KAST

10/12/2026

🍂 This Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for the people who bring our region together. 🍂

This photo captures some of the wonderful folks our Executive Director, Priya Biswas, spent time with at the Economic Development Practitioner Network (EDPN) gathering in Creston. Two days of learning, sharing, and connecting were a reminder of how much we can do when we make time for one another.

Across the Kootenays, people are working hard to support their communities. Opportunities to gather, exchange ideas, and build relationships help us carry that work forward together.

A heartfelt thank you to the organizers, everyone behind the scenes, and the funders who make this annual gathering possible. And to our partners, entrepreneurs, volunteers, and community members—thank you for being part of KAST’s journey.

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, with time to pause, connect, and enjoy the company of those around you.

From all of us at KAST.

10/09/2026

Congratulations to ETSI-BC (Economic Trust of the Southern Interior) on 20 years of supporting communities and possibilities across BC’s Southern Interior! 🎉

At KAST, we are grateful for the support ETSI-BC has given our work over the years, including our current TechEdge program and our first-ever KAST Technology Summit. Their investment helps us bring people together, support local businesses, and create more opportunities for innovation and technology in the Kootenays.

Our board members Nick Howald, Lorri Fehr, and Paul T were delighted to attend the anniversary celebration in Creston and celebrate this milestone alongside the team and regional partners.

Thank you so much, Laurel Douglas and the entire ETSI-BC team, for believing in the potential of our region and helping so many projects move forward.

Here’s to the next 20 years of collaboration, opportunity, and stronger communities!

09/30/2026

Sept. 30 Truth and Reconciliation Day

Hope you take time today to learn and acknowledge.

Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN) offers an incredible set of resources and opportunities for learning, recommended, curated, and created by indigenous educators and organizations.
https://outdoorlearning.com/indigenous-learning/

Autonomous Sinixt https://sinixt.org/
Ktunaxa https://ktunaxa.org/
Secwepmec https://tkemlups.ca/our-land/
Sylix https://syilx.org/

Photo: Ktunaxa elder in regalia, Cranbrook by Kari Medig, KootenayRockies.com"

09/28/2026

The Nelson Innovation Centre is closed today. Sorry for the inconvenience.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DybxU5unh/

NiC is closed today. Sorry for the inconvenience.
We hope you have a great start to your week.

09/22/2026

We are so excited to bring BroadKAST to Trail!

November 12, 6:30 PM at The Royal Theatre Trail
Save your seat now! https://kast.com/events/broadkast-film-festival-trail/

BroadKAST: Entrepreneurial Journeys of the Kootenays is an evening of storytelling. Six short films featuring local business founders and what they are creating here in the Kootenays.

Come see celebrate and connect with us.

Thanks to our partners, Trail and District Chamber of Commerce and Regional District of Kootenay Boundary West Kootenay

09/21/2026

Last week, our Executive Director, Priya Biswas, attended the fifth KORE Outdoor Conference in beautiful Kimberley! 🏔️

A huge shout-out to Kevin Pennock and the entire KORE team for another amazing conference and for continuing to build such a strong, connected community around outdoor recreation.

The opportunity is significant. Outdoor recreation contributed $6.6 billion in real GDP and supported approximately 86,000 jobs in B.C. in 2024. These findings come from B.C.’s new Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, developed by BC Stats with support from the Ministry of Environment and Parks and the Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth.

Here in the Kootenays, our connection to the outdoors inspires ideas, businesses, and ways of living. There is tremendous potential to turn that passion into new products, meaningful jobs, and lasting opportunities for our communities and for a better planet.

KORE is helping make those connections possible by bringing people together to share knowledge, build relationships, and grow the outdoor recreation sector.

At KAST, we see exciting possibilities where outdoor recreation, innovation, and entrepreneurship meet. We look forward to continuing to support this amazing community and exploring what we can build together.

Thank you, Kevin and team, for all the work you put into making this happen every year!

09/16/2026

Thomas joins the TechEdge team through Selkirk Innovates as a Mitacs Research Intern.

Interested in TechEdge? Let us know: https://kast.com/forms/techedge/

Thomas will be doing outreach and research to map the Kootenay tech sector ecosystem. Identifying the sector's economic impact and its potential in the region will allow us to see opportunities and advocate for regional investment and advance digital adoption support for businesses.

Practical pathways, regional referrals, integrated technologies.

Government of British Columbia

09/09/2026

Become a founding sponsor for the KAST Tech Summit and help create an amazing regional event supporting communities and businesses.

Back-to-school means Club KAST and Innovate for Impact Youth programs are back!

Read the September KAST Newsletter for all our updates (Link in comments).

Subscribe to stay connected: https://kast.com/newsletter-signup/

09/08/2026

If you've ever thought about supporting young people as they turn their ideas into action, we'd love to have you join our next cohort as a Youth Mentor.

Applications are now open and close on September 17.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/xT9eVLpgvCC8auaJ8

There's nothing more fulfilling than receiving updates from youth initiatives we've had the chance to support. ❤️
A few months ago, Shark Side of Life was just an idea shared by a group of students from Revelstoke during our Innovate for Impact Youth Program. Today, they're bringing that idea to life.
In June, they hosted their very first market booth.
They sold handmade keychains and T-shirts, offered face painting by donation, and even used shark trivia to spark conversations with families who stopped by. By the end of the day, they had raised hundreds of dollars to support shark conservation.
Watching ideas grow beyond the classroom is one of the most rewarding parts of this work.
Our Youth Entrepreneurship Program with Impact Toolbox gives students the opportunity to explore social impact by building initiatives around issues they genuinely care about, with guidance from local mentors who help encourage their ideas along the way.
Shark Side of Life is one of those businesses, created to raise funds for shark conservation while helping people see why healthy oceans matter, even from a mountain community.
Congratulations to this incredible group. We can't wait to see where they take Shark Side of Life next. 🦈
If you've ever thought about supporting young people as they turn their ideas into action, we'd love to have you join our next cohort as a Youth Mentor.
Applications are now open and close September 17.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/xT9eVLpgvCC8auaJ8

KAST

08/28/2026

Congratulations to the Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce on celebrating 80 years! What an incredible milestone.

KAST was so happy to play a small part in the celebration and recognize the Chamber’s many years of supporting local businesses and strengthening the Castlegar community.

Huge congratulations to Tammy Verigin-Burk, M.A., the Board, and the entire team on a wonderful celebration.

Here’s to 80 years of impact and many more ahead! 🥂
Castlegar and District Economic Development Tammy Verigin-Burk