ETSI-BC Presents Fall Webinar Series: Empowering Economic Growth in the Southern Interior

ETSI-BC Presents Fall Webinar Series: Empowering Economic Growth in the Southern Interior

June 27, 2024

We are proud to announce a new webinar series launching this fall. These free learning opportunities are designed to support our community partners to address key challenges in our region. The sessions will provide valuable insights and tools for local governments, economic development practitioners, businesses, and community leaders.

Webinars are free to attend, but registration is required. Don’t miss these opportunities to build your toolbox which will help you strengthen and diversify your community and the region.

Regional Transportation Initiatives & Updates

Date: October 9, 2024, 1:30 -2:30 pm Pacific time

Regional transportation and connectivity between our communities has been a long-standing challenge in the Southern Interior of BC. ETSI-BC has been proud to help address gaps and bolster existing transportation services through its Regional Transportation Enhancement (RTE) Funding Program, offered with financial support from the Province of BC.

Join us for a webinar to hear about innovative transportation initiatives that have helped fill gaps in our region. Hear about key RTE-funded projects and gain connections to support your community as we work together to implement transportation solutions throughout the Southern Interior.

There will be an opportunity for discussion, and all participants will be encouraged to connect and share about regional transportation opportunities, solutions and ideas.

Laurel Douglas, CEO, ETSI-BC
Erin Toop, Principal, Toop Consulting Ltd.
Community Futures Central Kootenay: Rural Ride-Hailing Feasibility Study
Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association: Thompson Okanagan Transportation Connectivity Engagement
Okanagan College: Okanagan College Transportation Review
RTE Funding Recipients

REGISTER HERE

Accessing Skilled Employees Through Immigration

Date: November 6, 1:30 -2:30 pm Pacific Time

ETSI-BC wants to help your communities and businesses to learn ways to address staffing challenges by learning how to effectively utilize federal and provincial immigration programs. This session will provide valuable information for employers in the Southern Interior region looking to hire and retain international workers. This session is open to all economic development practitioners and business owners in the Southern Interior of BC. Feel free to forward information about this session to your clients, members and businesses in your community.

Key Features:

Overview of provincial and federal economic immigration programs
BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) criteria and processes
Federal immigration programs, including Express Entry
Q&A session with government experts

Economic development practitioners, business support organizations, employers and HR professionals looking to attract talent in the following categories are welcome to attend:

French Speakers
Healthcare
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations
Construction
Agriculture and agri-food transportation
Childcare
Vet Care

Speakers:

Darcy Bromley, Outreach Officer, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

REGISTER HERE

Bringing Natural Assets into the Balance Sheet

Date: December 11, 1:30 -2:30 pm Pacific Time

This will be an opportunity for ETSI-BC communities to learn about natural asset management and how accounting for nature in our financial decision making can improve environmental and economic outcome for communities. This sessions provides valuable information on how municipal, First Nations and provincial governments can undertake natural asset management planning and the resource needed to make it happen.

This webinar will bring the latest in economics and policy as it relates to natural asset management and allow community members to ask questions of some of Canada’s leading experts in the field.

Key features of the webinar include:

Introduction to natural asset management
Overview of the data, processes and methods used in natural asset management.
A summary of perspectives from communities who have undertaken or are undertaking natural asset management.
Overview of the resources available to communities who want to develop a natural asset management plan for their land base

Speakers:

Roy Brooke, Executive Director, Natural Assets Initiative
Mike Kennedy, PhD, Founder & Chief Technology Officer, Green Analytics Corp.
Mike Kennedy, CPA, CA, Chief Financial Officer, Town of Rossland

REGISTER HERE

Previous Webinars

Introducing EDD – the Economic Dependencies Dashboard

Date: September 18, 1:30 -2:30 pm Pacific time

View the Presentation and Recording HERE

Discover the power of data-driven decision-making with your new best friend – EDD! EDD is a new Economic Dependencies Dashboard. Using EDD will enable users to gather a better understanding of the regional economy of the Southern Interior, at both the regional district and local levels. It is intended to provide all residents, including economic development practitioners and local governments with a tool to understand the impact of economic changes and industry transitions in their communities, to help them respond and adapt.

This webinar will showcase how to leverage this innovative tool to access economic information about your community or region. Our expert presenters will demonstrate how to use the dashboard to answer your specific economic questions and identify industry trends.

You can already use the Dashboard by clicking here https://edd.etsi-bc.ca/ . We encourage you to explore EDD and bring your questions to the webinar! Here is a link to more information including the User Guide. This webinar is open to anyone interested, so please pass this info along.

Speakers:

Laurel Douglas, CEO, ETSI-BC
Mike Stolte, President, Centre for Innovative & Entrepreneurial Leadership (CIEL)
Sasha Bogdanovic, CEO, CityViz

To view the presentation and recording. CLICK HERE

More News & Stories

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.

ETSI-BC Releases its 2024 Annual Report

July 31, 2024 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is pleased to announce that it has released its latest Annual Report.

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.

Collaboration Thrives Through Economic Development Practitioners Network

Over the last twelve years, the Kootenay Boundary Economic Development Practitioners Network (EDPN) has made a name for itself as a unique grassroots organization bringing together key stakeholders across the Columbia Basin/Boundary region. With support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), it has been another year of growth and expansion for this active and engaged network of professionals.

Thompson Nicola Film Commission Captures New Landscapes and Film Productions

The stunning and diverse landscapes of the Thompson Nicola Valley are the backdrop for the area’s growing film production industry, resulting in millions of dollars invested in the region through new filming activity. Current, high-quality images are essential to attracting productions to the area, but many location landscapes have changed in recent years due to fires, flooding, ageing and development. The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) supported an update to the Thompson-Nichola Film Commission’s photo libraries, which boasts over 7,000 new images.

Artisan Beverage Producers Explore Job Sharing to Address Workforce Shortages

Workforce shortages are one of the top issues for wineries, breweries, cideries and distilleries in the artisan beverage industry. The Business Alliance for Artisan Fermenters and Distillers has taken an innovative approach to address the issue through a feasibility study exploring job sharing among these agri-businesses. The study, supported by the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), has opened minds to a unique approach and identified new opportunities for a more resilient, sustainable artisan beverage sector.