Agri-food sector represented 135 businesses in Squamish in 2021
The District of Squamish and Small Business BC, in partnership with Tourism Squamish and Squamish Chamber of Commerce, has released a Squamish Agri-food Impact Study to measure the impacts of the agri-food sector on the Squamish economy and identify opportunities for sector growth. An integral component of both the local and national economy, the sector consists of farms, ranches, fisheries, food and beverage processors, wholesalers, retailers and food-related services.
The study, funded in part by the Province of British Columbia, provides a comprehensive overview of the sector’s development, structure, impact, opportunities, and challenges as well as potential actions for growth.
“Squamish’s agri-food sector is vibrant and thriving and provides countless benefits to the local community from food security to tourism, to offering a greater selection of dine-out and tasting options for local residents and visitors,” says District of Squamish Mayor Karen Elliott. “The recommendations of this study will help to further boost the industry through such initiatives as increased sustainable agricultural and food production processes, waste diversion initiatives and more opportunities for our workforce.”
The study identified four key themes for ongoing focus:
Labour attraction and retention along with revenue, sales and cost management were identified among the biggest challenges facing the industry as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic coupled with the high cost of living and labour supply shortage in the region.
While local agri-food businesses already perform well in the adoption of sustainable business practices, key opportunities lie in aligning operations with principles of the sustainable circular economy framework, which was a framework adopted by the District in 2021. Trends such as local food procurement and an increased preference for environmentally sustainable food sources offer great potential for the sector’s social and environmental impacts.
About the Squamish agri-food sector
In 2019, 120 local agri-food companies were reported, representing a five-year sector growth of 21% compared to the provincial growth rate of 13%. Growth further accelerated during the pandemic, with the addition of 15 businesses to the sector for a total of 135 Squamish businesses in 2021. Squamish’s agri-food sector also represented significant employment locally, supporting 2,130 direct, indirect, and induced jobs and total wages of $49.9 million in 2019.
About Economic Development
The District of Squamish Economic Development department supports sustainable economic development which considers the economic, social, and environmental well-being of local residents.
With the goal of encouraging strategic investments and economic growth in priority sectors, the department works to generate new employment and economic resiliency, as well as provide business intelligence by conducting research and providing economic development expertise to internal staff and external stakeholders.
This work informs policy development, investment and business decisions and is complemented by a range of programming and partnerships to support local sectors of our economy.
For more information, visit http://investsquamish.ca.
June 3, 2022
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