Caroline Barnhart

This Regional Employment Lands Inventory and Gap Analysis assesses the supply and utilization of employment-supporting lands within the Regional District of Central Okanagan to proactively plan for future needs. The report analyzes anticipated employment growth, land use demand across different categories, and the available land supply with associated constraints. It culminates in a gap analysis identifying potential shortfalls or surpluses in serviced employment lands to ensure the region's long-term economic diversity and resilience.

This document outlines the Regional Board's strategic priorities, designed to guide the organization's focus and resources towards important goals, services, and needs. The plan identifies six key areas: Emergency Preparedness, Environment and Climate, Growth and Development, Health and Wellness, Transportation, and Truth and Reconciliation. These priorities serve as the foundation for the organization's actions and decisions, with detailed success measures and actions outlined in a separate document.

The meeting began with a Land Acknowledgement. Key discussions included the introduction of new Advisory Committee Members, specifically Brandon Farr and Taylor Wylie, and Councillor Randey Brophy joining as the District of Peachland representative. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the iGen (Innovation Generation) Challenge, where the teacher lead and career consultant explained the high school business plan pitch competition, its reach, and opportunities for mentorship and sponsorship. The COEDC 2026 Update reviewed the organization's mandate, 2025 accomplishments (including launching the Roadmap to Resiliency Strategic Plan), and 2026 priorities such as workforce strategy development and trade show attendance. A committee member praised the COEDC's effectiveness as a regional economic development service. The meeting concluded with an interactive session on Building a Regional Business Ecosystem, focusing on industry opportunities and how the COEDC can provide support.

The meeting focused primarily on the presentation of findings from the Workforce Profile & Strategy project, conducted by Deetken Insight. Key discussions included the regional workforce profile, which highlighted the economy's dependence on small businesses and diverse sectoral dynamics across industries like construction, tourism, healthcare, and digital tech. The committee addressed cross-industry workforce priorities related to recruitment, retention, and skills development. Recruitment priorities involved increasing early exposure in K-12 education, enhancing immigration pathways and support, developing talent attraction campaigns, and strengthening post-secondary institution (PSI)-industry relationships. Retention priorities focused on industry collaboration and adopting leadership models to retain young talent. Skills development centered on strengthening PSI-industry collaboration for training pathways and expanding experiential learning opportunities, especially for small and medium-sized companies. The presentation was followed by new business items and adjournment.

The meeting included an update on the COEDC Pilot Project concerning the Grocery Innovations Canada Delegation, detailing opportunities and challenges related to export growth, transportation, infrastructure, and regulatory hurdles for food producers. A significant discussion centered on the UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation for Kelowna, focusing on potential opportunities, required workforce skills, the definition of gastronomy, governance structure, sustainability in agriculture, and the importance of sharing regional stories. New business included updates on the Workforce Profile quantitative analysis, Retention, Recruitment and Skills development focus results, facilitating seasonal labour work visa extensions, and the launch of the West Kelowna EcDev Corporation.