Tag Archives: Vancouver Island Economic Alliance

Community, Development

This Week: 2025 Rural Islands Economic Partnership Virtual Forum

The 2025 Rural Islands Economic Partnership (RIEP) Virtual Forum is coming up on Thursday, March 6 and Friday, March 7. Two of the organizers, Francine Carlin and Kate Maddigan are my guests today.

“ It’s going to be a jam packed two half days, 9:15 AM to 12:30 PM.  Our virtual events are really unique because we all live on islands or remote coastal communities and don’t have the opportunity to get together as a collaborative regional grouping. So it’s important to have these virtual events that bring together people from all across the coast and the islands, up from North Island as far as Alert Bay, to Sooke and beyond. So we have a pretty broad reach and this year it’s really important, particularly with the events in the world around economic  issues that relate to  our local  economic and social wellbeing,” explained Francine Carlin, Chair of the Rural Islands Economic Partnership. 

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Politics, Transportation

B.C. rolls out rural transportation surveys but the roadmap for action is unclear

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

B.C. is examining long-standing roadblocks to intercity transportation for rural communities on Vancouver Island and other underserved areas in the province.

The province is spending $2.5 million on in-person and virtual community consultations and online surveys to study passenger transportation gaps faced by rural and remote areas on Vancouver Island and parts of the coastal mainland, as well as B.C.’s north and southern Interior. 

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Business

Lunch & Learn: Growing local businesses beyond our borders

Two experts are coming to Campbell River to teach local entrepreneurs how to grow their businesses beyond our borders. Brady Calancie oversees Export Navigator on Vancouver Island, on behalf of Export Canada. Julie Sperber is the CEO of the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance. Together they oversee Foreign Trade Zone VI, Vancouver Island.

“That’s a special designation given to Vancouver Island under their umbrella from the federal government. Normally foreign trade zones are created around individual municipalities, but because Vancouver Island is so unique, they basically deemed all of Vancouver Island a foreign trade zone. It may include the Gulf Islands. I can check with Julie on that,  I’m sure it would,” explained Mary Ruth Snyder, Executive Director of the Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce.

Sperber and Calancie are the guest experts at the Chamber’s ‘Lunch and Learn,’ at 12:00 PM, May 16 in the Anchor Inn, Campbell River. 

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