State of Rural Canada 2021
Opportunities, Recovery
& Resiliency in Changing Times

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Photo Credit: Danielle Robinson

By Sarah-Patricia Breen and Danielle Robinson

British Columbia’s Rural Landscape

the criteria used by the Province of British Columbia when
determining if a community is eligible for rural funding
programs (<25,000), the size of BC’s rural population is
between 600,0002 to 1,000,000 people.1,2 Rural BC covers
upwards of 275 census subdivisions, includes incorporated
and unincorporated communities, and is spread out across
eight development regions (see Figure 1).

The first edition of the State of Rural Canada described
rural British Columbia (BC) as a dynamic and evolving
landscape. This remains an apt description. Who and what
are rural is not static.
The current estimated population of British Columbia
is 5.1 million.1 Depending on whether you use Statistics
Canada’s definition of “rural and small town” (<1,000) or

Figure 1: Development Regions of British Columbia3

Qualitatively, there is more variation in defining rural
BC, depending on who is being asked and the situation.
A coarse filter for rural and urban would see urban as
Greater Vancouver and Victoria, and rural as everything
else - although the small communities within these urban
regions may disagree. Communities like Nelson, Williams
Lake, and Terrace can be both rural (provincially) and
urban (locally). Distance also plays a role, with differences
along a continuum from urban-adjacent communities to
remote (fly-in or boat-in) communities. Access to services
(e.g., health) and critical infrastructure (e.g., broadband),
local economic diversification (e.g., single industry,
natural resource based), geography (e.g., mountainous
terrain, coastal islands), as well as cultural and social

factors all add further layers to the complexity of the rural
landscape in BC.
What is clear is that there is substantial variation across
rural BC. For every “rural BC” trend or observation there
is a community, or more likely several communities,
for which this may not ring true. To summarize the
opportunities, recovery, and resilience across rural BC is
a challenging task; particularly while also meaningfully
including the many First Nations and other Indigenous
peoples on whose unceded traditional lands this province
is built. Our aim is to provide a thoughtful provincial
overview, while recognizing and acknowledging the
breadth of rural BC.

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British Columbia’s Rural Realities
There are common themes that are almost ubiquitously
important across BC. Demographics, local economic
development, climate change, housing, workforce,
technology and innovation, and – most recently – the
response to COVID-19. Each of these comes with
opportunities and challenges and is part of a complicated,
overlapping, and integrated landscape. The variation of
rural BC nuances how each theme is experienced, and
the resulting trends, opportunities, and challenges. While
there are similarities, each manifest differently across
rural BC. Fundamental rural challenges, including capacity
limitations, large distances, and small populations, as
well as place-specific factors change the context of these
conversations.

Figure 2: Forest fires and Population Centres in
British Columbia, 201810

Variation across rural BC is also seen across the economic
structure of communities. Natural resource sectors are
an important part of the BC economy. Rural communities
are more likely to have the highest dependence on these
sectors, particularly those communities with populations
under 10,000.4 However, with the growth of economic
opportunities from tourism, cannabis, technology,
and remote work, the economic structure of rural
communities in BC is changing. Rural BC is, in fact, more
economically diverse than perhaps expected.
We have identified four examples with broad applicability
across rural BC to explore trends, challenges, and
opportunities in further detail.

Trend: Climate Change Accelerated
Record-breaking wildfires and more frequent flooding
have seriously impacted rural BC over the past several
years.5 In May 2018, intense rain combined with
mountain snowmelt caused the Kettle and Granby Rivers
to overflow their banks. The flooding event in Grand Forks
was the worst flooding BC had seen in 70 years and 60 cm
higher than ever recorded as homes, businesses, and farms
were submerged in flood waters.6 Other regions (e.g.,
Thompson-Okanagan) also experienced historic flood
levels in 2018.7
The floodwaters had not even receded before the worst
wildfire season recorded in provincial history began. The
2018 fire season surpassed the previously record setting
2017 fire season with 2,115 fires burning 1.35 million
hectares (ha), incurring $615 million in fire suppression
costs8, and releasing an estimated 190 million tonnes of
CO2 emissions.9

These events caused thousands of evacuations and
damage to private property, infrastructure, natural and
cultural resources, and the environment.6,10 The 2018 fires
impacted over 400,000 ha of parks and protected areas,
over 300,000 ha designated as wildlife habitat areas,
over 200,000 ha in scenic areas, and about 130,000
ha in old growth management areasi.11 Related cultural
services (e.g., recreation, aesthetic appreciation) were also
negatively impacted even in regions without fire damage,
since the high fire risk resulted in campfire bans, off-road
vehicle prohibitions, limitations on outdoor activity due to
heavy smoke, and even full backcountry closures.8
There were also significant economic consequences.
Tourism revenue loss was $139 million from the
2017 fire season alone, with cancellations because of
smoke, road closures, and evacuation alerts/orders.12
Merchantable timber went up in smoke. Agricultural
sector effects included impacts on Crown rangeland used

i Note that these areas can overlap. One hectare can provide for one or more values.

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in cattle ranching and crop damage such as smoke taint
(unpleasant burnt flavours) in grapes.13 Small businesses –
a critical element of the rural economy – faced barriers to
rebuilding in areas hardest hit by the wildfires because of
displaced staff, lost customers, and reduced revenue.14
The social-cultural, economic, and environmental costs to
rural BC are expected to increase due to climate change,
accelerating the frequency and severity of forest fires.5
Future flooding is also impacted by climate change,
through changes in precipitation and temperature, as
well as by fire damage increasing the risk of soil erosion
and flooding in downstream communities.15 Rural
communities need to be prepared on multiple fronts, by
having broad climate change adaptation and economic
resilience plans, as well as specific wildfire protection
plans that include treatment or management of fuel in
surrounding land.

Challenge: Forest Sector Crisis
While natural resources can be economic opportunities,
dependence on natural resources can make communities
vulnerable to rapid changes in these sectors. While it
is communities that are impacted, the source of these
changes is typically outside community control, including
global factors (e.g., commodity prices) and provincial
factors (e.g., policy or regulatory change). BC’s forest
sector is one example. The forest sector is critically
important to BC, both past and present. There is no region
where the forest sector is absent. Many communities are
(or were) anchored around a sawmill or pulp and paper
mill. The forest sector has also experienced restructuring
over decades that continues to have an impact today.
In 2019 the forest sector experienced a rapid downturn,
brought on by a combination of impacts from mountain
pine beetle and wildfires on fibre supply, the ongoing
softwood lumber trade dispute with the United States,
high costs, and low prices, all complicated by past
restructuring, labour disputes, changes to timber
supply areas, and a changing regulatory and policy
environment.16,17,18 Rural communities across BC saw the
permanent closure of mills, as well as temporary and
permanent curtailments. At the worst point of 2019,
over 6,000 workers from at least 34 mills across BC
were directly impacted, and many more were indirectly
impacted through knock on effects to contractors and
supporting businesses. Impacts were felt across BC,
although they were significantly greater in the Cariboo
region.
Beyond the obvious economic impacts, communities and
individuals faced social and mental health impacts (e.g.,

increased violence, substance abuse). This was particularly
severe in areas where there have been multiple recent
major events (e.g., fires, floods). Mental health struggles
are particularly challenging in rural places where there is a
lack of local supports, long wait times, or other barriers to
access.
In response to the forest sector crisis, the Provincial
Government implemented various support programs (e.g.,
the Forest Employment Program, temporary deferral of
stumpage fees), and impacted communities also identified
a wide range of responses, including identification of
new opportunities.19, 20 Continuing changes within the
forest sector are expected. Some are simple, such as
the positive impacts of the recent rise in lumber prices.
Others are more complex, bringing opportunity and
uncertainty, including implementation of BC’s Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, changes to Old
Growth management, provincial timber supply review, as
well as changes in technology and future wildfire risk.19,21
Communities need support from the Province to adapt
to this changing landscape. A strong Provincial vision for
a renewed and sustainable forest sector would provide
clarity and direction for rural communities.

