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Building Economic Development Capacity

Last updated on October 19, 2023

Communities in B.C. are growing their skills and knowledge by using tools and resources to reach their goals. This section shares stories and resources to help communities create plans and develop strategies, measure results, collaborate, access funding and more. 

Ride-Hailing: What can Local Governments Expect?

B.C.’s new ride-hailing framework came into effect on September 16, 2019. Companies are applying to operate throughout the province, and drivers may be on B.C. roads this fall. What will ride-hailing mean for your community, including driver record checks, local bylaws, business licences and enforcement?

Join officials from B.C.’s ministries of Transportation and Infrastructure and Municipal Affairs and Housing to learn about the new ride-hailing regulatory framework, including changes to local governments’ powers. 

Speakers: Project leads from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Presentation Slides:

For more information about ride-hailing in British Columbia visit the Transportation Network Services web page.

Watch the Ride-Hailing webinar originally broadcast on October 10, 2019.

How Can Free Trade Agreements Benefit Your Community? 

Canada has a key business and first mover advantage as the only country to have Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with all other countries in the G7—the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.  What do these agreements, along with agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA), and the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) mean for you and businesses in your community?

Join officials from the BC Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology to learn what FTAs cover and how they work, how to access the opportunities in them, and what services are available to assist you.

Speakers: Ben Kolisnyk, A/Senior Manager, Chelsie Luciani, Senior Manager and Havind Sehmi, Manager with the Ministry of Jobs, Trade, and Technology

Presentation Slides:

Watch the Free Trade Agreement webinar originally broadcast on October 3, 2019.

Rural Dividend 6th Intake Info Session: Application Tips and FAQs

The 6th intake of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development's Rural Dividend program will be open June 15th to August 15th, 2019. Join the Program Team for an overview of the Rural Dividend Program - with information for new applicants, how to apply to the program, and highlights of what's new for this round. Following the presentation, there will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions.

Speakers: Rural Policy and Program Branch Staff

Presentation Slides:

Watch the Rural Dividend 6th Intake Info Session webinar originally broadcast on July 15, 2019.

2018 Local Economic Development Survey - Explaining the Survey Findings

In an ongoing effort to support evidence-based policy and programming in B.C. and across-government the Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology, in partnership with UBCM, surveyed local government staff and economic development organizations and practitioners throughout the province. The results of the survey provide insights into how economic development is delivered and funded; what communities see as their priorities, assets, and challenges; the shape of partnerships in B.C.; and deeper dives into things like sustainability, tourism, and small business.

This webinar will look at some of the key findings of the survey and what insights they might have for your communities economic development planning and strategies.

Speakers: Art Kaehn, Chair, UBCM Community Economic Development Committee and Alex Zachernuk, Senior Economic Development Analyst, Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology

Presentation slides:

2018 Local Ec Dev Survey - Results Overview (PDF, 1.7MB)

Watch the Local Economic Development Survey webinar originally broadcast on June 17, 2019.

Rural Dividend Info Session: 6th Intake Overview and Updates

The 6th intake of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development's Rural Dividend program will be open June 15th to August 15th, 2019. Join the Program Team for an overview of the Rural Dividend Program - with information for new applicants, how to apply to the program, and highlights of what's new for this round. Following the presentation, there will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions.

Speakers: Mathew Scott-Moncrieff, Manager and Sarah Wysiecki, Program Analyst - Rural Policy and Program Branch

Presentation slides:

Rural Dividend 6th Intake Info Session (PDF, 3MB)

Watch the Rural Dividend Info Session webinar originally broadcast on June 13, 2019.

Community Gaming Grants: 2019 Capital Project Grants Info Session

The Community Gaming Grants program distributes $140 million of commercial gambling revenues per year to not-for-profit community organizations throughout the province. Each year a portion of that budget is allocated to capital projects undertaken by not-for-profit organizations that cost between $20,000 and $1.25 million dollars and that provide significant benefit to their communities.
 
