Economic Development Cowichan (EDC) has relaunched its recovery dashboard as the State of the Cowichan Economy report. This new report takes a broader view than the previous series, highlighting the latest data and economic trends for the Cowichan Valley Regional District, and will be published twice a year.
In response to the unprecedented impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the region, EDC began publishing a dashboard of economic and social indicators to track our progress towards recovery in early 2021. Click here to view past reports. While the effects of the pandemic are by no means over, broader issues are making an increasingly significant impact on our daily lives. Issues such as the labour and housing shortages have their origins long before the pandemic. Consequently, EDC has broadened the scope of its reporting to include these larger trends.
In our first State of the Cowichan Economy report, we highlight new demographic data recently published from Census 2021, as well as information on labour and business, building and real estate, tourism and transportation. The data shows that Cowichan’s population is growing due to inward migration, bringing much-needed new entrepreneurs and workers to our region. However, while residential construction is booming, we are still far from having enough housing for everyone. We also continue to see the varying impacts of the pandemic on our tourism industry.
“This expanded report allows us to track not only the impacts of the pandemic, but other issues impacting our economy,” said Brittany Taylor, Acting Manager of Economic Development Cowichan. “The State of the Cowichan Economy series will help inform and guide the efforts of local government, community organizations, businesses, and others.”
Download State of the Cowichan Economy – Spring 2022
Our next State of the Cowichan Economy report will be published in Fall 2022. Subscribe to EDC’s newsletter to be notified when it is released.
