A New Hotline for Rural BC!

The BC Rural Centre has a new direct phone number to call when you need to talk to someone about Rural Issues, Challenges, Opportunities, and Inquiries. Over the past few months, the BC Rural Centre has been adjusting to a few key changes, new staff, including a new Executive Director and a revisit of the…

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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…

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BC Rural Centre’s Last Year in Review

2020 year in review

2020 was a certainly a memorable year. The COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered our lives and created significant social and economic challenges for many. Unfortunately, it also resulted in personal loss and grief for many BC families. To those families, our deepest sympathies for your loss. Despite the impact of COVID, 2020 was a busy year…

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Deep Roots 2 — the Harrop-Procter Community Forest Story

Of the over 50 community forests in British Columbia, only one — in tiny Harrop-Procter, located on the rugged eastern shore of Kootenay Lake’s West Arm — has its own mill. With its emphasis on creating local employment and its commitment to ecosystem-based forestry, Harrop-Procter Community Forest stands as one of Canada’s most interesting —…

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Deep Roots 1 — the Harrop-Procter Community Forest story

Harrop-Procter Community Forest, located on the rugged eastern shore of Kootenay Lake’s West Arm, is one of Canada’s most innovative — and intriguing — community forest operations. Harrop-Procter Community Forest’s 11,300 ha community forest tenure comprises 100-year-old mixed forests, domestic watersheds, and steep, sensitive terrain. The HPCF takes an ecosystem-based approach to management which is based…

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Innovation & Technology Make a Big Difference in Rural BC

Innovation & tech are important in rural places

  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…

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Young City Couple “Escape the City”!

Young rural couple "escape the city"!

Rochelle and Jean-Michel Longval are typical young urbanites. Or are they? Both are professionals. They have no children, an extremely cute dog named Geo, and a nice home in a leafy Calgary neighbourhood. Life for the Longvals would seem to be idyllic. There’s only one catch: they long to escape the city! With some help…

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Escape the City Winners Announced!

Escape the City winners, the Stober family

It’s like a law of physics — you know, for every action an equal reaction. As our major centres grow ever larger and more congested, attracting young people from rural areas with the promise of jobs and, well, glitter and glamour, an increasing number of youngish city folk are starting to look longingly at BC’s…

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