With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1498118
40 INVEST in BC 2 0 2 3 Official Publication of the BC Economic Development Association. In special partnership with BCBusiness. KOOTENAY ▷ Castlegar ▷ Cranbrook ▷ Creston ▷ Fernie ▷ Grand Forks ▷ Invermere ▷ Kaslo ▷ Kimberley ▷ Nakusp ▷ Nelson ▷ New Denver ▷ Radium Hot Springs ▷ Rossland ▷ Slocan ▷ Sparwood ▷ Trail SHARE OF B.C. POPULATION 3.1% M ore distant from major cities than either the Thompson Okanagan or Vancouver Island, the Kootenay region in B.C.'s southeastern corner has long attracted the kind of people who like it that way. Scenic and affordable, yet still connected to the outside world with up-to-date road, rail, air and telecommunications infrastructure, it's the kind of place for a quieter, community-centered lifestyle. Yet even here the impact of remote workers fleeing the urban cost of living has been felt acutely. Cranbrook alone has issued building permits worth nearly $300 million over the past five years, more than double the number from the previous five-year period. Broadstreet Properties opened a 292-unit rental complex, Rockyview Place, in 2021 and is contemplating further phases. The city has also come up with a Tourism Master Plan that, combined with an existing downtown revitalization effort, seeks to make the Rooted in Community B.C.'s southeast offers lofty vistas and a relaxed pace of life LEFT: KOOTENAY ROCKIES TOURISM/MITCH WINTON; TOP: BOUNDARY COUNTRY TOURISM/TINA BRYAN REGIONAL HUB: Cranbrook, the largest city in the Kootenay region, recently adopted a Tourism Master Plan