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
ETSI-BC Presents Fall Webinar Series: Empowering Economic Growth in the Southern Interior
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.
You can use the Dashboard by clicking here https://edd.etsi-bc.ca/ . Here is a link to more information including the User Guide.
Speakers:
- Laurel Douglas, CEO, ETSI-BC
- Mike Stolte, President, Centre for Innovative & Entrepreneurial Leadership (CIEL)
- Sasha Bogdanovic, CEO, CityViz
Click here for the presentation.
Regional Transportation Initiatives & Updates
Date: October 9, 2024, 1:30 -2:30 pm Pacific time
Regional transportation and connectivity between our communities has been a long-standing challenge in the Southern Interior of BC. ETSI-BC has been proud to help address gaps and bolster existing transportation services through its Regional Transportation Enhancement (RTE) Funding Program, offered with financial support from the Province of BC.
Join us for a webinar to hear about innovative transportation initiatives that have helped fill gaps in our region. Hear about key RTE-funded projects and gain connections to support your community as we work together to implement transportation solutions throughout the Southern Interior.
There will be an opportunity for discussion, and all participants will be encouraged to connect and share about regional transportation opportunities, solutions and ideas.
- Laurel Douglas, CEO, ETSI-BC
- Erin Toop, Principal, Toop Consulting Ltd.
- Community Futures Central Kootenay: Rural Ride-Hailing Feasibility Study
- Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association: Thompson Okanagan Transportation Connectivity Engagement
- Okanagan College: Okanagan College Transportation Review
- RTE Funding Recipients
Click here for the presentation.
Bringing Natural Assets into the Balance Sheet
Date: December 11, 1:30 -2:30 pm Pacific Time
This will be an opportunity for ETSI-BC communities to learn about natural asset management and how accounting for nature in our financial decision making can improve environmental and economic outcome for communities. This sessions provides valuable information on how municipal, First Nations and provincial governments can undertake natural asset management planning and the resource needed to make it happen.
This webinar will bring the latest in economics and policy as it relates to natural asset management and allow community members to ask questions of some of Canada’s leading experts in the field.
Key features of the webinar include:
- Introduction to natural asset management
- Overview of the data, processes and methods used in natural asset management.
- A summary of perspectives from communities who have undertaken or are undertaking natural asset management.
- Overview of the resources available to communities who want to develop a natural asset management plan for their land base
Speakers:
- Roy Brooke, Executive Director, Natural Assets Initiative
- Mike Kennedy, PhD, Founder & Chief Technology Officer, Green Analytics Corp.
- Mike Kennedy, CPA, CA, Chief Financial Officer, City of Rossland
More News & Stories
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.
Stepping up the PACE of Inclusive Employment in Penticton
Creating flexible, part-time job opportunities for workers with barriers has been the driving force behind The Penticton & Area Cooperative Enterprise (PACE) for more than 20 years. Hundreds of employees have found sustainable jobs with local employers based on PACE’s job-sharing model to fill full-time positions.
With support from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC), PACE has standardized and expanded its model to ensure more people can access paid work in the community and employers have access to labour market solutions, which are increasing economic growth in the Penticton area and beyond.
Columbia Valley on a Roll as Film Production Provides Region-Wide Benefits
With its spectacular landscapes and the small-town charm of communities like Radium, Invermere and Fairmont Hot Springs, the Columbia Valley in the East Kootenay region has been the backdrop of film productions for decades. In 2024, Columbia Valley Community Economic Development (CVCEDO) built on this momentum by hiring a Film Coordinator to ensure the Columbia Valley was the location of choice for two new productions and create a strategy for long-term growth of the film sector. The project was supported with a grant from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC).
CF Central Okanagan Leadership Program Teaches Businesses Sustainability Practices
An innovative program to help new and expanding businesses build sustainable business practices (SD) into their ventures has resulted in a model for long-term business growth and economic capacity building in the Okanagan. The Sustainable Business Development Leadership Program created by Community Futures Central Okanagan was supported by the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC). It provides valuable insights into Sustainable Business Practices and the training serves as a model that could be shared with Community Futures clients in other regions.
Benefits of Social Enterprise Explored in the Boundary
Backed by ETSI-BC, the Trails to the Boundary Society (TTTBS) are helping nonprofits move beyond grants to build sustainable revenue.