Economic Strategy & Impact Tool

Data-driven insight for every community in British Columbia

Pinpoint sector strengths • forecast ripple-effects • unlock grant funding—all in one interactive workspace.

What will I gain?

Your Task

How Economic Strategy & Impact Tool Helps

Council or Board briefing One-screen Industry Matrix reveals at-a-glance which sectors are concentrated, growing, or vulnerable.
Prioritize investments & policy Strategy Recommendations instantly tell you whether which sectors are good candidates for DiversificationStrengthening or Recovery economic strategy.
Prove impact for grant applications Employment Impact Calculator converts job estimates into total economic benefit.
Engage stakeholders Intuitive heat-maps & bubble charts turn complex data into clear talking points everyone can grasp.

 

Trusted by organizations across British Columbia

Z

Economic Trusts

Regional and local views and benchmarks for 26 Regional Districts and 88 local areas supported by Economic Trusts.

See examples:
ETSI-BC • NDIT • ICET

Z

Regional Districts

Detailed insights into advanced economic indicators at Regional District level.

See examples:
Central Okanagan • Northern Rockies

Z

Municipalities

Local insights in the hands of economic developers, elected officials, investors and general public.

See examples:
Port Alberni • Cranbrook • Langley City

Z

Chambers of Commerce

Support your business community and help them uncover business opportunities.

See examples:
Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce

Z

Regional Organizations

Regional organizations with custom boundaries can support communities in their service area.

See examples:
Kootenay Employment Services

Core Economic Dependencies Dataset

  • Z
    Data: BC macroeconomic model (Input-Output Tables) applied on top of All Regional Districts and 103 Local Areas. Census 2021 and 2016.
  • Z
    Level of detail: all Regional Districts and 103 Local Areas.

Advanced indicators included for every user

Indicator

What it answers

Industry Diversity Index Is our economy broad=based or highly specialized?
Location Quotient Do we rely on this sector more than the BC average?
Employment Impact Ratios How many indirect and induced jobs per direct job?
Income Dependencies What income sources (wages, transfers, other) sustain us?
Local Supply Shares Are we net importers or exporters of key services?

Typical questions solved in minutes:

  • Which industries out-perform or lag provincial benchmarks?
  • How can investors or grant reviewers understand our economy at a glance?
  • How diverse is our economic base?
  • What if there’s a forestry downturn—how exposed are we?
  • How is employment by industry shifting since 2016?
  • How does our population growth compare with neighbours?
  • What makes us unique in a regional context?

Premium Feature Spotlight

1. Industry Matrix

Colour-coded heat-map of LQ, employment, supply-chain share, income dependence for 40+ sectors by NAICS code.

Visualize Location Quotient vs. employment vs income dependency vs employment impact ratio. Spot outliers fast.

2. Strategy Recommendations

Rules engine classifies sectors into Diversification, Strengthening, Recovery buckets. Advanced filters let you refine the shortlist before it hits the council agenda.

3. Employment Impact Calculator

Enter direct jobs gained/lost in a sector → see local indirect & induced effects plus income impact. Perfect for grant applications, understanding the impact of major changes in local employment, and “what-if” analyses.

Built for

  • Economic Development Officers & Planners
  • Councillors & Regional Directors
  • Grant-writers & consultants
  • Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs)

Success Story

“…Altogether, the Economic Dependencies section of the CityViz data portal has emerged as one of our most used tools. In the two and a half months since the data became available, we have used it for grant applications, the master plan for another municipal department and orientation sessions with Council…”

—  Pat Deakin, Economic Development Manager, Port Alberni

Z

Key Insights

Automated interpretations of trends and changes across regions and local areas

Z

Easy Benchmarking

Easily benchmark regions and areas against both regional and provincial averages.

Z

Contextual Navigation

Intuitive switching between topics and indicators and dynamic charts for seamless data exploration.