If you’re a regular CBC listener, you may have caught a local interview on the airwaves last month. On January 28, Golden local John Bowness, a board director for the Kicking Horse Country Chamber of Commerce (KHCCC), was interviewed on Daybreak South with Chris Walker, a CBC radio show covering the Southern Interior of BC.
Bowness discussed the Chamber’s open letter to local politicians, co-signed by several community organizations, urging the provincial and federal government to prioritize rural and resort communities in Canada’s immigration policy. The letter highlights how recent changes have made it harder for towns like Golden, which depend on tourism and hospitality, to attract and retain foreign workers.
“Recent changes to the system has made it harder for us to attract foreign workers to BC,” Bowness explained. “A lot have left the province and are trying to find a path to Permanent Residency in easier provinces or territories at the moment.”
A Struggle for Small Businesses
One major policy shift impacting Golden is a new cap limiting foreign workers to just 10% of a business’s workforce.
“If you’re a small business of 10 people, and you had two foreign workers, you’re going to have to make a choice when their temporary contracts come up and choose one of those employees,” said Bowness. “That puts the employer in a difficult position, especially in towns like Golden”
“A lot [of foreign workers] have left the province and are trying to find a path to Permanent Residency in easier provinces or territories at the moment.”
A Case of Misclassification
Another issue raised in the letter is Golden’s misclassification within BC’s Economic Development Regions (EDRs).
Currently, Golden is grouped with the Thompson-Okanagan EDR, which includes urban centers like Kelowna and Kamloops. However, the community’s economic characteristics align far more closely with those of the Kootenay EDR.
“Like other Kootenay towns, Golden is a small, tourism-driven community with under 5,000 residents.,” the letter states. “It shares similar challenges, such as higher housing costs, labour shortages, and reliance on small businesses. Provincial agencies like BC Assessment already recognize Golden’s alignment with the Kootenays, yet this is not reflected in immigration policies.”
The Chamber and its co-signing organizations hope that by addressing these concerns, Golden can better support both local employers and foreign workers, ensuring the town’s tourism-driven economy remains sustainable.
To hear the full interview with John Bowness HERE.
If you’re interested in reading the full letter, you’ll find it HERE.
