Community Impact

Window shopping at it’s best with the combination of two amazing businesses… Need a mini getaway this pandemic? A new two-in-one flower-and-jewelry shop could be just the ticket. Enter the co-store of florist Christine Pavlik, owner of Delilah Gene, and jeweler Kat...

Long Time Bottling Plant Coming Back to Life It is a place steeped in history. In the days of steam engines, the town of Illecillewaet boasted a train station, hotel and sawmill. It was at Illecillewaet that trains acquired their water, and while the advent of coal...

Local Health App Booming It started as a hobby meant for his own personal use, but Cronometer, the brainchild of Aaron Davidson, has turned into a full scale tech company employing seventeen people locally and five remotely. “I created Cronometer for myself in 2005...

What began as a dream job for Matt Yaki has morphed into a company has morphed into a company that is thriving locally, travels internationally, and is employing up to ten staff every summer.  “Wandering Wheels started fairly organically,” explains Matt. “I was...

Northern Touch Contracting (NTC) is a burgeoning local company that specializes in renovations. The brainchild of Brian Marfleet, NTC came into being thanks to the Community Futures Self Employment Program. Brian had come to town in 2012 and worked for various...

Jenn and Josh McLafferty on Making a Dream Come True “We thought we could build the cheapest distillery in history,” laughs Jenn McLafferty as she recounts the planning phases of Monashee Distillery, the business run successfully by herself and her husband Josh. “We...

Hard Work Makes a Successful Garage It has been seven years since red seal mechanic Tom Patry bought Grizzly Auto. Tom had worked at the shop previously before spending a winter as the resident cat mechanic at Mustang Powder.  “Mustang Powder was a fun place,” he...

What it took to grow a thriving food and beverage enterprise.  It was 2010 and Olivier Dutil and Sonja Ratte were hard at work at the Woolsey, behind the scenes in the kitchen. Both trained chefs, they were proving to be a powerhouse team.  “Originally we wanted to...