News
Canal Flats Is Electric!
Canal Flats fell on hard times. When our communities’ circumstances change, we need to find new ways to prosper. Canal Flats was a lumber town; it’s primary employer was a sawmill. When that mill closed in November of 2015 it threw 75 people out of work and decimated the town’s economy. Many people, grown children,…
Read MoreHere to Stay
In this CBC podcast, host Manusha Janakiram looks at how Canada’s smallest, often remote communities are not just striving to survive — but to thrive!
Read MoreRural Innovation — How It Happens, How To Inspire More
Rural innovation — how does it happen and how can it be encouraged? A researcher in the USA has received funding to zero in on these questions, as reported in the following article by Matt Swayne, originally published in the Penn State News. “When we think about innovation, we tend to think about big…
Read MoreCivic Engagement on Vancouver Island — 2 Conversations
With elections looming later this month across BC, the challenge of getting folks involved in local and regional decision-making is a timely subject. If the goals of an effective rural regional or local government are to inform — provide citizens with balanced and informed information in a timely manner; consult — obtain feedback on…
Read MoreSeniors’ Housing
Slocan seniors’ housing hosts grand opening Sept. 27 Years of hard work, stamina and emotion have gone into the creation and construction of Slocan City Suites, the new seniors’ housing that celebrates its grand opening on Thursday, Sept. 27 in the Village of Slocan. “We’ll call it a ‘soft’ grand opening,” says Slocan Valley Seniors’…
Read MoreInnovation & Technology Make a Big Difference in Rural BC
Innovation in rural BC — its importance, and how it can be deployed to help with everything from boosting local economies to coping with a changing climate — is an enormously important issue. We highlight this in three wide-ranging interviews with BC rural tech leaders — Salmon Arm’s Lana Fitt, Revelstoke’s Jean-Marc La Flamme, and Trail’s…
Read MoreSmall Stores a Big Idea?
This article by the New York Times‘ Kim Severson showcases some intriguing ways innovative entrepreneurs are ensuring folks in small towns and urban neighbourhoods have access to healthy food. The Freshest Ideas Are in Small Grocery Stores As big supermarkets struggle, a new crop of local groceries are innovating to serve niche audiences and advance…
Read MoreHealthcare a Hot Topic In This Kootenay Community
Healthcare — access to adequate health services — is an ongoing problem across rural BC. The challenge for one community to recruit new physicians could have a drastic effect on the emergency room hours for residents. The village of New Denver in southeastern B.C., along the shore of Slocan Lake, was going to change its…
Read MoreRadio Free Kaslo — a Rural BC Summer Treat!
Nothing tops off a BC rural summer celebration like some good radio! There’s nothing quite like a summer evening, pretty much anywhere in rural BC. Friends and family enjoying a backyard barbecue. Or maybe a campout, in a West Coast cove, or along the shores of a lovely lake in the Interior, with some fun…
Read MoreNew Rural Dividend Intake Begins June 1, 2018, July 31 Deadline
New Rural Dividend Intake Announced The BC Rural Dividend provides $25 million a year to assist rural communities with a population of 25,000 or less to reinvigorate and diversify their local economies. It was developed to recognize both the contribution rural communities have made to B.C.’s economy, and the unique challenges they face to diversify…
Read More