?aq’am Community Enterprises (ACE) is the economic development arm of the ?aq’am First Nation, the largest member of Ktunaxa Nation. Known for its progressive business development goals, ACE undertook a comprehensive review of its strategic priorities. The result is a dynamic new five-year strategic plan that will guide more efficient, tactical, and resilient delivery of ACE’s programs and services. The project was supported by the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC).
Metal Tech Alley Reaching Out to the World
Metal Tech Alley Reaching Out to the World
Kootenay based companies building global industrial supply chains
Metal Tech Alley, a project of the Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation (LCIC) has brought together Kootenay based companies and professionals to facilitate a transition towards a circular economy. Building the local economy while driving environmentally sustainability is the basis of the circular economy movement which strives to reduce, reuse, recycle and recover, thereby eliminating waste and optimizing value from resources.
Early in the Metal Tech Alley initiative, $50,000 of grant funding from ETSI-BC (formerly Southern Interior Development Trust – SIDIT) and $500,000 from the Province’s, Rural Dividend Program, was combined with $347,700 from partner contributions to focus on connecting local metallurgical companies with those in the emerging tech industry to increase environmental sustainability.
Funding was provided to create professional sales and marketing tools including website creation, digital collateral pieces, an influential social media campaign, blogs, articles and visual entity creation in photo and video formats. Additionally, financial strategies were created through the consortium to assist partner companies in their growth, attraction of additional IIOT companies, and global commercialization efforts. Success was realized as extractive industries were able to close the loop between mineral extraction, production, and recycling efforts involving the latest technologies.
Over the short duration of the inaugural program, partner organizations were able to make capital investments for facility improvement and equipment totaling $587,000. Economic revenue of $893,000 was generated in the region through the addition of five IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) partners (four of them local companies, one from out of region). The initiative created sixteen new full-time, part-time, or temporary positions to assist in carrying out program objectives and assist in the creation of the $500,000 venture capital company fund. ETSI-BC`s strategic focus to advance key sectors, support innovative research and stimulate commercialization was certainly realized in the development of the Metal Tech Alley initiative.
The success of the inaugural program generated national interest and has continued to grow and evolve to the international stage today. Metal Tech Alley has been the catalyst for a shared vision in the region and provided opportunities for program partners, including Fenix Advanced Materials, KAST, Selkirk College, STAC, and Teck Metals, to work together to build and expand their client base through focused commercialization.
Metal Tech Alley is effectively diversifying the “boom and bust” resource-based Kootenay economy by leading the circular economy movement and creating local opportunities in a global market.
To date, the program has realized over $13,643,000 in investment to the region. Metal Tech Alley has put the Kootenay region of British Columbia on the global map in bringing together specialized professionals and entrepreneurs in the metallurgy and advanced materials, digital fabrication, industrial recycling, cleantech and industrial IoT industries.
More News & Stories
Thompson-Okanagan Launches New Economic Development Practitioners Network
After a year of work connecting economic development practitioners across the Thompson-Okanagan, the region’s first Economic Development Practitioners Network (EDPN) is now in place. Modelled after the Kootenay Boundary EDPN created in 2014, the Thompson Okanagan EDPN includes community and municipal and First Nations economic development practitioners, Chambers of Commerce, Community Futures and other stakeholders. The group came together for the first time on April 8, 2026, where they learned, shared ideas and information, and further planned future activities. The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is committed to supporting both the Kootenay Boundary and Thompson-Okanagan networks of economic development practitioners.
2027-30 Strategic Planning and DAAP 4.39 Updates
June 25, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is grateful for the input from partners, funding recipients, committee members and other regional stakeholders who have taken the time to help inform our next three-year Strategic Plan for 2027-30. We are also pleased to provide an update on the status of the DAAP 4.39 action item.
ETSI-BC Fall 2026 Funding Intake: Up to $1M Available for Projects
June 18, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is pleased to announce that its next Funding Intake will launch on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 and close on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
ETSI-BC Spring Funding Intake Invests Over $1 Million to Strengthen the Southern Interior Economy
June 8, 2026 – Communities across British Columbia’s Southern Interior are set to benefit from a new round of investment through the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior. On June 5, 2026, ETSI-BC approved $1,011,000 in funding for 33 projects, representing a combined project value of $3 million. The funded initiatives will help communities diversify their local economies, support innovation, and respond to regional opportunities
Helping Shape the Future of ETSI-BC Support in the Southern Interior
May 11, 2026 – ETSI-BC is inviting partners from across the Southern Interior to participate in a series of virtual focus groups as part of an Impact Assessment that will inform its next three-year Strategic Plan, covering the period from April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2030.
Similkameen Economic Vitality Plan Drives Growth and Resilience
Keremeos, one of the fastest growing rural communities in British Columbia, has evolved from its agricultural heritage to a business hub at the heart of the Similkameen region with a robust tourist sector and vast potential to develop new business opportunities. In 2024, the Similkameen Country Development Association initiated a comprehensive Economic Vitality Initiative to better address the pressing needs of local businesses. Collaboration by many stakeholders along with funding support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) drove the plan to completion, and the strategies it contains are now being implemented.
Ktunaxa Business Showcase Links Indigenous Businesses to Procurement Opportunities
The Ktunaxa Business Showcase, led by the Ktunaxa Nation Council (KNC), is expanding, improving and helping members secure new business contracts in southeastern BC. The success of the most recent 2025 Showcase event reflects strategic changes to the program’s timeline and format, and was supported by funding from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC).
Strong Demand for ETSI-BC Spring Funding Intake
April 15, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) closed its 2026 Spring Funding Intake, with a strong response from communities and organizations across the region. The intake closed on April 9, 2026, with 48 applications requesting nearly $1.7 million in funding, representing a combined project value of almost $4 million.
2026 ETSI-BC Legislative Review
March 30, 2026 – We are pleased to present the findings and recommendations of the 2026 ETSI-BC Legislative Review Committee. The Committee reviewed the Act that governs ETSI-BC and the proposed changes that the Province has put forward this year. A Legislative Review is conducted every 5 years by an independent committee. This year in particular, their report has several important recommendations of relevance to First Nations and local governments in the Southern Interior, and to the Province.