Opportunities: The Digital Economy
Connectivity increasingly impacts all facets of daily life,
including access to employment, training, and services.22
Connectivity offers rural BC a wide range of opportunities,
including new resident attraction, as well as the
development and expansion of businesses and industry.
BC is considered a leader in connectivity and technology
in Canada, with many rural examples of community and
regional connectivity initiatives, as well as a strong rural
tech sector.23, 24 Between 2016-2018 the number of tech
businesses increased in the North Coast development
region, as well as in the Mainland/Southwest, ThompsonOkanagan, and Kootenay development regions.24
However, rural growth can be hard to calculate as rural
specific data is lacking. Data at the development region
level is typically more reflective of major urban centres.
For example, trends from the Thompson-Okanagan better
reflect Kelowna and Kamloops than the rural areas.
There is growing access to digital skills training and
capacity building across rural BC. As businesses worked
to shift online during COVID-19, temporary programs
like Innovate BC’s Digital Economy: Rapid Response and
Recovery were rolled out across the province. However,
access to connectivity remains unequal across rural
BC, meaning that while opportunities are growing,
there are those who are being left behind. Additionally,

15

there is variation in the digital divide that requires an
intersectional lens – for example, working to account for
not only differences in access and skills between rural and
urban, but also between Indigenous and non-Indigenous
people.25
Despite BC being considered a leader, rural inequities
and connectivity challenges related to connectivity have
been ongoing for years, and are expected to continue.
Barriers like long distances and challenging terrain mean
that connectivity costs are high.25 According to a 2019
report, 93% of BC households had access to internet
that meets the current CRTC standard.25 However, rural
Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities continued
to lack access (35% and 33% respectively).25 Additionally,
it is important to acknowledge that reported “available”
internet speeds do not always reflect user experiences,
suggesting fewer households actually have adequate
access than what is reported. While internet access in BC
has been improving relative to comparable jurisdictions in
Canada, affordability is worse. Rural BC pays an estimated
23% markup on connectivity services compared to urban
areas.25
The growing digital economy brings both opportunities
and challenges. Presently, the landscape across BC is
unequal – with many communities lacking access to basic
internet speeds, and missing out on opportunities as a
result. Communities with growing numbers of remote
workers and a growing tech sector face challenges as well
as benefits, necessitating good planning and collaboration.

COVID-19 in Rural British Columbia
While initial outbreaks of COVID-19 were concentrated
in urban areas, by 2021 rural communities were also
experiencing outbreaks, particularly in the Northern
Health region, which had more than 20 new infections per
day per 100,000 residents, more than any other health
region in the province.25

sector has been especially hard hit.4 Targeted funds to help
rural businesses and communities recover from COVID19’s economic impacts are being administered through
multiple channels, including through the Rural Economic
Recovery28 fund, through Community Futures,29 as well as
the Northern Development Initiative Trust,30 the Economic
Trust of the Southern Interior31 and the Island Coastal
Economic Trust.32 By April 2021, BC’s rural and small town
employment was -2.7% compared to the average for the
same month in previous years.
The provincial government prioritized vaccines on First
Nations reserves due to limited housing and health care
facilities and distrust in the health system.33 By early
March 2021, more than 24,000 Indigenous people in
113 communities had received a COVID-19 vaccine. In
addition, about 12,000 residents of Prince Rupert
and Port Edward on the North Coast were among the
first communities in Canada to vaccinate all eligible
residents in response to persistent clusters of the virus.34
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted rural inequities in
health and childcare services, housing, and broadband
access. COVID-19 also revealed the vulnerability of
the tourism sector, a sector previously seen as a less
vulnerable way to diversify rural economies. However,
the pandemic also re-characterized urban features like
density and busy cultural attractions as threatening, while
rural characteristics such as sparse population and access
to natural environments became increasingly attractive
especially for remote workers.35 Counter-urbanization
patterns have accelerated as a result.36,37 While new
resident attraction is an opportunity, rural migration
also has challenges, including increased real estate
competition and rising house prices. Awareness of power
relations in the political reconstruction of rural place will
be critical, as are new approaches to rural services and
supports.31 Local responses to COVID-19 varied across BC,
including many unique, place-based approaches like that
of the Kitimat area described in case study #1.

