Town staff will collaborate with members of council in the next few weeks to develop an economic development action plan for Sackville for 2010.

Warren Maddox, director of community economic development and tourism, wrote in his monthly report to council that several areas will be explored in the plan, including affordable housing, commercial development along Main Street as well as other issues that will continue to make Sackville an attractive location for people to live and work.

Meanwhile, Maddox attended the Creative City Network of Canada conference in Fredericton last month, providing him with a "great opportunity to learn how and what other municipalities are doing to make their centres more attractive places to live."

"This is important for us in Sackville as it relates to how we can build on our strengths to make it the community in which people will want to live and set up businesses," he stated in his report.

From Toronto, Ont. to Golden, B.C., Maddox said there were people at the conference who shared success stories of how they were making their communities more creative.

"It also provided evidence that putting time and attention to these initiatives does pay off when it comes to economic development of a community."