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.
The Township of Spallumcheen, the oldest rural municipality in the BC Interior, shares a long agricultural heritage along with the nearby City of Armstrong and has established itself as a “Farming First” community. In 2020, the community did a feasibility study to identify gaps in the regional agri-industry which showed a local Agri-Hub would address these gaps and ensure a resilient, regional food system. The Township purchased a local property to be the future location for the Agri-Hub, strategically chosen for its proximity to three major highways that extend across Canada and beyond based on the current state of US Canada relationships.
The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) had previously funded a project for Spallumcheen that helped strengthen its agricultural brand and align the Township’s marketing, with input from residents and businesses.
The plan is being completed in phases, with the current phase focused on identifying financial requirements to create the Agri-Hub, its scope of services and governance model. It also addresses competition, funding opportunities as well as potential partners and collaborators to implement the final plan.
ETSI-BC spoke to Spallumcheen Mayor Christine Fraser about the project.
Why did this project need to happen in your community?
After the heat dome, wildfires and highway closures caused by flooding in 2021, Council heard a lot from local farmers and food producers who told us how hard it is when transportation routes are cut off – and how quickly they could become isolated without nearby processing or production options. In some cases, they simply couldn’t get their products to people who wanted and needed them. Those conversations underscored how important local food-producing facilities are for our community.
How is this project different from similar projects such as food hubs?
Our focus is on creating more agricultural processing on a commercial scale to give residents and producers more local options. This helps set us apart from other food hubs while supporting both our producers and the local economy.
We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel – we just want food processing to happen closer to our local producers so they can stay competitive and keep operating. Supporting our agricultural industry matters to us and developing this area is one of the ways we are doing that.
How will you measure the success of the business plan project?
The business plan in its current form is an essential building block to advance full development of the Agri-Hub. We are fine tuning the desktop version while working closely with agricultural associations, not-for-profits and private businesses interested in starting up agricultural production facilities. The ultimate success of the project will reflect the success of our producers.
The Small-Scale Meat Producers Association (SCMPA) recently came on board as our first tenant, with the opening of a butcher hub offering cut-and-wrap services. It’s been a huge success and we’re really excited to see this business providing a much-needed option for our farmers. We’ve already had conversations with the SSMPA and the Agricultural Land Commission about the possibility of expanding the Agri-Hub’s services to include poultry processing.
In the long-term, the Hub will create skilled jobs, enhance food security, lower barriers for small and emerging producers through shared-use spaces, and provide opportunities for youth training and agri-entrepreneurship.
What’s next for this project?
The township and project stakeholders remain open to new ideas from our agricultural community provided through open houses, farming round tables and the work of our Agricultural Advisory Committee. Once the plan is fully implemented, the Agri-Hub, fuelled by sound business planning, will position the North Okanagan as a leader in agricultural innovation.