Economic Development Archives

Supporting Small Independent Businesses in BC

Support Local BC was an initiative brought on out of necessity in 2020 due to the closures of many businesses in response to the Provincial Health Orders to stop the rapid spread of COVID-19. The website provides a place for communities and businesses throughout the province to support each other. Connecting all regions with its…

State of the North Report

The 2020 State of the North Economic Report captures the most recent data available on Northern B.C.’s economy. It is the only report of its kind that captures regional and sub-regional data on communities, industries and trends that are critical to Northern B.C. and presents it all in one package. To access the Report, click…

Okanagan Correctional Centre: Creating Jobs

One Maine Town Tees Up New Economic Development

Biddeford, Maine, saw a dramatic economic turnaround after the Orton Foundation’s Community Heart & Soul program helped shape the town’s Master Plan. Biddeford’s Economic Development Director, Daniel Stevenson, talks about how having a solid road map opened the door for $78 million in new projects downtown, including a hotel, new businesses, apartments, and shops. …

Valemount Sawmiller Expands

Perseverance has paid off for sawmiller Jason Alexander, with his cedar operation in Valemount, BC. A new wood supply agreement allows him to expands his operation and employ more local people. For more on this topic, visit our Forestry page. The BC Community Forest Association is also an excellent source of information.

Experiential, Adventure Tourism in Rural BC

Between wrenching structural changes in the forestry industry, the pine beetle epidemic, and other significant economic and social changes, countless rural BC communities are struggling to reinvent themselves. For many of these communities, tourism seems a viable economic option. Experiential tourism In this context, in much of rural BC, experiential tourism is of particular…

Small Town Love Campaign Spreads in Northern BC

Love Northern BC had its beginnings in Quesnel, B.C. with the launch of Small Town Love in 2011. Quesnel entrepreneur Amy Quarry developed a vision through her company, Small Town Love Media Inc., to help small businesses hold their own against the onslaught of chain stores and online competition, and to inspire communities to support…

Affordable Housing in Rural Communities

Affordable housing is a pressing issue in many small rural communities, this webinar features Lisa Byers, Executive Director of OPAL (“Of People And Land”) Community Land Trust on Washing State’s Orcas Island. Providing affordable housing that’s place-appropriate is the real challenge facing many rural and remote communities across North America. There are different approaches that…

Local Manufacturing Big in Rural America

Local manufacturing matters in rural America, employing more than 3.5 million workers. As rural America’s second largest sector, manufacturing employs 14% of rural civilian employees and produces 15% of total rural US earnings – that exceeds the retail sector, and is more than double agriculture’s presence in the US rural economy. After an era of…

BC Rural Dividend grants over $10 million

On Friday, October 13, the BC Government announced over $10 million in new grants to rural communities through the BC Rural Dividend. Here’s the official press release: The B.C. government is distributing $10.1 million in new grants to help rural communities stabilize their economies and create long-term local employment, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural…