Exposed to swells and breakers from the open Pacific, the west coast of Vancouver Island attracts visitors and particularly surfers for its pristine beaches. What few have considered, however, is the challenge of disposing of surfboards and wetsuits at the end of their useful lives. For years, discarded surf gear was piling up in landfills outside the twin surf capitals of Tofino and Ucluelet.
Surfrider Foundation Canada recognized this issue, which was threatening to give its business a bad name. In 2025 it launched a program out of Ucluelet called ReSurf that collects unwanted surf gear. The boards and suits are either repaired for reuse or recycled sustainably. This year, BCEDA recognized ReSurf for creating jobs, building partnerships across the surf industry and community organizations and helping grow the circular economy with its Community Project Award – Less Than 10,000 Population.
Committed to sustainable development
Perhaps more than any other people in Canada, Islanders stand out for their commitment to preserving their world-renowned environment while nurturing innovative industries. This year, BCEDA also honoured the WorkLink Employment Society for its establishment of a tiny visitor information centre in another outer-coast outpost, Port Renfrew, that has improved coordination among local tourism operators and collaboration with the Pacheedaht First Nation to promote cultural tourism. The Port Renfrew Visitor Information Centre has become a hub for economic development in the small community, earning it BCEDA’s Tourism & Economic Development Award – Less Than 10,000 Population for 2026.
And yet another Island initiative caught the association’s eye: faced with region-wide construction that limited access to downtown Comox, Comox Business In Action launched a two-phase campaign last year, Seas the Summer and Seas the Day, that combined creative marketing, local storytelling and hands-on business engagement to maintain the visibility of downtown and drive activity during a challenging time. As a result, foot traffic held up, there were no business closures over the duration of construction and collaboration among some 25 downtown business owners improved markedly.
For that, Comox BIA won both the Economic Development Marketing Innovation Award and the Community Resiliency Award from BCEDA at the association’s BC Economic Summit in Penticton in May 2026.
A place set apart
Vancouver Island has a diverse economy ranging from aquaculture to public administration (Victoria is B.C.’s provincial capital) to forestry to advanced technology and research. It has historically been less affected by the highs and lows of the economic cycle compared to other regions.
The Island and adjacent Sunshine Coast also have large and thriving tourism industries. Victoria-area hotels recorded their highest occupancy rate in 10 years over the first eight months of 2025, at 79.9 percent. The average daily room rate rose 9.4 percent to $396 and revenue per room jumped 13.9 percent to $374, according to Destination Greater Victoria. A new hotel is slated to open this year at Victoria International Airport and Hyatt- and Hilton-branded hotels are under construction downtown.
Victoria International Airport, meanwhile, saw passenger counts rise 5.6 percent and BC Ferries notched a new high, with 9.4 million passengers and 3.7 million vehicles carried over the busy summer season. And there were 31 conferences held in the Capital Region over the first nine months of 2025—a new record.
Esquimalt, home to Canada’s Pacific naval fleet, is the leading contender to host a submarine maintenance facility to accompany Ottawa’s impending purchase of 12 new naval submarines from one of two named bidders for upward of $60 billion. The transaction is part of the federal government’s new commitment over the past year to increase defence spending in line with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) benchmarks.
Further north, the City of Campbell River is advancing an ambitious housing agenda, targeting the construction of 1,277 new housing units by the end of 2028. In the downtown core, the “Reimagine the Row” redevelopment will deliver approximately 200 new homes with integrated commercial space, strengthening vibrancy and supporting a growing workforce.
Like elsewhere in B.C., the hunt for critical minerals is taking place on the Island too. Northisle Copper & Gold is advancing a copper project near Port Hardy that has been added to the province’s list of priority projects. It is expected to create approximately 500 jobs over the 29-year life of the mine.
