Economic Development

⇒ Email Kathie LaForge, Economic Development Officer

If you are looking for a place to live, work or invest, we are focused on making Vanderhoof a welcoming and inclusive community, providing low cost housing, affordable taxes, recreational and cultural amenities, a good choice of educational and health services and just an all round great place to be. I know this from experience – I came here for two years in 1978 and after 33 years I’m still proud to call Vanderhoof home.

Vanderhoof is open to business investors and will work hard to provide you with the information and support that you need to make your business decisions. I am very proud of my community and look forward to an opportunity to share some of its highlights with you.

For more information about Vanderhoof, please review our Newcomers' Guide.

Economic Development Strategy

We have worked on a number of initiatives aimed at diversifying our economy, starting with the development of our Economic Development Strategy released in March 2010. Through input from the community we developed a mission for economic development that focuses on serving the needs of area residents and businesses by promoting the community; facilitating a positive environment for existing businesses as well as new business development; advocating for new and improved local infrastructure; and establishing programs and partnerships that contribute to a sustainable and diversified economy. 

For more information on the specific initiatives please click here for these reports:

Economic Development Priorities

Since the release of the Economic Developem Strategy report, the District of Vanderhoof entered into a contract with the Province of British Columbia to work together to take action on economic development priorities of the District. The priorities identified include:

1. Economic Initiatives with an Educational Component
2. Assist with Manufacturing Development
3. Foster Business Development at the Airport
4. Improve Business Climate that will encourage business retention and expansion and attract new businesses.
5. Investment Readiness and Investment Attraction
6. Tourism Marketing

 

⇒ For full details download the Community First Agreement.

» 1. Educational Initiatives

On May 5th, 2011 a meeting was called by Mayor Gerry Thiessen and Municipal Council to ascertain the degree of community interest and support for expanding Post Secondary Education in Vanderhoof and the Nechako Valley.  The meeting was well attended with representation from a wide spectrum of industry, community, education and business interests.  Participants expressed a need to expand the post-secondary education and training opportunities in the Nechako Valley through the development of new programs and facilities that would support trades and technical training, broaden links to advanced education programs and form ongoing student and stakeholder relations.
To further this aim, the Nechako Valley Post Secondary Education Committee (NVPSEC) was formed.  Community members including Gary Blattner, former Director of CNC Nechako; Lori Borth, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources and Alan Fitzpatrick, General Manager of L&M Lumber took the lead along with Mayor Gerry Thiessen; John Bowman, President of CNC; Ray LeMoigne, President of SD#91 Business Company; Maureen Mallais, Director of CNC Nechako Campus; Val Erickson, Project Planner for CNC Nechako and Kathie LaForge, Economic Development Officer.  New members being added as identified.

MISSION:
To expand the post-secondary education and training opportunities in the Nechako Valley.

VISION:
Education forms the foundation of a productive, successful and healthy society.  Communities, businesses, industries and governments that place a high priority on individual skills and academic achievement continue to thrive in the ever changing job and living environment.  Expanding education opportunities, building collaborative shared education infrastructure, and planning well for current and future skill demands help to ensure an economically and socially viable community.

With the support of the Nechako Valley Post Secondary Education Committee (NVPSEC), the District of Vanderhoof plans to hire a consultant to develop an education plan that identifies the Nechako Valley as a priority for increased investment in post secondary education and infrastructure.  We are in the process of securing funds for this purpose with a goal of being able to recruit the Consultant early in 2012.

The Education Plan will include broad community and stakeholder participation in the identification of post secondary training needs to meet the labour force demands now and into the future.  It will then explore ways to respond to these training needs through innovative uses of infrastructure, technology and human resources as well as partnerships with industry, educational institutions and government.

» 2. Manufacturing Development

» 3. Airport Development

We have received an exemption from the Agriculture Land Commission to allow non-agricultural use of a portion of the airport lands.  We completed a marketing study to identify potential opportunities for growth in aviation related businesses and are now working on zoning, bylaws, determination of service requirements and potential costs of development in order to market some of this property to interested parties.

We are also active on an Airport Development Working Group with the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition (OBAC) that will undertake a study of all airports within the OBAC Region to provide recommendations on niche market opportunities, facility upgrades, regulation issues and potential funding sources.

UPDATE:
Various reports related to the upgrading of the airport are available here.

⇒ VANDERHOOF AIRPORT - LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN - March 2010 – EBA Engineering Consultants Limited.

⇒ Airport Marketing Study – Understanding Vanderhoof’s Competitive Advantage – March 2011 – Wave Point Consulting Ltd.

» 4. Business Retention and Expansion Program

The District of Vanderhoof recently partnered with the Province of BC and the Economic Development Association of BC to participate in a Business Retention and Expansion Program.  This program will provide a structured method of connecting with local businesses to understand what assistance they may require in overcoming some of the barriers they face and the opportunities that they are exploring. By understanding common issues and concerns, we will be more successful in providing businesses with the support they need as they make critical decisions related to business start up, downsizing and expansion.  It will ensure regular follow-up and documentation so that we can provide ongoing business care.

» 5. Investment Readiness and Investment Attraction

With funding help from the Provincial Government, we hired a Consultant to work with us to update our Community Profile. This document provides useful statistical information on our community for those that may be interested in relocating here for business or personal reasons.  We will update this document periodically to ensure that the information is relevant. To review a copy of this document is Vanderhoof Community Profile – December, 2010.

One of the common concerns for both businesses and residents is the availability of affordable housing. We determined that it would be helpful to have a public document that was easily readable that provides this type of information. We again received some financial help from the Province of BC to hire a Consultant to put this together for us. 

UPDATE: 

Vanderhoof Residential Assessment – March 2011 – R. Radloff & Associates Inc.

The above report confirms that Vanderhoof is “well positioned” to meet the forecasted demand for housing in our community to 2020 based on existing inventory and proposed developments.  We will, however, be challenged to meet projected demands for rental accommodations should proposed industrial developments become a reality and there appears to be an opportunity for developers in this area.  The average selling price has increased dramatically over the past five years however it is still very reasonable when compared to other communities in the Province.
Rental properties range from an average of $493/month for a bachelor suite to $619/month for a two bedroom and based on an assessment by the property owners half of the rental units surveyed were identified as being in good or new condition. 

We recognize the negative impact that Brownfields (specifically former service station sites) are having on our Highway corridor and have been working with the BC Brownfield Renewal Strategy to learn more about this issue and potential mitigation strategies. One of the property owners has expressed some interest in working with us to explore options for these sites and we are in the process of arranging a preliminary meeting to discuss this further.

The District of Vanderhoof is also gathering information on various revitalization bylaws that can be implemented to encourage investment in such things as industry expansion, housing and commercial enterprises. Further details will be forthcoming on this.

» 6. Tourism Marketing

With encouragement from the Upper Nechako Wilderness Council (Big River Country), the District is looking into the feasibility of becoming a Destination Marketing Organization. 

We contracted with the University of Northern BC – Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Program students to undertake a survey of Accommodation Operators to determine the initial interest in exploring this further. The survey results are quite promising and indicate that there is value in meeting with the operators to move this concept forward. 

The District of Vanderhoof and the Northern BC Tourism Association have co-funded various marketing tools related to the Riverside Park and Nature Trail. The graphics for this project have been completed and we will be proceeding with printing and installation by end of May, 2011.
In addition, the District along with numerous other community partners including Northern Development Initiatives Trust, Vanderhoof Chamber of Commerce, Regional District of Bulkley Nechako, Northern BC Tourism Association, Fort St James Chamber of Commerce and the Fort St James Historic Park have joined forces to upgrade the Hwy 16 Kiosk at the top of the Prince George hill (near Derksen Road). Activities include installation of a toilet, new picnic tables, and a complete update of the tourism related graphics at the site. This project will be completed in stages over the summer of 2011.

UPDATE: Destination Marketing Organization ⇒ View

We are just in the process of firming up plans for the 2011/2012 fiscal year related to development of further Tourism Marketing Tools.

The District of Vanderhoof is participating on the working group for the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako Tourism Plan. We are looking for ways to partner with this organization to increase tourist traffic through our community. One of the first steps in this process, is organizing a meeting of tourism related stakeholders for May 25, 2011 to ensure that they are aware of the programs and services available to them through Northern BC Tourism Association.

The community recognizes the value of hosting events and conferences as a way of increasing tourism revenue to our community and as such, we are proud to be co-hosting the Cycling to Success  2011 Business Forum in partnership with the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako.  More information on this event is available at www.rdbn.bc.ca.

UPDATE:  Councillor, Frank Read and Economic Development Officer, Kathie LaForge attended the Minerals North Conference in Stewart on 27-29 April, 2011.  This was a good opportunity to meet industry and government representatives from the Mining sector and to learn more about the issues facing industry, communities including First Nations and supporting businesses as they work together to further develop a mining sector that will be sustainable (environmentally, socially, culturally and economically) for the long term.  We learned at this event that Terrace was awarded the opportunity to host the Minerals North Conference in 2013.  We were encouraged to try again so Council and Administration will have to explore this further and submit another bid by 31 March, 2012 if we are interested in hosting the 2014 event.