Governments have economists. Markets have economists. Communities – the third pillar of a healthy society – typically do not. With minimal community-level data and insufficient economic interpretation, how is a community expected to build an economy that serves their place?

Join Shorefast Institute’s Economic Development and Data Lead Simon Massey on Thursday 25 June 2026 at 2:30pm (NL) / 1:00pm (ET) / 10:00am (PT) for a conversation on what it would mean for communities to build their own economies – not through dashboards that present numbers without purpose, but through asking the right questions and sourcing indicators that meaningfully tell the story of their local economies.

Drawing on Shorefast Institute’s work with communities across Canada, this session will explore three foundational questions: What is a community’s capacity for economic stewardship? What is really happening in the local economy – where the money comes from, where it goes, who holds ownership and control? And, how can communities evaluate the success of their economic development programs?

The webinar will feature a guest practitioner whose work is focused on community-level economic data. Speaker to be announced.