The initial province-wide shut down in early spring 2020
greatly impacted employment and supply chains for retail
and service sector businesses, as well as major industrial
employers in rural BC.26 When rural and small town
employment is compared to the average for the same
month in previous years, rural and small town BC reported
a difference of -25% in April 2020.27 Work from home
alternatives were particularly limited in areas without
broadband and with limited childcare. By September
2020, employment rates had improved, but BC continued
to have the fourth largest rural small town COVID-19
employment gap when compared to September, 2019.28
This gap disproportionally impacted women.28 The tourism

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Case Study 1: A Rural Response to COVID-19: Kitimat
By Greg Halseth and Laura Ryser
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the community
of Kitimat has faced a number of issues related to
interruptions to reconciliation processes, the influx of
mobile workers, and business capacity. Ongoing efforts
to strengthen collaborative relationships with the Haisla
in Kitimaat Village slowed down due to the health care
checkpoint into the Kitimaat Village and the increasing
number of people working from home. COVID-19
exposures had been reported at local camps due to the
mobile workforces engaged in LNG projects. While some
operators discouraged their workers from travelling to
town, the community is experiencing more interaction
with mobile workers.
In 2020, the District of Kitimat created two funds
to strengthen the resiliency of local businesses and
organizations during the pandemic. The first fund
was valued at more than $500,000 to support local
businesses. Through this program, the Chamber of
Commerce helped to distribute PPE (e.g., hand sanitizers,

stickers) supplies to local businesses. For a town located
on the coast of BC, the local government also strategically
placed umbrellas around town for people waiting outside
during rainfall events. A full-time local government staff
member was also available during business hours to
answer questions about COVID-19 and related programs.
A second phase of this program will extend into 2021 and
expand supports for local businesses who wish to develop
or strengthen their on-line business model by developing
a website, moving to a digital sales platform, increasing
search engine optimization, or strengthening strategic
on-line marketing. Support for local businesses was also
strengthened through a local Christmas campaign. The
second fund, also valued at $500,000, was designed to
strengthen the resiliency of community groups. Potential
support included providing PPE to support the daily
operations of community non-profits.

Case Study 2: Resilient Indigenous Language
Revitalization
BC’s growing Indigenous population is also growing
in Indigenous language proficiency.39 From cultural
immersion environments for young children and their
parents,40 to a new Bachelor of Nsyilxcn language fluency
program at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan
campus,41 and Indigenous language-based tourism
projects in Haida Gwaii,42 many Indigenous communities
in rural and small town BC are working to revive their
languages. Ensuring diverse Indigenous languages flourish
for future generations is essential because each contains
unique wisdom, knowledge, and world views.
Language revitalization is part of the cultural revival
working to overcome the effects of colonization, including
the devastating cultural losses from previous epidemics
like influenza, measles, whooping cough, and smallpox
which ravaged BC’s Indigenous population.43
The First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC),44 a
provincial Crown Corporation which administers the
First Peoples’ Heritage, Language and Culture Program,
highlights the creative ways Indigenous language
revitalization projects in rural BC modeled resiliency by

incorporating new technology and adjusting processes
to safely continue language revitalization work during the
present pandemic.45
For example, pre-COVID-19, a Kwak’wala Indigenous
language revitalization program in Northern
Vancouver Island involved meeting weekly with Elders
to record words and phrases. When in-person sessions
became impossible during COVID-19, microphones
were provided for Elders to connect to tablets, so they
could continue to translate and record words. The
language was then shared online in written form with
a link to the recorded pronunciation so speakers and
learners could hear the spoken words. More than 60
hours of new recordings have been made that were not
previously available in a digital format. In fact, there has
been increased community interest in connecting with the
language online during the pandemic using social media. 45

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The Future of Rural in British Columbia

Change as the New Normal

This chapter concludes with an overview of the future of
rural in BC, speaking to the lessons, policies, and practices
needed to support rural resilience in the long term. Of all
the potential needs to support a resilient rural future, two
stand out: reconciliation and adaptation to change.

There have been notable periods of stability in British
Columbia’s past, but this is no longer the case. The global
pace of change is too rapid. If we look to the past five
years, there were trends, and then there were COVID
trends – and the changes happen quickly. What would
have previously been seen as once in a generation shifts
in technology now occur regularly. Cumulative impacts
enhance complexity. Change, and uncertainty, is the new
normal. Of all the lessons learned or practices needed for
the future, the ability of senior governments and rural
communities to adapt quickly is the most important.
BC’s rural communities have shown resiliency before and
during COVID-19 and have the potential to continue
adapting and thriving in a dynamic future.

