Industry Associations

British Columbia Economic Development Association (BCEDA) is the leading professional association of economic development practitioners in the Province of BC. BCEDA currently has over 280 members from communities throughout the Province. BCEDA provides services that helps member communities grow and expand new and existing businesses, attract new business investments, and work towards strategic infrastructure investment, land use planning, and community enhancement.

EDAC is Canada’s national organization of economic developers pursuing excellence in the field since 1968. The association offers its members professional development, networking opportunities and a comprehensive offering of resources, both on and offline.

A non–profit organization that acts as the provincial voice of firms active in the industrial, commercial, institutional, and multi-family residential construction industry. The Association’s mandate is to provide leadership and excellence in the representation of – and service to – British Columbia’s construction industry.

Established in 1918, Canadian Construction Association’s (CCA) vision is to build Canada with ethics, skills and responsibility. CCA’s mission is to be the national voice for the Canadian construction industry.

The Association is an active, integral part of our community’s economic development. We are committed to providing affordable, quality housing to the residents of Kamloops, the Thompson Nicola Regional District and other neighboring communities by (1) Providing education, training and information to both association members and community members (2) Creating and delivering high quality construction services to the Kamloops and area community (3) Keeping pace with new techniques and innovations (4) Lobbying regulatory bodies to improve the affordability of housing.

The Southern Interior Construction Association (SICA) is a non-profit organization with over six hundred and twenty members. Our construction industry members are involved in the Industrial/Commercial/Institutional (ICI) and Multi-Family Residential sectors in the Southern Interior of BC, and are comprised of General Contractors, Trade Contractors, Manufacturers & Suppliers, as well as firms providing Professional Support Services to the construction industry.

The TRU Generator will help develop those skills and teach you how to take an entrepreneurial approach to building your business or career.

Kamloops Makerspace is a non-profit society dedicated to serving the creative community in the Thompson Nicola Region. We operate a space in Kamloops where hobbyists, inventors, artists and innovative people from all walks of life, can come together and share their enthusiasm and knowledge.

Kamloops Innovation is a non-profit society that serves the Central Interior region of British Columbia, and is a BCIC Acceleration Network partner. They are a community of technology entrepreneurs and mentors that are passionate about helping each other succeed. They are creating an ecosystem where tech companies can go from an idea to an innovation, and are supported in developing a business around their technology.

Founded in 1898, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) is the leading technical society of professionals in the Canadian Minerals, Metals, Materials and Energy Industries. CIM maintains three main objectives: to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and technology, to foster networking, professional development, and fraternity and to recognize excellence and outstanding achievements in the minerals industry.

Geoscience BC is an industry-led, not-for-profit, applied geoscience organization. Geoscience BC works in partnership with industry, academia, government, First Nations, and communities to fund applied geoscience projects with the objective to attract mineral, oil and gas exploration to British Columbia.

A registered society that serves to generally promote the interests of mining and prospecting for minerals, metals and petroleum.

The Mining Association of B.C., one of the oldest associations in the province, represents the collective needs and interests of coal, metal, industrial mineral companies and smelters in British Columbia. In doing so, MABC has come to be regarded as the predominant voice of mining in British Columbia.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines is responsible for the management of B.C.’s energy, mineral and petroleum resources to ensure environmental protection and worker safety.

The Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) advocates for the interests of British Columbia’s $22.3 billion visitor economy (normalized year). As a not-for-profit tourism industry association, TIABC works collaboratively with its members – private sector tourism businesses, industry associations and destination marketing organizations – to ensure the best working environment for a competitive tourism industry.

The Destination Marketing Organization works to promote and market Kamloops as a tourism destination year round. They work in conjunction with the City of Kamloops, Kamloops Accommodation Association, Destination BC and other tourism marketing organizations.

The BC Wilderness Tourism Association was born out of a need to have an organization that would be focused on land use issues faced by nature based tourism operators. It has its roots in a previous organization called the “Wilderness Tourism Council” a group who represented approximately 850 nature based businesses during the 1980’s. Today, the WTA works to improve communications between tourism operators, governments and other industry sectors with respect to wilderness conservation and access to wilderness tourism opportunities.

The Nicola Thompson Fraser (NTF) Sustainable Forest Management Plan fosters forest management practices based on science, professional experience and local public and First Nations input that contribute to the long-term health and productivity of forest ecosystems, a strong economy and thriving communities throughout the Plan area.

COFI works with governments, communities, organizations and individuals to ensure that forest policies in B.C. support the forest sector and, as a result, those who are dependent on the sector for business income or family supporting jobs. They work within the national and international Canada Wood partnership to improve market access at home and overseas to increase demand for members’ products.

BC Wood is a not-for-profit trade association that supports B.C. businesses that manufacture wood products. They are a voice for the industry, bringing innovative ideas to the table and insight into how they can strengthen B.C.’s wood culture. They are leading the industry by creating a culture where wood is the first choice for all types of construction and design products.

A member-driven organization advancing the interests of Canadian wood pellet producers. Their goal is to help members grow through promoting the role of wood pellets in the Canadian and global markets, supporting market and technical research, and encouraging fair and open energy trade.