Chamber holds luncheon on Population Change = Business Opportunities

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The Fort St. John Chamber of Commerce held their monthly Speaker Series Luncheon on Tuesday at the Pomeroy Hotel & Conference Centre.

Guest speaker for the Luncheon was Marleen Morris, Co-Director of UNBC’s Community Development Institute, presenting Population Change = Business Opportunities.

Morris shared the results of the Fort St. John Community profile and highlighted how this will translate to business opportunities.

According to Morris, Fort St. John stands out in population when compared to other Northern B.C. communities as most communities have lost population.

“Looking at our population, Fort St. John has seen steady growth since 1981, except for a little blip in the mid-80s that was consistent with the global economic downturn of the early 1980s. Fort St. John really stands out in terms of Northern British Columbia, in this regard. Many communities in Northern B.C. have actually lost population over this period of time or have remained only stable.”

Morris says that, despite economic cycles, the income trends for Fort St. John have grown in recent years with the highest median of income in B.C. of $104,000 per year.

Morris also says that Fort St. John has a growing senior population and sees this as a business potential since they typically have a greater money reserve and will require in-home care and medical needs.

She also sees immigration as a business opportunity as businesses can adapt and offer products/services that cater to their culture or needs.

For more on Population Change = Business Opportunities, the CDI of UNBC will be holding a series of Brown Bag Lunch Sessions in partnership with The Forge starting on May 2 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 9904 94 Avenue in Fort St. John.

For more information, and to register, you can call 250-261-9917 or email cdi@unbc.ca.