BY MICHAEL-ALLAN MARION
EXPOSITOR STAFF / BRANTFORD

A presentation to be made at a public forum meeting tonight by rising local developer hands city council an excellent opportunity to take a good look at its entire approach to economic development.

Steve Charest, the admittedly brash, impatient young president of King & Benton, will officially unveil the major details of a $500-million commercial and industrial mega-development covering his entire business park on the Oak Park North lands just above Highway 403.

He’s doing that because he wants a public discussion about the benefits of his impressive project to the Brantford area and he hopes council will help staff get in the facilitative spirit to put the finishing touches on getting over some important hurdles.

But more than that, he’d like to begin a serious discussion about how the city should do business with industrial and commercial developers now that the city is running out of municipal land.