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.
From Numbers to Insight to Action
Data is a vital tool to help make better decisions for economic developers, organizations, communities, and regions. It allows for evidence-based decision-making about important issues such as: where to put time and effort, how best to support current and new projects or businesses, and which projects are the most important at any given time. Good data helps measure the impact of these decisions over time too.
ETSI-BC understands the importance of data in telling the stories of our region, and is committed to supporting individuals, organizations and communities to use data to their advantage.
Regional Data Platform
The ETSI-BC regional data platform helps tell those stories by providing a regional context in terms of data on population size, labour force, industry sectors and business counts that can be used to complement community-level data and provide context. This platform can also be used to support funding applications (i.e. growing population may justify a new need), to provide relevant data to attract developers (i.e. seniors housing) or to support private sector businesses seeking a new location with specific demographics.
Supporting the Region’s Data Appetite
During the 2020 ETSI-BC consultations with stakeholders, the need for help accessing and using data was identified. To help the practitioners throughout the Southern Interior access and utilize data more effectively, ETSI-BC also commissioned two data webinar training series in 2022 and 2023.
Both webinar series were developed and delivered by Community Futures East Kootenay with a focus on supporting smaller and rural communities. In total, more than 500 participants from all corners of the Southern Interior took advantage of the 10+ sessions of training, which was a resounding success.
“The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insight.” ~ Carly Fiorina, former CEO of HP
Outcomes of Using Data to your Advantage Webinars
The first webinar series was hosted in early 2022, facilitated by the knowledgeable CED Coordinator af CFEK, Robyn Peel. The webinars provided a strong introduction to the concepts, a helpful resource document for anyone to use, and featured numerous experts from around the region.
Finding data can be a challenge for smaller communities, so guest speaker Jayme Jones from the State of the Basin spoke about the data that is available and how to use it. Participants then learned from Dr Sarah Breen from Selkirk College about how to look to fill data gaps through primary research tools such as surveys and interviews as well as looking for proxy data. Mike Stolte of the CIEL ensured everyone knew how best to tell their story with the data they had.
Data 201 Topics and Insights
In Spring 2023, the second webinar series brought together a community of practice by highlighting examples from around the Southern Interior. Participants learned how data could help drive economic and tourism strategies. Communities such as Salmon Arm, Grand Forks, Hope and Creston shared how they are using data to support planning and decision-making for housing and labour market needs, disaster planning and recovery and how they are accessing data to measure economic and event impact. Recordings of these inspiring presentations can be found on the ETSI-BC website.
“This entire series is helping me develop my new role further and building a strong foundation for upcoming and future projects.”
~ Data series participant
Next Steps
The feedback from the two series has been incredibly positive, with more than 90% of participants rating each session at least an 8/10, and almost half of those rating the sessions with a 10/10. High praise for a topic some would consider a bit dry!
As a result, ETSI-BC has again engaged Community Futures East Kootenay and the intrepid Robyn Peel, their CED Coordinator, to roll out the introductory training session again in early 2024. This new and improved series will allow even more individuals and organizations across the region to use data to their advantage, and connect with a community of others who value data-driven decision-making and storytelling. These linkages with other practitioners are vital to strengthening the fabric of collaboration in the BC Southern Interior, and helping all our region’s communities succeed.
More information about the 2024 Data Series will be shared in December 2023. Make sure to sign up to be part of this growing community of practice!
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.