File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development Roly Russell

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Building resilience and diversity in rural B.C. economies

Aug 17, 2022 | 9:33 AM

A DIVERSE ECONOMY IS STABLE AND RESILIENT. These might seem like buzzwords, but stability and resilience matter in the lives of people across B.C.

Diversification happens naturally over time as communities grow, services grow with them, and entrepreneurs are able to take a business from an idea to a successful enterprise. But most of British Columbia’s rural and remote communities grew up around a single industry. It is these same communities that have built the British Columbia we know and love today. And we know that every British Columbian benefits when rural B.C. is thriving.

All businesses are subject to shocks and downturns, whether due to economic shifts, pandemics, natural disasters or otherwise. When that happens to a community that relies on one employer or industry, the impacts on community are often felt widely and intensely.

Our government is working to help communities change that. While we can’t stop global economic shifts or natural disasters from happening, we can help small communities diversify their economies so that they are better prepared to weather the next storm that might disrupt any one industry.

We can also use diversification to strengthen communities in other ways. For example, we’ve supported rural communities that wanted to build abattoirs and greenhouses across B.C. This certainly diversifies local economies, but it also helps improve local food access and security, softening the next supply-chain disruption. We’ve supported tourism projects to help attract more visitors and transportation infrastructure projects so goods and people can move safely and efficiently. And we’ve supported water infrastructure projects, which are so vital in every community to be able to undertake any kind of expansion.

TWO & OUT

PETERS: Celebration from Iranian ex-pats speaks louder than our skepticism of Trump

14h ago

LOOPED IN

LOOPED IN WITH NIKKI OMEN: March 5, 2026

Mar 05, 2026

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Supporting British Columbians through the Strategic Investment Fund

Mar 05, 2026

We’ve committed to bringing high-speed internet access to every community across our province by 2027. This will open up new worlds of economic opportunity, improve and stabilize emergency communications, help attract and retain new residents, and give everyone improved access to education, government services and more.

Critical minerals are needed for the transition to a cleaner economy, again providing an avenue to diversify our local economies. Not only do we now have more mining projects creating jobs and access to these vital materials, but the industry is constantly innovating across rural B.C. with electrification, byproduct use and hydrogen adoption.

Finally, we know that our workforce and work itself are changing dramatically in the province. B.C. will have over one million job openings in the next decade, and we need to make sure that people have the skills to match those jobs. We’re working closely with industry and post-secondary institutions to create the Future Ready Skills Plan, part of our StrongerBC Economic Plan, so rural communities and businesses have the people and skills they need to thrive, and we’re supporting people to find fulfilling, well-paying careers in the rural communities that they know and love.

Our StrongerBC plan works to help deliver these benefits for — and with — our rural communities, helping prepare those communities for the opportunities ahead.

Layoffs hit families hard — and this doesn’t change that. But I hope there is some comfort knowing that the province is working with people, local governments and businesses, to help ensure that our communities are in the best possible position to thrive. This involves supporting diverse, resilient and stable economies that will provide meaningful jobs today and for generations to come. It involves helping communities reach their full potential, and I’m happy to be part of a government that embraces that mission.

——

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.