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The Government of Canada has granted Foreign Trade Zone Point designation (FTZ-VI) to Vancouver Island, through the efforts of Vancouver Island Economic Alliance (VIEA). The designation has been a priority project for VIEA, and Economic Development Cowichan has contributed financially to this island-wide initiative to mature and diversify a sustainable island economy. The FTZ will help island businesses produce goods for export through programs designed to defer duties and taxes to improve...

Economic Development Cowichan is working in partnership with the provincial Young Agrarians to promote a new land match program in the Cowichan Valley. The program will be profiled at the Vancouver Island Land Linking Workshop on Saturday, November 24, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Cobble Hill Farmers Institute Hall. If you’ve got land or you’re a farmer looking for land, the workshop is a great opportunity to network and learn more about land lease arrangements through the BC Land...

A new economic development strategy for Ladysmith is highlighting how partnership and collaboration will lead to new opportunities for the town and surrounding communities. The strategy, authored by lead consultant and economist Jamie Van Struth, is the result of a collaboration between the Town of Ladysmith, Stz’uminus First Nation, the Nanaimo Airport, the Ladysmith Chamber of Commerce, the Ladysmith Downtown Business Association, and Community Futures Central Island. Economic Development...

On Friday September 21, 2018 Economic Development Cowichan brought together local planners, financial institutions and funding agencies, developers and designers, and non-profit organizations for a workshop called - Creating Housing in Cowichan: From Ideas to Action. The event continued the conversation from the March, Missing Middle workshop, and explored the ways in which we can work collaboratively to move the dial on attainable housing projects. The event featured presentations to an...

Paramount Picture’s major motion picture Sonic the Hedgehog is currently being filmed in downtown Ladysmith! “We searched all over B.C. and have chosen Ladysmith as our hero town for our movie,” said Abraham Fraser, the location manager for the film. Don’t let the Sonic movie prep keep you away! The town encourages you to continue shopping at local businesses amidst the filming and to consider it an added attraction. The streets and storefronts have been transformed for the set and there are...

An exciting new partnership between the Wine Islands Growers Association (WIGA) and Dr. John Volpe from UVIC has been formed to conduct cutting edge research on the production of wine across Vancouver Island. The project has recently been awarded funding from the Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia (IAF) and is the first initiative of its kind looking into the molecular properties of grapes. Great wine starts with great grapes. An exceptional wine is achieved if grapes are...

On August 23, EDC brought together representatives from Vancouver Island University (VIU), School District 79, Apple Canada and local industry for a fun night of networking and to learn more about a new tech training initiative for Cowichan. EDC, VIU, School District 79, Apple Canada and Community Futures have been developing a proposal for a new local tech training program. The goal of the program is to respond to the industry’s need to access skilled workers, an idea that was detailed in the...