceived as a lot of turmoil,” said Thomas, who has been a board member since April 2016. “I look at it as an opportunity to be a leader of the organization and transform NEDC and evolve it over time.”

Thomas, who is just 30-years-old, also sits as a councillor with the Snuneymuxw First Nation and a governor at Vancouver Island University. She spent a year working as an intern with the province in the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General focusing on reform for aboriginal justice strategies and correctional options. That followed four years of schooling at Niagara University in upstate New York, where Thomas studied on an athletic scholarship for lacrosse. Thomas also sat as an elected youth representative for the BC Assembly of First Nations for a three year term.

While her background is full of diverse experiences, the task ahead will no doubt be a challenging one for Thomas and what is left of the NEDC board. The corporation doesn’t have a CEO. A new partnering agreement with the city has yet to be finalized. Tourism is being dropped from its mandate at the end of the year, which city staff admit will likely mean a reduction in the $1.3-million the arms-length organization gets in funding every year from taxpayers.

“With the transition in leadership comes transition in a vision. I ask those with respectful criticism to have faith in me and the organization that we carry the expertise and wherewithal to put a plan forward…one of my goals right now is to get out of this crisis management scenario, dial down the politics and get our minds and hearts and souls back into the business we were handed over to do by mayor and council,” said Thomas.

The new sole focus of the corporation will be economic development, something on paper at least, Thomas seems to have limited experience in. In response to that question she says business is a large term and can be interpreted in various ways. She says in her short life she has been in many high level positions. Thomas says she was recently appointed the president of the Petroglyph Development Group, with a mandate to build Snuneymuxw’s economy and First Nation in a business context.

“Our business sector takes many different forms…my goal is to uplift the sector, build relationships and pick-up the pieces that have been left behind.”

There’s no arguing the fact the NEDC board has lost some of Nanaimo’s premier business minds. AJ Hustins and Andre Sullivan, both now resigned, have been board members since its inception in 2011 and both run successful local businesses. Thomas says there have been nine resignations in the last two weeks and 10 going back a bit farther. She says she is thankful to the resigning board members for their time and contributions. There will be a call put out soon to the community to recruit new members, according to Thomas.

“With the CEO, we are developing a plan and that plan is in the developing phases right now…retaining a CEO brings stability to the organization and we definitely need that.”

Amrit Manhas, who has been with the city and the NEDC for 18 years, is the interim-CEO. She states in an email staff are in the process of developing the economic development work plan for 2017 and are looking forward to continuing to help local employers stay and grow in the community.

“I ask for trust and faith and patience,” said Thomas. “My mind is on it and nothing will be missed.”

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The current NEDC board of directors:

Erralyn Thomas – Chair
Rod Szasz – Treasurer
Brad Jones – Secretary
Kelly Bissel
Dr. Ralph Nilson
Dan Brady
Philip Cooper – City Appointee
Brad McRae – Shareholder Representative