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.

Introducing EDD – the Economic Dependencies Dashboard

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

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 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

REGISTER HERE

Regional Transportation Initiatives & Updates

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

This will be an opportunity for all ETSI-BC Stakeholders to hear updates on the RTE program and to hear directly from funding recipients about the outcomes of their work through 2024. All RTE funding recipients will be featured and a select group will provide a brief overview of their projects to enhance communication and coordination around Southern Interior transportation initiatives.

Laurel Douglas, CEO, ETSI-BC
Erin Toop, Principal, Toop Consulting Ltd.
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
Yohan Lamoly, Engagement Specialist, BC Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP)

REGISTER HERE

More News & Stories

ETSI-BC Awards $625,000 in Funding to Support 28 Projects in the Southern Interior

June 24, 2024 – This summer, communities in the Southern Interior of BC have a new reason to celebrate. The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) has recently unveiled the successful applicants of its 2024 Spring Funding Intake. It has granted $625,000 in funding in support of 28 projects aimed at enhancing and diversifying the region’s economy.

ETSI-BC Launches EDD, the Economic Dependencies Dashboard

June 24, 2024 – ETSI-BC has introduced a new economic visualization tool, named EDD – the Economic Dependencies Dashboard. Launched in June 2024, EDD provides economic insights at three different levels: for the Southern Interior as a whole, for each of 8 regional districts in our service area, and combining our region’s communities (including First Nations) into 32 ‘local areas’.

ETSI-BC hosting Business Continuity Planning Workshop

June 3, 2024 – ETSI-BC is pleased to partner with Community Futures BC once again to offer this highly-acclaimed Business Continuity Planning workshop. This will be a valuable professional development opportunity which we are delighted to host.

ETSI-BC Fall 2024 Funding Intake: Up to $625,000 Available for Projects

June 3, 2024 -The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is pleased to announce that its next Funding Intake will launch on September 10, 2024.

A Game Changing Approach to Tourism Marketing in the Columbia Valley

The Columbia Valley, known for its stunning landscapes and welcoming communities, thrives on tourism, with key attractions like Radium Hot Springs, Panorama, and Invermere. The Columbia Valley Tourism Marketing Society (CVTMS) was established to unify tourism marketing and manage the Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT), a crucial funding source for local programs and events. With support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), a cohesive marketing strategy was developed, leading to the launch of the Travel Columbia Valley website and enhanced collaboration among businesses. This unified approach has sparked economic growth and new ventures like Radium Brewing, bolstering year-round tourism and regional development.

Beyond the River – Greater Trail Builds a New Tourism Sector

An innovative tourism development project with a buy-local component is providing economic benefits in the Greater Trail area of the South Kootenay region. Diverse stakeholders came together to create the “Beyond the River” campaign which promotes the area’s world-class sport fishing opportunities to attract more visitors throughout the year. Supported by the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), the highly collaborative project is increasing tourism capacity, and provides a foundation to support future projects that will help grow the local economy.

Spring 2024 Funding Intake Closes with 43 Applications Received

April 18, 2024 – The ETSI-BC team is pleased to share that we received 43 applications for the Funding Intake that closed on April 12, 2024. The $1.2 million in funding requests is almost double the funding available, so the Regional Advisory Committees and Board of ETSI-BC will have their work cut out for them.

Data Diggers – a Community of Practice

March 21, 2024 – We invite you to join the Data Diggers Community of Practice! This is a group of practitioners who dig data, dig digging into data, and want to dig themselves out of data into knowledge and insights.

Thompson-Okanagan Team Takes to the World Stage to Address Workforce Shortages

The Thompson-Okanagan region is a well-known Canadian tourist destination, it is not immune to the shortage of skilled workers experienced in many Canadian communities. International recruitment is considered a key tool for addressing worker shortages in the area. With the support of the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), three major economic development organizations collaborated to market the region at the world’s largest emigration event in Houten, Netherlands in 2023. The initiative has led to an ongoing strategy to attract new talent and help the region grow and thrive.

North Shore Business Improvement Association Validates Return on Investment

Kamloops’ North Shore Business Improvement Association (NSBIA) has grown significantly since its inception, but after almost three decades, it was time to validate its strategic direction and value proposition to members and stakeholders. With the support of the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), the NSBIA conducted a Membership Engagement and Return on Investment Project in 2022 which confirmed its good work and where the organization goes next.