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ICET grants $10,000 to assist tourism in Cowichan Lake area

Funding will support the development of action-focused plans
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Laketown Ranch, which hosts Sunfest among other festivals, has expanded tourism at Cowichan Lake. (Lexi Bainas/Gazette)

The Island Coastal Economic Trust has committed $10,000 to support the tourism sector in the Cowichan Lake region.

The region is one of three areas on the Island that will receive a total of $27,000 in ICET “Quick Start” funding to begin implementing strategies to provide growth to their tourism sectors.

The others are Ucluelet and Gabriola Island.

In the Cowichan Lake area, the funding will support the development of action-focused plans to grow the region’s tourism sector.

The process will be led by Community Futures Cowichan in partnership with Economic Development Cowichan and other community and First Nations stakeholders.

The “Quick Start” stream of the economic development readiness program can provide up to $15,000 to help communities with limited resources “jump start” new economic development strategies.

The funding can be used to implement easy-to-realize projects or to bridge the planning gap for more complex initiatives.

As the name implies, the goal of the program stream is to move plans to action, as quickly as possible.

“The region’s tourism potential has grown exponentially in the past few years, thanks to the thousands of visitors attracted to the newly built Laketown Ranch outdoor entertainment venue and the Pacific Marine Circle Route,” said Cathy Robertson, general manager of Community Futures Cowichan.

“This increased visibility has created a unique opportunity to leverage our natural assets into new tourism amenities which will help keep these short-term visitors in the region longer, and entice them to return.”

Phil Kent, ICET chairman and mayor of Duncan, said early successes and “tangible deliverables” are essential to build the momentum required to fully implement economic development strategies.

“When stakeholders see plans quickly coming to life, that energy leads to increased community engagement and partnerships, the first step in community-based revitalization,” he said.



Robert Barron

About the Author: Robert Barron

Since 2016, I've had had the pleasure of working with our dedicated staff and community in the Cowichan Valley.
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