Learn more about the grant, including eligibility criteria, how to apply, and the assessment process for determining which organizations will receive funding. The first half of this presentation reviews eligibility, required documentation and the application. The second half is a Q&A with Branch staff.

Speakers: David Pyatt and Matt Dell, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Community Gaming Grants Branch

Presentation slides:

2019 Capital Projects Presentation (PDF, 2MB)

Watch the Community Gaming Grants webinar originally broadcast on April 25, 2019.

Regulation and Opportunity in the Recreational Cannabis Industry

The recreational cannabis industry is expanding rapidly, and presents both challenges and opportunities for communities in B.C. that are looking for job growth while balancing land use, safety, and public health concerns. This webinar will look at how the industry is being regulated, and what types of economic development opportunities there may be for communities and First Nations.

Speakers: Josh Huska, Licensing Manager and Terry Rowsell, Director of Stakeholder Relations and Communications (Ministry of Attorney General, Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch); Peter Guo, B.C. Cannabis Industry Services Leader & B.C. Enterprise Risk Services Leader, MNP LLP

Presentation slides:

Watch the Recreational Cannabis Industry webinar originally broadcast on February 5, 2019.

Strategic Planning for Economic Development

Using the Strategic Planning Toolkit as a foundation, we'll explore in-depth a handful of stages in the strategic planning process. You'll hear from your peers in B.C. communities who have used the Strategic Planning Toolkit in different ways: Gold River's community consultation process; 100 Mile House's engagement with municipal council; and the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine's process of turning strategic ideas into action plans. 

Participants will be encouraged to think about their own economic development strategy process and share their experiences of what has worked (and what hasn't). 

Speakers: Kathy Lachman and Marc von der Gonna (Regional Economic Operations Branch, FLNRORD), Geoff Millar (consultant, Gold River), Joanne Doddridge (100 Mile House), Deklan Corstanje (Regional District, Kitimat-Stikine).

Presentation slides:

Watch the Strategic Planning for Economic Development webinar originally broadcast on December 4, 2018.

Rural Dividend Program: 2018 Intake Info Session

The BC Rural Dividend Program provides $25 million a year to assist rural communities with a population of 25,000 or less to reinvigorate and diversify their local economies. The program is focused on supporting projects that help rural communities navigate changes impacting their economies, such as attracting and retaining youth, using innovation to drive economic growth, and developing new and effective partnerships to support shared prosperity. 

The Program’s fifth application intake period is currently underway and will close on Tuesday July 31, 2018. Join the Rural Dividend Program team for a webinar to learn answers to frequently asked questions, recommendations for strong applications, and tips for navigating the online application form. 

Presentation Slides:

Watch the Rural Dividend Program webinar originally broadcast on July 17, 2018

Economic Reconciliation: Charting the Pathway

As Dr. Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., stated at the Walk for Reconciliation in Vancouver: “We will never be truly reconciled until we achieve economic reconciliation.” 

What is “Economic Reconciliation” and how do we chart a pathway towards it without reinforcing broken patterns of economic colonization and control? 

This webinar will offer: 

  • Reflections on some of the critical underlying principles needed to form the foundation for true economic reconciliation 
  • Examples of economic reconciliation in action from B.C. communities to help de-mystify the process 
  • An opportunity to engage in a conversation that focuses on specific actions you can take to decrease barriers and increase economic reconciliation momentum

Featured Guest: Paul Lacerte, co-founder of the Moosehide Campaign, managing partner of Raven Capital Partners.

Presentation slides:

Watch the Economic Reconciliation webinar originally broadcast on June 7, 2018.

Crowdfunding for Economic Development

Finding the financial resources for economic development projects is a problem faced by every community in B.C. What if there was a way to access local funds while also increasing the engagement of local citizens in your project?

