The legalization of Cannabis in Canada in 2018, has seen a seismic shift in an industry that used to part of a huge underground economy. In the Kootenays in the last six months, there have been industry forums, meetings to try and establish a producer co-op, consultants trying to help pre-2018 growers navigate the legalize …
A pilot program to introduce computer programming languages to elementary school students recently completed a 6 week program at Robson School. The program was the initiative of the Castlegar & District Economic Development and the Chamber of Commerce. Approximately a half dozen students were in the after school program that was taught by area resident, …
To help promote business opportunities and investment in rural BC, The Great BC Business Sale has been granted funding by the Province of BC through the Rural Dividend Program. This initiative will unfold over the next 18 months, culminating in a trade show at the Vancouver Convention Centre on October 3, 2020 which will feature …
In the fall of 2017, Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce initiated the “Storefronts of Opportunity” event, a tour of empty retail space for new and existing entrepreneurs. Executive Director of the Chamber Tammy Verigin-Burk initiated the event. In year 1, the event was limited to Castlegar’s downtown core, showing 28 empty storefronts followed by …
Have you ever found yourself back road cruising, bike riding down the middle of Main Street, emersed in that extra little freedom that you can only find in teeny, tiny Kootenay towns? There is an element of safety when you know all of your neighbours and that the park/school/water is only steps away – no …
Sometimes we make a decision, doubt ourselves, then need a bit of distance to realize it was the right decision all along. That’s what happened with Maddie Van Horn, who was getting ready to buy the Trail Coffee & Tea Co. three years ago, then had second thoughts. A couple of years in Vancouver made …
When Sarah Peterson moved to Revelstoke in 2009, it was with a snowboard under her arm. Revelstoke Mountain Resort had spun its gondola for the first time in 2008, broadcasting the powdery bounty above to a hungry flock of young people looking for more reasonably priced alternatives to places like Whistler and Banff. Revelstoke was …
“Run your business like you’re going to sell, even if you plan to keep it.” Lavinia Lidstone ran Kootenay Kombucha for four years with that advice, and then she decided to sell. “Add value, keep good records, keep a good business. You need to do these things to succeed anyway,” she says. She doesn’t think …
If, when you think of the B.C. economy, you see images of towering trees as a bounty of lumber, and soaring mountains as endless stockpiles of ore, and all our coursing waterways as fuel for turbines, you’re not alone. Since becoming a country in 1867, Canada has built itself upon the trade of natural resources. …