OUR DIVERSIFYING ECONOMY
Best known as a single-industry metallurgical coal mining town with a cyclical resource-based economy, Tumbler Ridge is increasingly challenging these perceptions as dynamic new entrepreneurial opportunities and economic sectors emerge. Our diversifying economy is positioning the community to off set and cushion the local economy from future resource downturns.
Word is spreading about Tumbler Ridge! Our status as an international visitor destination and savvy investor hotspot has been enhanced exponentially by our 2014 UNESCO Global Geopark designation. Add to that, our growing reputation as a hub for world-class wind energy generation and scientific research and the pieces are slotting into place for our community.
We invite you to read on to find out more about some of our key economic sectors and some of the gaps in those sectors. You will notice that some of these industry sectors, particularly metallurgical coal mining, are well established in the community, while others will afford you incredible opportunities to genuinely shape the future.
OUTDOOR RECREATION
Tumbler Ridge has unparalleled potential for growth in recreational and tourism businesses. The accommodation, restaurant, and retail sectors offer tremendous opportunities for expansion. Additionally, there is room for growth in specialized areas such as outdoor recreation and education, photography, art courses, and wildlife viewing. Businesses that support and enhance our UNESCO Global Geopark designation, such as guides, are also poised for growth.
A recent study indicates that outdoor recreation in B.C. is a significant economic powerhouse that provides more than 15 billion dollars in economic value to British Columbians annually. Outdoor recreation provides many benefits, including community health and social inclusion, reconciliation through Indigenous involvement in recreation planning and management, connection to nature, and economic benefits such as jobs and tourism. (Reference Outdoor Recreation Council BC)
REMOTE / HYBRID WORKER
Now, more than ever we recognize how remote workers and entrepreneurs contribute to the local economy. During the Pandemic, it was also very apparent that organizations have come to realize that where you work does not matter.
NATURAL Resources AND CLEAN ENERGY
Tumbler Ridge has an expanding and diversifying natural resource sector which, in turn is attracting innovative and dynamic companies and an increasingly skilled labour force to service these diverse sectors. Our most prominent existing natural resource and clean energy assets can be found in the metallurgical coal mining, wind energy generation, natural gas extraction and forestry sectors.
Our resource sector has recently received an additional boost by the announcement of the $40 billion Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) pipeline that will be built near Tumbler Ridge. Additional LNG projects are also in the works together with the expansion of the Tumbler Ridge Community Forest which will undoubtedly create substantial economic opportunities in Tumbler Ridge.
TEAM BUILDING
Tumbler Ridge is a hidden gem destination for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) in northern BC.
Medical & Personal Health
Rural health practitioners are in high demand from an active and outdoorsy clientele. Join our growing contingent of medical and other health care practitioners who are finding that their careers are flourishing while also living the dream lifestyle!
- chiropractors
- naturopaths
- physiotherapists
- and more!