JULIE LAWLOR
WESTSHORE – From June 3-5, Chamber of Commerce CEOs, executive directors and managers came from all corners of the province to gather at the Chamber of Commerce Executives of BC (CCEBC) Conference in Fort St. John. Dovetailing with the BC Chamber of Commerce’s Conference, this annual gathering rotates around the province and will be held in Richmond in 2027.
You may not know that there is an active network of chamber executives who support one another every day of the year. The annual conference gives us a chance to learn from one another all in one place, to share experiences, welcome new executives, and connect. “Rob and duplicate” is our shared and encouraged language. Our 2026 conference sessions included board governance best practices, supporting communities in crisis with input from Tumbler Ridge, West Kelowna and Richmond, and presentations on revenue generation. Among other things, this included the creation of a pop-up shop program in Kitimat, an “Artnership” with a community arts council in Prince George, and co-working and events space options in both Comox and Creston.
A number of us stayed on for a circle tour of the region on June 6. We journeyed from Fort St. John through Hudson’s Hope to the Saulteau First Nation Cultural Centre, and onward with stops in Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, Dawson Creek and at the historic Kiskatinaw Bridge. There is too much content to put in a few lines, but we all came back with a greater appreciation of what this area of the province provides to the rest of BC, and the transportation, communication and health care challenges that they contend with on a daily basis. Thank you to sponsors EDF, Innergex, and Vitreo Minerals for making this tour possible!
And great thanks must also go to Solinas and Associates and Johnston Group for funding multiple bursaries for chamber executives to travel to the 2026 Conference. I was the fortunate recipient of one of these, and the opportunity to gather at this conference is priceless. Thank you!
To find out more about CCEBC, go to chamberexecutivesbc.ca
Julie Lawlor is Executive Director at the WestShore Chamber of Commerce
