At first glance, Gerard Bremault might seem like an odd choice to be the new chair of the Surrey Board of Trade. Bremault is a registered social worker and the chief executive officer of the Centre for Child Development of the Lower Mainland, a non-profit organization that works with children with special needs.
But dig a little deeper, and the self-proclaimed “charity guy” might be what's needed for the Surrey business community. Tight budgets are the norm in today's economy, and making more out of less is something Bremault has a wealth of experience in.
“We're all facing limited resources, whether it's businesses, charities or government, and trying to find new ways to do what we need to do in the most efficient way,” said Bremault, who succeeds Bijoy Samuel, president of RedFM, for a one-year term.
Bremault has been the head of the Centre for Child Development of the Lower Mainland for just under 15 years. The centre also oversees Sophie's Place in Surrey, a child advocacy group that provides specialized services to physically, mentally or sexually abused children up to age 18. He's also a graduate of the University of Manitoba and the prestigious Harvard Business School, and knows a thing or two about economics. With Surrey's rapid expansion come more jobs. But Bremault said a conscious effort needs to be made to attract the right workers and create a sustainable, long-lasting local economy.
“There's an awful lot of growth and development challenges, and for me the focus is on human capital,” he said. “And that sounds kind of vague, but there is this problem or challenge of sufficient resource allocations across a whole bunch of areas of what we're trying to make improvements on and supply talent for. And to do that, to move everything, we need people, we need people in skilled trades, we need people who are the right type of fit for some of the economic development opportunities that are coming forward in Surrey, because it's such a place of great growth.”
Another challenge comes with trying to ensure construction keeps pace with the influx of businesses and new residents, as the population grows by roughly 1,200 people a month. Bremault said the city has the task of making sure commercial and residential projects are properly balanced and managed.
“We need to have proportional allocation of infrastructure, whether that's transportation, education or health care. It's important for people to live and work in the Surrey area and find it attractive enough to move this from being a bedroom community to a full-blown city.”
Bremault recently attended a presentation by Jock Finlayson, executive vice-president and chief policy officer for the Business Council of BC, who shed light on labour force challenges facing the city.
“To paraphrase, we have a noticeable reduction in the B.C. population, including negative net migration with younger workers leaving and retirees arriving.
For the first time, Alberta is matching B.C.'s intake of international migration. Saskatchewan is also attracting 10,000 immigrants per year due to its economic opportunities. Jock asserts that we are underestimating the competition for talent from Alberta and Saskatchewan.”
To combat this, Bremault reiterated the crucial role of education in fostering a thriving economy.
“Our best investment to drive economic growth is to invest more in the development of human capital, to invest more in early childhood development and post-secondary education.”
Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade, said Bremault's experience working with a broad range of stakeholders makes him the perfect fit for a community ready to elect a new mayor for the first time in close to a decade, and one undergoing the final stages of metamorphosis to full-blown metropolis.
“[We chose him] because of his experience to lead a group of people to transform and adapt to new ideas during a time of constant changes in economic and social conditions.”
With over 20 years' experience as a business leader, government executive and CEO, Bremault himself uses a six-step business philosophy to achieve his goals, beginning with the most important one, which could apply to Surrey as it approaches this pivotal crossroads.
“Start with the end in mind.”
With the city's rapid growth comes expanded public spending – and greater public scrutiny, as was made plain by the criticism that greeted the $97 million price tag on the city's new headquarters. But a recent survey pegged crime and public safety as Surrey residents' top worries. All three mayoral candidates for November's election – councillors Barinder Rasode and Linda Hepner, plus former mayor Doug McCallum – have reducing criminal activity as one of their top issues. Bremault said the collective leadership groups in Surrey have to get together on the problem.
“Crime is an issue affecting business retention in Surrey,” he added. “We need to reinforce co-ordinating our efforts together for the sake of all the citizens of our city, province and country. This will require leadership from all of us for the sake of all of us, not just from any one individual leader.” •
