Fernie Chamber of Commerce receives funding to hire Economic Recovery Advisor

The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC)has given the  Fernie Chamber of Commerce the necessary funds to hire a full-time Economic Recovery Advisor for the Elk Valley.

The Chamber said it received the funding on behalf of the Elk Valley Economic Initiative to hire the new advisor who will be working on a 12-month contract.

This new position will look at business retention and expansion opportunities, carry out market research, and develop community profiles for attracting investments.

“We were excited with the interest shown by communities and business support organizations throughout the Southern Interior to hire Recovery Advisors through this funding,” said Laurel Douglas, CEO of ETSI-BC. “We are delighted to provide this assistance in our region with support from the Province of British Columbia as it delivers on its StrongerBC Plan.”

Fernie Chamber of Commerce said it partnered with an number of organizations in the region to develop the grant application.

“We are collectively very excited about this unique opportunity to build the foundation for the Elk Valley’s economic recovery from the pandemic and future economic development with this new position. The new Elk Valley Economic Recovery Advisor will be tasked with conducting thorough market research and business outreach, including a Business Retention & Expansion survey. This research will inform the creation of new action plans, reports, and investment profiles for the entire Elk Valley corridor, as well as the individual communities of Elkford, Sparwood & Fernie,” said Brad Parsell Executive Director of the Fernie Chamber. “We are sincerely grateful to ETSI-BC and the BC provincial government for this funding and look forward to the very important economic development work this position will achieve.”

The Chamber is accepting job applications for the position until Friday, May 14th at 5 p.m.