InvestLocalBC is a "crowdfunding" platform created by CommunityFutures Stuart-Nechako for public, private, and non-profit projects in B.C. communities. It emphasizes local citizen engagement in projects, and encourages deeper involvement than a typical GoFundMe or Kickstarter campaign. Join us for a demo, and stay for a discussion of how to build your own highly successful local financing campaign.

Presentation Slides:

Watch the Crowdfunding for Economic Development webinar originally broadcast on May 3, 2018.

BC Economic Atlas: New features and functionality

Now updated with more features and full mobile support, the BC Economic Atlas is a user-friendly web based mapping application that draws from an extensive library of economic and natural resource data sources to conveniently create custom maps. Users can layer data from a variety of sources (including user-imported data) and use mark-up tools to produce customized maps and reports of relevant economic and natural resource information for informational, investment or decision-making purposes.

Hear from our economic development expert on how to use and effectively leverage the newly added features of this free tool, including live demonstrations and walk throughs. Check out the tool prior to the webinar at: www.gov.bc.ca/economicatlas

Watch the BC Economic Atlas webinar originally broadcast on November 2, 2017.

Economic Development 101

Economic development represents a wide variety of activities a community can choose to undertake. For those new to the field, it can be daunting to know where to start or what activities might be right for their community.

Join us for an engaging dialogue on the key drivers of economic development and why they are critical to realizing your community’s potential. By exploring topics such as business retention and expansion, investment readiness and regional collaboration, you will walk away with a deeper appreciation of economic development, and ideas on how you can accelerate efforts in your community.

We’ll also highlight a number of tools and resources that can help save time and money in your current economic development efforts - even if you aren’t new to the field.

Presentation Slides:

Watch the Economic Development 101 webinar originally broadcast on March 30, 2017.

Indigenous and Local Government Collaboration on Economic Development: A Dialogue of Understanding

Local Leaders Series

Effective economic development requires regional cooperation and collaboration with all neighbouring communities. This webinar will provide a foundation for building strong relationships between Indigenous communities and local governments to realize mutually beneficial economic development opportunities. This workshop is designed to help facilitate relationship building through:

  • Comparing the differences in opportunities for Local Government and Indigenous economic development
  • Providing Local Governments a perspective on the Indigenous economic development context
  • Strategies for determining mutual priorities and working together effectively
  • Building strong relationships based on trust and respect

Watch the Indigenous and Local Government Collaboration on Economic Development webinar originally broadcast on March 23, 2017.

Economic Development Disaster Planning and Recovery

Unexpected events like earthquakes, floods, spills or wildfires quickly cause devastating damage. All-to-often, economic recovery becomes a piecemeal reaction to these events, rather than a planned response.

Studies show that at least one in four businesses will not re-open after a catastrophic event, which can have severe consequences for a community’s economy.

This webinar will highlight resources and strategies to help your community plan for recovery from the unexpected, including but not limited to:

  • Developing an economic resilience program, including pre-disaster strategic planning
  • Small business continuity, support and preparedness
  • Assistance/access to capital and disaster relief resources
  • Communications before, during and after a disaster

Presentation Slides:

Watch the Disaster Planning and Recovery webinar originally broadcast on March 21, 2017.

Smart Economic Development with the Strategic Planning and Performance Measurement Toolkits

Local Leaders Series

We all know strategic plans are important, but it can be challenging to dedicate the resources to develop something that all-too-often stays on the shelf.

The Economic Development Division has developed a Strategic Planning Toolkit and accompanying Performance Measurement Toolkit that will help you build a concise, measurable and immediately actionable plan that won’t collect dust.

Provincial staff will demonstrate how the tool’s self-assessment, planning templates, facilitation materials, and discussion guides will save you time and money in developing a strategic economic development plan tailored to your community’s needs.

Presentation Slides:

Watch the Strategic Planning and Performance Measurement Toolkits webinar originally broadcast on March 16, 2017.

Economic Development 101 

Local Leaders Series

Economic development is essential to the vibrancy and resiliency of every community. Local government has an important role in positioning communities for success when it comes to growth, diversification and increasing economic benefits.

