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ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED <br />in the process of deciding on the proposed policies, described in the preceding <br />section, the Council considered a range of roles for itself with respect to the <br />economy and the business community. The proposed policies are essentially a <br />blend of the roles considered. The roles are described below: <br />1. No role --continue doing business as usual without taking economic factors <br />explicitly into account. <br />2. Inject a regional economic perspective into public and private decision - <br />making in the Region by providing information. <br />o Package regional demographic, land use, employment, business and labor <br />force information for use by businesses and local government. <br />o Measure economic impacts (change in employment, income, value of land, <br />etc.) as a regular part of Council"s reviews of major projects. <br />3. Establish a regular program of economic research and analysis of regional <br />issues to support and initiate legislative debate. <br />o Continue publication of economic data series measuring change in the <br />regional economy and its overall health. <br />o Analyze key economic or fiscal issues impacting regional development and <br />pursue legislative changes. <br />4. Coordinate economic development in the Region. <br />o Analyze economic growth anticipated in comprehensive plans of local <br />communities and compare to regional growth estimates. <br />o Establish formal process for sharing economic development plans among <br />local government, corporate sector and the Council. <br />o Provide a regional permit and regulatory clearinghouse for the private <br />sector. <br />o Provide a local government information center for economic development <br />grants, programs, and available tools or mechanisms. <br />o Provide technical assistance, when requested, to local government and <br />small businesses. <br />5. Stimulate and guide economic growth within the Region. <br />o Develop ways to make more capital available to businesses in the Region. <br />o Develop a general strategy for guiding business locations in the Region, <br />much like the way the Council guides housing growth in the Metropolitan <br />Development Framework. <br />4 <br />