NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT LAUNCHES NORTHERN ECONOMIC DEPENDENCIES DASHBOARD

PRINCE GEORGE –  Northern Development Initiative Trust is pleased to launch a new economic visualization tool that provides economic insights for northern and central British Columbia. The Northern Economic Dependencies Dashboard – or NEDD – presents information at three different levels: for the north/central region as a whole, the nine regional districts in Northern Development’s service region, and 32 local areas – which combines the region’s communities, including First Nations.

“The local area economic dependencies profiles for Northern B.C. are a unique data set we’re pleased to provide to members of the public, economic development professionals, community, and business leaders at no cost. This data set is different but complimentary from the State of the North Economic Report in that it shows economic dependencies at a regional district and localized level, whereas the State of the North shows economic data at a regional or sector level. Together, these two tools create a powerful data set that’s unique to Northern B.C., easy-to-use and allows us to track trends and identify challenges or opportunities to support economic development in the North. A big thank you goes to our economic dependencies profiles partners CityViz, the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior of B.C. (ETSI-BC), the Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICET), and the Province of B.C. for making this possible,” said Joel McKay, CEO of Northern Development Initiative Trust.

NEDD aims to help residents, economic development officers, and local and First Nation governments understand the impact of economic changes and industry transitions in their communities. The tool was developed for Northern Development by CityViz, a data visualization company. It utilizes Statistics Canada Census data (2016 and 2021) combined with the BC Stats proprietary macroeconomic model, licensed to the Trust for non-commercial purposes.

Features of NEDD include:

• Visualization of economic data at regional, district, and local levels
• Analysis of industry diversity, location quotients, and employment impact ratios
• Insights into population changes, job distribution, and income dependencies
• Forest sector vulnerability index

The dashboard offers both current snapshots and five-year change data, allowing users to track economic trends over time. It provides a range of indicators, from basic population and job data to more complex economic metrics such as industry diversity indices and local supply shares.

NEDD is designed to be user-friendly, featuring drop-down menus, printable graphics, and easy comparisons. It also allows for the download of raw data for custom analysis.

“We are excited to collaborate with Northern Development Initiative Trust to bring the Northern Economic Dependencies Dashboard (NEDD) into reality. This tool provides valuable insights into the dynamics of local economy, helping communities understand, and most importantly, respond to economic changes with fact-driven strategies. CityViz empowers communities with data visualizations to enhance decision-making, and NEDD is a testament to that commitment. With a unique blend of comprehensive data from Statistics Canada and the BC Stats macroeconomic model, NEDD provides a clear and accessible view of the region’s economic landscape at various levels. We are thrilled to support Northern Development in empowering communities and fostering sustainable economic growth. We are particularly excited to make this tool available at the local level, giving rural and First Nation communities access to advanced economic metrics that are often difficult to obtain, enabling them to make informed decisions and drive sustainable development,” said Sasha Bogdanovic, CEO, CityViz.

NEDD: https://edd.northerndevelopment.bc.ca/