Announcing Data 201 Webinar Series

April 5, 2023

Sharpen Your Skills, Learn from Peers – Continue to Use Data to Your Advantage
Register Now for the Series or Individual Webinars

ETSI-BC is pleased to engage Community Futures East Kootenay once again, to develop a practical, FREE webinar series that will help our region’s communities and service providers learn to use data to achieve economic development outcomes.

Building on the extremely popular Using Data to Your Advantage webinar series offered by ETSI-BC in early 2022, this highly relevant and inspiring series will share examples that demonstrate how communities use data to support planning and decision-making. All sessions will include interactive discussions using tools such as polls, breakout rooms, whiteboards, open conversation and networking.

Good data allows communities to:

strengthen grant applications and access funding more easily,
guide strategic planning and make better decisions on where to put time and effort,
support current and new businesses,
decide which projects are the most important at any given time, and
measure the impact of community and economic development initiatives over time.

During this six-part interactive webinar series, participants will:

learn about data-driven projects across the Southern Interior of BC, how they’re used and what challenges needed to be overcome to make them work,
get insights from economic development peers as to how others are using data to support economic development outcomes in their communities,
share information about economic development projects being worked on in the region, and
build your community of practice, and receive support to improve data use towards economic development outcomes in your community.

Join us for Data 201 on Thursdays from 10:00 – 11:30am Pacific Time by Zoom. Attend any session you like or all the webinars in the series. Did we mention that it’s FREE?!

Click here to register

Data 201 – *Sharpen Your Skills, Learn from Peers*
Session	Date	Session Topic
1.	May 4, 2023	The Lowdown on Using Data: A Review
2.	May 11, 2023	Using Data for Disaster Planning and Recovery
3.	May 18, 2023	Using Data to Support Housing Needs and Labour Attraction
4.	May 25, 2023	Using Data for Economic Impact and Planning
5.	June 1, 2023	Community of Practice: Finding and Collecting Data
6.	June 8, 2023	Community of Practice: Analyzing and Presenting Data

Data 201 Session Descriptions

TIME: Thursdays 10:00 – 11:30am PT from May 4 to June 8

Session	Date	Session Descriptions
1.	May 4, 2023	The Lowdown on Using Data: A Review Join Mike Stolte as he reviews everything that was discussed in the Using Data to Your Advantage series last year in one quick, engaging and insightful session.
2.	May 11, 2023	Using Data for Disaster Planning and Recovery Learn from the experiences of Lytton and Grand Forks as to how they are using data to support decisions around disaster planning and recovery.
3.	May 18, 2023	Using Data to Support Housing Needs and Labour Attraction Learn from Creston and Castlegar as to how they are using data to support the housing needs in their communities, and how Salmon Arm is using data to help with labour attraction.
4.	May 25, 2023	Using Data for Economic Impact and Planning Learn from Hope and Greater Trail as to how they are using data to review the economic impact of events and ways they support investment attraction.
5.	June 1, 2023	Community of Practice: Finding and Collecting Data Share your own data projects and receive support from peers and data experts as you discuss challenges and successes with finding and collecting data.
6.	June 8, 2023	Community of Practice: Analyzing and Presenting Data Share your own data projects and receive support from peers and data experts as you discuss challenges and successes with analyzing and presenting data.

All sessions will include interactive discussions using tools such as polls, breakout rooms, whiteboards, open conversation and networking. For more detailed session descriptions click here.

More News & Stories

Grow and connect Interior Bolsters Access to Local Food Across the Region

November 21, 2024 – ETSI-BC is delighted to announce new developments in the Grow and Connect Food Supply Chain initiative serving BC’s Southern Interior. As a funding partner, we’re helping local farmers and producers overcome transportation costs and other barriers to get their products into regional stores and restaurants, making local food more accessible throughout the Interior.

Oliver’s Station Street Plaza Plan Drives Downtown Revitalization

The Town of Oliver is advancing its downtown revitalization efforts with an updated Station Street Plaza Plan. The project aims to transform underutilized land into a mixed-use area with housing and businesses. This initiative, part of a broader economic development strategy, seeks to create a vibrant community hub and attract new residents and businesses to the town center. The project was supported during FY2024 with funding from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC).

District of Elkford Puts New Economic Development Strategy into Action

From its beginnings as a mining town in the early 1970s on the eastern edge of the Kootenays, Elkford is now home to diverse businesses, adventure tourism and a high quality of life. To manage the area’s growth and to develop emerging sectors, the District of Elkford recently created an Economic Development Strategy that builds on years of community planning and research. The ambitious project, carried out with support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), is already having positive impacts and will serve the community for years to come.

Mitacs Research Projects Receive Extra Support from ETSI-BC

The Economic Trust of Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is delighted to announce the nine successful grant recipients that will receive funding in 2024 through our funding partnership with Mitacs. These grants support collaborative research initiatives that help solve local issues while also encouraging collaboration between the region’s public post-secondary institutions and our businesses and local governments.

A New Independent Development Corporation Signals Major Growth for Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc

With a new economic development structure and brand, the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc (formerly the Kamloops Indian Band) is changing the economic landscape of its 1,700-member community. An outcome from the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc (TteS) strategic plan is the creation of Sc.wén̓wen Economic Development Corporation, which increases the band’s capacity to pursue and support more diverse, larger scale projects. This increased capacity is being marketed through a new branding campaign, created with support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC).

Peachland Pursues Downtown Revitalization to Keep Pace with Growth

After years of record development and building activity, the Okanagan community of Peachland is nearing completion of a Downtown Redevelopment Implementation Strategy. The plan, to be completed this fall, will reinvigorate the downtown area, preserving what residents value most while optimizing available land for its highest and best use. The project is supported by the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC).

Golden Harnesses the Economic Impact of Mountain Biking

Residents and visitors to Golden know that the Kootenay town has some of the best mountain biking anywhere, from adrenaline-pumping descents to adaptive cycling and family-friendly rides. More than 180 kms of cross-country riding trails are enjoyed by thousands of visitors every year. The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) supported the Golden Cycling Club in conducting an economic impact study that reveals significant opportunities to grow the sector and add to the area’s tourism assets.

Proposed North Okanagan Community Health Clinic To Address Critical Physician Shortage

An estimated 25,000 people in the North Okanagan are without a Primary Care Physician. To address this challenge, Community Futures North Okanagan took the lead on developing a business case for a Community Health Clinic to attract physicians. The grassroots, community-run project is expected to connect over 6,000 residents with a family doctor, while providing important economic benefits to the region. The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) supported the business plan through its Building Economic Development Capacity funding stream.

Ramping Up the Kootenay Film Industry

Film producers have been coming to the Kootenays for years to capture the area’s diverse natural beauty and rural culture as the backdrop for productions. To fully harness the economic opportunities associated with a robust filming environment, Community Futures Central Kootenay (CFCK) conducted a feasibility study to explore the challenges and opportunities around growing the sector. The project, supported by the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) shows that with the right infrastructure in place, including a local film studio, significantly more filming can be attracted to the region.

Expanding Tourism Options in the Columbia Valley

During the pandemic, the Lakeshore Resort and Campground in the Columbia Valley, which is owned by the Akisqnuk First Nation (AFN), had to close. Since then, a plan was needed to return this important tourism asset for the region and make it a stronger, more sustainable business and tourism contributor. In 2023, the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) supported a feasibility study to explore the best way to do this. The study led to a partial opening of the campsite in 2024, and economic benefits are already being realized through infrastructure improvements, new services, and exciting cultural experiences.