Invest in BC
BCBusiness in partnership with BCEDA Perhaps we’re a bit spoiled in British Columbia. After a few runs of economic activity that would make some of the most bountiful regions in the world blush, things slowed down some in the past year...
It’s been just over 20 years since official efforts to ignite Indigenous tourism in B.C. started in earnest. In 1997, Indigenous Tourism BC (ItBC) – called the Aboriginal Tourism Association of British Columbia until this year – started out as a non-profit tasked with growing and promoting the industry. In its...
One of B.C.’s smallest economic regions by population, the North Coast nonetheless finds itself home to the largest capital project in Canadian history over the next several years. On October 1, 2018, LNG Canada, a joint venture of global energy companies led by Royal Dutch Shell PLC, announced it had...
The Cariboo was the site of the 1858 gold rush that brought large numbers of settlers to British Columbia for the first time. Today the region is still the working heart of the province, its economy strongly influenced by the cycles of commodity prices and new infrastructure investment. The largest city...
Lying along B.C.’s eastern border, the Kootenay region is a diverse economy that includes mining, refining, forestry, tourism and the tech sectors. The Kootenays boast the province’s lowest unemployment rate of 3.1%. Economists for the Chartered Professional Accountants of B.C. noted in their Regional Check-Up 2018: “The number of jobs...
BCBusiness in partnership with BCEDA In the words of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia, the Thompson-Okanagan region has enjoyed a “stellar year in terms of economic growth” (Regional Check-Up 2018). Strong job creation has absorbed much of the remaining slack...
Other Canadians think of Vancouver Island mostly for having the most benign, un-Canadian climate in the country. And sure enough, the region attracts more than its share of retirees and other well-heeled migrants from colder climes. But the Island is also accommodating to business, with a thriving, diversified economy. “Vancouver Island...
With the smallest population base of all B.C.’s development regions – the largest city is Smithers, population 5,400 – the Nechako region can see its economic fortunes materially affected by a single mill shutdown or highway construction project or, as is the case for the foreseeable future, developments in neighbouring...
BCBusiness in partnership with Fort St. John Economic Development Fort St. John, with 20,155 residents, is British Columbia’s best-kept secret. We think we have the best of everything—recreation at our doorstep, affordable living, and big-city amenities, all in a small, friendly town. Here, you can spend less time commuting and less money...
The Northeast, the only part of B.C. lying east of the Continental Divide, is, economically speaking, inescapably connected to energy. The region produces virtually all of B.C.’s natural gas output – second only to Alberta among the provinces – and could account for a great deal more were prices to...