A new 200-acre business park is taking shape in the District of Lake Country. The development will create space for new types of businesses, attract investment, support local jobs, and provide housing options close to where people work. With support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), the project is helping one of BC’s fastest-growing communities prepare for the future.
Announcing Data 201 Webinar Series
Sharpen Your Skills, Learn from Peers – Continue to Use Data to Your Advantage
Register Now for the Series or Individual Webinars
ETSI-BC is pleased to engage Community Futures East Kootenay once again, to develop a practical, FREE webinar series that will help our region’s communities and service providers learn to use data to achieve economic development outcomes.
Building on the extremely popular Using Data to Your Advantage webinar series offered by ETSI-BC in early 2022, this highly relevant and inspiring series will share examples that demonstrate how communities use data to support planning and decision-making. All sessions will include interactive discussions using tools such as polls, breakout rooms, whiteboards, open conversation and networking.
Good data allows communities to:
- strengthen grant applications and access funding more easily,
- guide strategic planning and make better decisions on where to put time and effort,
- support current and new businesses,
- decide which projects are the most important at any given time, and
- measure the impact of community and economic development initiatives over time.
During this six-part interactive webinar series, participants will:
- learn about data-driven projects across the Southern Interior of BC, how they’re used and what challenges needed to be overcome to make them work,
- get insights from economic development peers as to how others are using data to support economic development outcomes in their communities,
- share information about economic development projects being worked on in the region, and
- build your community of practice, and receive support to improve data use towards economic development outcomes in your community.
Join us for Data 201 on Thursdays from 10:00 – 11:30am Pacific Time by Zoom. Attend any session you like or all the webinars in the series. Did we mention that it’s FREE?!
Click here to register
| Data 201 – Sharpen Your Skills, Learn from Peers | ||
| Session | Date | Session Topic |
| 1. | May 4, 2023 | The Lowdown on Using Data: A Review |
| 2. | May 11, 2023 | Using Data for Disaster Planning and Recovery |
| 3. | May 18, 2023 | Using Data to Support Housing Needs and Labour Attraction |
| 4. | May 25, 2023 | Using Data for Economic Impact and Planning |
| 5. | June 1, 2023 | Community of Practice: Finding and Collecting Data |
| 6. | June 8, 2023 | Community of Practice: Analyzing and Presenting Data |
Data 201 Session Descriptions
TIME: Thursdays 10:00 – 11:30am PT from May 4 to June 8
| Session | Date | Session Descriptions |
| 1. | May 4, 2023 | The Lowdown on Using Data: A Review
Join Mike Stolte as he reviews everything that was discussed in the Using Data to Your Advantage series last year in one quick, engaging and insightful session. |
| 2. | May 11, 2023 | Using Data for Disaster Planning and Recovery
Learn from the experiences of Lytton and Grand Forks as to how they are using data to support decisions around disaster planning and recovery. |
| 3. | May 18, 2023 | Using Data to Support Housing Needs and Labour Attraction
Learn from Creston and Castlegar as to how they are using data to support the housing needs in their communities, and how Salmon Arm is using data to help with labour attraction. |
| 4. | May 25, 2023 | Using Data for Economic Impact and Planning
Learn from Hope and Greater Trail as to how they are using data to review the economic impact of events and ways they support investment attraction. |
| 5. | June 1, 2023 | Community of Practice: Finding and Collecting Data
Share your own data projects and receive support from peers and data experts as you discuss challenges and successes with finding and collecting data. |
| 6. | June 8, 2023 | Community of Practice: Analyzing and Presenting Data
Share your own data projects and receive support from peers and data experts as you discuss challenges and successes with analyzing and presenting data. |
All sessions will include interactive discussions using tools such as polls, breakout rooms, whiteboards, open conversation and networking. For more detailed session descriptions click here.
More News & Stories
How One Region Overcame the Tourism Impacts of a 5-Month Ferry Strike
When the Central Kootenay communities of Balfour and the East Shore of Kootenay Lake were hit with a lengthy ferry strike in late 2024, economic development and tourism partners worked closely with businesses on both sides of Kootenay Lake to address the impacts of a significant loss of visitors to the area. With support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior, (ETSI-BC), the area’s Destination Marketing Organization, Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism (NKLT), quickly launched the “No Better Time, No Better Place” marketing campaign as soon as the strike ended, encouraging visitors to return to the communities most affected.
ETSI-BC in the Spotlight
October 14, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) ) was featured today in BC Business Magazine, alongside our fellow regional trusts, Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) and Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICET).
ETSI-BC Fall Funding Intake Draws Impressive Regional Interest
October 8, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) received an impressive response to its 2026 Fall Funding Intake from communities and organizations across the region. The intake closed on October 8, 2026, with 43 applications requesting nearly $1.9 million in funding for projects with a combined project value of over $3.8 million.
Township of Spallumcheen Digs Deep in Planning New Agriculture Business Hub
Since 2021, the Township of Spallumcheen has been exploring the development of a regional Agri-Hub to strengthen local food distribution and support agricultural growth. With support from ETSI-BC, the Township is developing a phased business plan to help build a resilient and profitable agricultural sector for the future.
New Tourism Strategy Transforms Grand Forks from a Highway Stop to a Destination
The Southern Interior community of Grand Forks has completed a major rebuild and relaunch of its original tourism strategy, shifting the community from being a quick stopping point on Highway 3 to a tourism destination. With support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), the strategy served to develop new tourism assets attracting more visitors and generating increased revenue for local businesses.
Sicamous Tourism Strategy Builds a Path for Sustainable Growth
From houseboating to sledding, hiking, biking, and birding, Sicamous is the tourism hub of the Shuswap region. While summer visitors fill Sicamous with activity, off-season visitations drop sharply, prompting the community to pursue a more diversified and sustainable year-round tourism future. The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) supported the District of Sicamous Development Corporation in revitalizing the community’s tourism sector with a dynamic, five-year tourism strategy to 2030.
Forestry Strategy Positions ?aq’am First Nation for New Opportunities
Increased timber harvest allocations for BC’s First Nations are opening the door to new business opportunities for enterprising First Nations communities such as ?aq’am in the East Kootenays. With funding support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), ?aq’am developed a forestry business scan, a strategy to build capacity for projects made possible by the expanded forest tenure. The scan is guiding ?aq’am to increase its role in forestry as it pursues a resilient and sustainable future.
ETSI-BC Welcomes Krista Mallory as Regional Project and Strategic Initiatives Manager
July 29, 2026 – The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC)) is pleased to announce that Krista Mallory will be joining the organization as its new Regional Project and Strategic Initiatives Manager effective October 1, 2026.
Wayfinding in Barriere for Economic Resilience and Growth
When a major fire destroyed the Tolko sawmill in the North Thompson region near Barriere in 2003, residents and stakeholders rallied to rebuild and redefine the community’s economic future. As the community has evolved, so have the systems that help residents and visitors navigate in and around Barriere, including a multi-phase Wayfinding Strategy launched in 2024. The project, supported by the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is aimed at boosting visitor traffic and attracting more business investment, ensuring a strong and resilient future.