Join us for an engaging dialogue on the key drivers of economic development and why they are critical to realizing your community’s potential. By exploring topics such as business retention and expansion, investment readiness and regional collaboration, you will walk away with a deeper appreciation of the what and the why of economic development, and ideas on how you can accelerate efforts in your community.

Presentation Slides:

Watch Economic Development 101 webinar originally broadcast on March 9, 2017

Smart Economic Development with the Strategic Planning Toolkit

We all know strategic plans are important, but it can be challenging to dedicate the resources to develop something that all-too-often stays on the shelf. 

The Economic Development Division has developed a Strategic Planning Toolkit and accompanying Performance Measurement Toolkit that will help you build a concise, measureable and actionable plan that won’t collect dust. 

Provincial staff will demonstrate the ease and power of the tool’s self-assessments, planning templates, facilitation materials, and discussion guides that will save you time and money in developing a strategic plan tailored to your needs. 

You’ll also hear from two Economic Development Officers, who will share their experience collaborating on the development of the tool, why strategic planning is so important, and how they will implement the tool in their own communities. 

Presentation Slides:

Watch the Strategic Planning Toolkit webinar originally broadcast on March 2, 2017.

The BC Rural Dividend Fund: Q&A II

The BC Rural Dividend is a program aimed at assisting rural communities with a population of 25,000 or less. The programs will be providing $25 million a year for the next three year towards the purpose of reinvigorating and diversifying the economies of rural communities across British Columbia.

In this webinar, hear about the details of the BC Rural Dividend, and explore some of the frequently asked questions received by program staff. The session will include an overview of applicant and project eligibility, program funding streams, and selection criteria. Participants will also have the chance to ask questions and participate in the discussion.

This webinar is a follow-up of the previously held May 17th event, and will cover program improvements and lessons learned from the last intake. The new program guide as a result of these changes will be reviewed. 

September 15 recording | October 6 recording

Watch the BC Rural Dividend Fund Q&A webinar originally broadcast on September 15, 2016

The BC Rural Dividend Fund: Q&A

The BC Rural Dividend is a program aimed at assisting rural communities with a population of 25,000 or less. The programs will be providing $25 million a year for the next three year towards the purpose of reinvigorating and diversifying the economies of rural communities across British Columbia.

In this webinar, hear about the details of the BC Rural Dividend, and explore some of the frequently asked questions received by program staff. The session will include an overview of applicant and project eligibility, program funding streams, and selection criteria. Participants will also have the chance to ask questions and participate in the discussion.

Watch the BC Rural Dividend webinar originally broadcast on May 17, 2016.

Navigating Performance Measurement in Local Economic Development

Economic development practitioners are increasingly asked to track and report on metrics related to their economic development work. This can be challenging, however, when resources are limited, or if there is a lack of clarity around how or what one should be tracking.

In this webinar, we explore performance measurement in a B.C. local economic development context, including how to overcome some of the barriers faced by communities across the province.

The session will include an overview of what performance measurement really means, and how it can benefit your community and enhance your economic development work. The majority of the webinar will consist of an orientation to the Province’s new Performance Measurement Toolkit. The toolkit features a step-by-step process for creating a measurement work plan and reporting strategy, including templates, tips and many examples.

Watch the Performance Measurement in Local Economic Development webinar originally broadcast on May 16, 2016.

British Columbia Economic Atlas

The BC Economic Atlas is a user-friendly web based mapping application that draws from an extensive library of economic and natural resource data sources to conveniently create custom maps. Users can layer data from a variety of sources (including user imported data) and use mark-up tools to produce a customized map of relevant economic and natural resource data for informational, investment or decision-making purposes. Hear from economic development experts on how to use and effectively leverage this free tool - including live-demonstrations and walk-throughs.

Watch the BC Economic Atlas webinar originally broadcast on May 28, 2015

 

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