Kelowna is already strong in high technology, agriculture and wine, aerospace, manufacturing, construction, and tourism.
However, it can get even stronger with the arrival of an office of the PacifiCan business development agency in Kelowna.
“I really believe the local economy will benefit from having PacifiCan boots on hand to improve local understanding,” said Krista Mallory, manager of the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission.
Kelowna will have an office of the economic development agency PacifiCan, which will replace Western Economic Diversification. “Class =” img-responsive “src =” https://www.kelownanow.com/files/files/images/Kelowna%20from%20the% 20sky ( 1) .jpg “style =” margin: 5px; “/>
Kelowna has had a Western Economic Diversification office in the past, but has not had one for some time.
A location for the Kelowna PacifiCan office has not yet been determined, nor is it known how many people will be working on it.
It is known that PacifiCan will have a budget of $ 553 million over the next five years to fund other groups and economic development initiatives.
The PacifiCan Kelowna office was a recommendation by the Regional Economic Recovery Task Force consisting of the Central Okanagan Regional District, the parishes of Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country and Peachland, and West Bank First Nation.
The task force realized early on in the pandemic that a regional approach was needed to ensure the Central Okanagan recovered as soon as possible.
Over the past few years, Western Economic Diversification has provided UBC Okanagan with $ 630,000 to bolster international recognition and export opportunities for BC wine. $ 3.4 million for the public space of the Okanagan Center for Innovation; $ 315,000 for upgrades to Memorial Park in West Kelowna; $ 970,000 for eight interior infrastructure projects; $ 473,000 to accelerate Okanagan for clean, indigenous and rural technology; a $ 840,000 stake for Kelowna International Airport to develop routes to the United States; a $ 2.9 million share for Accelerate Okanagan to support local technology companies and executives; $ 8.3 million in COVID recovery programs offered by the Women’s Enterprise Center; $ 4.5 million for Community Futures Central Okanagan for pandemic relief and recovery; and $ 1.9 million to UBC Okanagan in support of clean technologies and sustainable materials.
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