Thank YOU For A Banner Year! Enthusiastically Onward Into 2024!!

The Rural Islands Economic Partnership (RIEP) leads, inspires, and cultivates sustainable economic resilience and community well-being through collaborative initiatives and partnerships for the benefit of BC's rural islands, rural-remote coastal regions, and the Indigenous Communities who have traditional or reserve lands on these lands.

Thank You For A Banner Year!

Season's Greetings from the RIEP Board to British Columbia's

Rural Islands & Rural Coastal Community Network

As we head into a New Year, we do so with more excitement, energy and enthusiasm, thanks in large part to the RIEP Network of committed members, volunteers, RIEP staff team, local businesses, community organizations, NGO’s and partners who collaboratively enabled the development and delivery of new services, programs, and events to communities across BC’s islands and remote coastal communities.

Read On For 2023 Highlights!

Helping Advance Community Economic Vitality with Rising Tide Business Services

Rising Tide Business Services delivered 52 projects to local businesses and non-profit organizations in 2023 — with digital marketing services and business support tailored to the unique needs of rural island and rural coastal businesses ... delivered by local creataive talent.

Through shared purchasing power, Rising Tide clients work with a talented team of consultants at 50% off the typical market rate. We work with small business budgets and organize a passionate project team of local experts to meet your small business needs.

Rising Tide is quickly becoming the local business

go-to resource for marketing and business support, with a track record of success for everything from website projects to ongoing digital marketing and sales support.

Book a Free 30-min Consultation

Visit the New Rising Tide website.

Building A Vibrant Rural Islands-Rural Coastal Network

This was a big year for strengthening connections between our rural island and coastal communities. Through action-oriented, member-driven programs, we were able to leverage those new and stronger connections in order to build waves of support for rural island policy initiatives:

2023 RIEP Forum: Held on Gabriola Island in April, our first in-person RIEP member event in 4 years resulted in a series of Resolutions—read highlights and see photos from the 3-day event.

Connection Cafes: Virtual social meet-ups in June & November opened up the Resolutions process to the entire island and coastal community

Resolution Working Groups: Throughout the summer and fall, volunteer members of RIEP's Resolution Working Groups have begun meeting to create action plans in support of the 2023 Forum Resolutions. Working Groups will continue to meet throughout 2024.

Interested In Participating In A

RIEP Forum Resolution Working Group?

•••

Email: [email protected].

Cultivating Rural Islands & Rural Coastal Community Partnerships

Recognizing RIEP's alignment of common needs and shared goals with BC's rural-remote coastal communities, RIEP members voted, during the November 2023 RIEP AGM, to update the Society's Constitution to reflect this new mandate.

Now, Chemainus, Port McNeill, Sayward, Powell River, and Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations are just a few of the many rural - remote coastal communities that can share in and contribute to the creation of business and community partnerships that are so critical to building rural-coastal resilience.

Learn More: 2023 Wrap-Up

Strengthening RIEP's Voice

On November 25, RIEP held its 4th Annual General Meeting, and in addition to updating the Society's Constitution, members welcomed four new Directors to the Board:

Marc Doll (Quadra) Wei Wai Kai and Wei Wai Kum
Pat English (Port McNeill) Kwakiutl
Kate Maddigan (Cortes) Klahoose, Tla’amin & Homalco
Thandi Williams (Pender) W̱SÁNEĆ

Alongside Directors::

Chair-President, Francine Carlin, (Salt Spring) Cowichan, Tsawwassen, Tsawout, Malahat and Tseycum
Vice-Chair, Mike Hoebel (Galiano) WsÁNEĆ & Penelakut
Secretary, Marjorie Giroux (Malcolm) Kwakwakw’akw
Treasurer, Maria Malmgren (Gabriola) Snuneymuxw
Martin Dimkovski (Bowen) Squamish

The new RIEP Board is ready to begin 2024 with renewed energy and committment!

Meet RIEP's Directors - Read Their Profiles >>

Help Us Build the Rural Islands & Rural- Coastal Community Network

Become A RIEP Member

RIEP Members are the voice for BC's rural islands

& rural-remote coastal communities —

Check-Out The Latest RIEP Member Profiles

Members from Gabriola, Salt Spring and Quadra told us how they learned about RIEP and why they joined.

We respectfully acknowledge that this correspondence has been sent from the traditional

unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the WSÁNEĆ First Nations and Hul'quimi'num Treaty Group, whose historical relationship with the land continues to this day.