Ongoing Reconciliation
In 2016, there were 270,585 Indigenous people in British
Columbia, making up 5.9% of the population.46 Almost
70% of Indigenous people in BC live outside large
urban centres.47 Indigenous people’s deep knowledge
of and connection to rural and remote land in BC has
been resilient in the face of historic and contemporary
challenges.48 The first State of Rural Canada noted that
unlike most provinces in Canada, BC has considerable
areas where land was not ceded by Indigenous peoples
and has not been settled through treaty negotiations.
BC’s Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation,
in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous
organizations such as the British Columbia Assembly
of First Nations and other governmental organizations,
is working to renew treatymaking in BC with a focus
on lasting but flexible government-to-government
relationships that recognize the inherent rights of
Indigenous people.49 BC is the first province in Canada to
recognize Indigenous peoples’ human rights in BC law22 in
alignment with The Truth and Reconciliation Commission
(TRC) of Canada: Calls to Action50 which confirmed the
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples as the framework for reconciliation in Canada.
Colonial constructs such as reserves, residential schools,
prohibitions on Indigenous ceremonies, and discriminatory
child welfare regulation have had lasting and
intergenerational effects. These are particularly pervasive
at the intersection of Indigeneity, gender, and rurality.51
Indigenous women and girls report violent victimizations
at a rate 2.7 times higher than that reported by nonIndigenous women and girls.52 Travel to and from isolated
communities is risky. Hitchhiking is often a necessity
because there are no transportation alternatives. Many
areas also lack cell coverage for emergencies. Dozens of
women and girls, most of whom are Indigenous, have
been murdered or gone missing since the 1970s on BC’s
Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert.53
The Red Dress movement calls for transformative legal
and social changes to address the systemic origins of
violence against Indigenous women and girls.54 There are
many stories of resilience and innovation from Indigenous
peoples across BC, like that of Indigenous language
revitalization as previously discussed in case study #2.

Record floods and wildfires, forest sector crisis, climate
change, a global pandemic – these are by and large
outside the direct control of rural communities. But
communities can control how prepared they are to face
these challenges. In response to COVID-19, there has
been a staggering number of community-led initiatives
from across rural BC. While there were similarities in the
types of activities, the differences in their approach and
execution highlights unique differences in place – and
how understanding place, combined with resources and
capacity, can have substantial local benefits. By engaging
in proactive planning and capacity building, including
building regional networks and working collaboratively
with senior government, rural communities will be able to
adapt to new situations.
Upper level governments need to build an explicit
understanding of rural into policy and program design.
This is important in order to prevent unintended
consequences, as well as to reduce the barriers that
prevent rural communities, businesses, and individuals
from accessing government programs. This understanding
can be built through tools and data, through coconstruction of policy and programs, and also through
lived experience. Rural BC may be home to government
operational staff, but rarely have government policy staff
existed outside Victoria or Ottawa, something COVID-19
has demonstrated is possible through working remotely.
Enabling increased presence of senior governments in rural
BC is one avenue through which to build an understanding
of the variation across rural into policy.

18

Final Thoughts
The accelerated pace of change continues to be borne
out in reality. In the short time since the initial writing of
this chapter, BC has advanced to Phase 3 of the provincial
COVID-19 restart plan. As the Province re-opens, we are
seeing a changed landscape, one where digital skills and
services continue to play an increasingly important role.
Uncovering the remains of hundreds of children at the site
of former residential schools – including two in BC to date
– has underscored the need for action on reconciliation.
The climate vulnerability of rural communities has been
demonstrated through the severity of the 2021 wildfire
season and devastation of Lytton, BC.
Whether rural, urban, Indigenous, non-Indigenous - all
British Columbians come from resilient people and we
thank our resilient ancestors through actions that support
the well-being of our people and places.48 Thinking of the
trends, challenges, and opportunities discussed in this
chapter and looking forward, we invite readers to consider:

• BC’s natural resource sectors will continue to be a
critically important component of the rural landscape.
However – these sectors will no longer operate as they
have in the past, requiring communities and individuals
to adapt.
• The ubiquity of connectivity in all aspects of daily life
makes rural broadband access critical. It is unacceptable
to have such unevenness in the level of services across BC.
• All levels of government need to work together to coconstruct flexible and place-based policies and programs
that recognize the variability of rural needs, capacity, and
priorities.
• Long-term rural resilience requires true reconciliation,
a process that will take time and broad, ongoing
commitment to collaborative action as Indigenous
peoples continue to practice self-determination.

• Climate change will continue to impact rural BC in new
and potentially devastating ways. Rural communities need
to work collaboratively to build resilience.
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