THE DISTRICT OF SPARWOOD COMMUNITY PROFILE 1 Community Profile 3 District of Sparwood Overview 3 A Brief History 3 Location 3 Geography 4 First Nations 4 Wildlife 4 Climate 5 Demographics 6 Local Government 9 Primary Economic Structures 10 Emerging Industries 12 Community Services and Amenities 14 Education 14 Health Services 15 Government Services 16 Financial Services 17 Transportation 18 Utilities and Technological Services 19 Sparwood Community Network (SCN) 20 Media 21 Real Estate 22 Recreation and Tourism 23 Cultural and Social Amenities 25 Economic Development Profile 26 Business Advantages 26 Reasons to Invest 27 Investment / Business Opportunities 29 Natural Resource Potential 29 Tourism Related Businesses 29 Services 30 Construction / Development 30 Retail 31 Access to Markets 31 Federal and Provincial Taxes 32 Business Resources 34 Databases and e-Links 35 2 District of Sparwood Overview A Brief History1 Prior to 1900, there was a railroad stop known as Sparwood, which was so named because of the trees from this area being shipped to the Coast for manufacturing spars for ocean vessels. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, coal development in this area resulted in the creation of three small communities known as Michel, Natal and Sparwood, respectively. The former two communities were in the immediate area of the coal mines and the latter, Sparwood, was a few miles removed.. By 1966, the Village of Natal and the settlement of Michel had become adversely affected by coal dust. There was no regulatory legislation to protect the public. The Village of Natal, in cooperation with the Provincial and Federal Governments, entered into an Urban Renewal and Land Assembly program, which eventually resulted in the townspeople of Natal and Michel moving to, and expanding, Sparwood. To this day, there is nothing but memories left of Natal and Michel. The District Municipality of Sparwood was incorporated May 12, 1966. Location2,3 Sparwood is located in the centre or Heart of the Elk Valley, which is located in the region known as the East Kootenays in the SE corner of British Columbia, Canada. Longitude: 114°53′2” Latitude: 49°43′ 58” Elevation: 1,140m / 3,800 feet Situated on Provincial Highway #3, Sparwood lies on the western slope of the Crowsnest Pass, 18 km from the Alberta border and approximately 30 km north-east of Fernie. Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, is located 35 km to the east, and Elkford is 35 km to the north on Highway #43. The nearest United States border crossing is located at Roosville, bordering the State of Montana at Eureka and is approximately 97 km to the south - west by road. Sparwood is located within Area "A" of the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK). The Elk Valley contains some of the richest Coal deposits in the world. 1 http://www.travel-british-columbia.com/kootenay_rockies/sparwood.aspx 2 http://www.sparwood.bc.ca/facts/index.htm 3 http://www.sparwoodchamber.bc.ca/Community%20Profile%20(Updated%202005).htm 3 Geography The District of Sparwood lies at the west approach of the Crowsnest Pass in the Rocky Mountains and covers an area of 18,280 ha of which 142 ha is water, creating a total of 40,234 acres or 70.58 square miles. This includes the main community and two satellites (Corbin and Line Creek). Cummings (Wilson) Creek and Michel Creek are tributaries that flow into the Elk River at Sparwood. The Elk River is well known for its trout fishing. The Elk Lakes and Grave Lake are to the north, Crowsnest Lakes to the east and Lake Koocanusa (Libby Dam reservoir) to the south. 4 Sparwood's alpine setting, near the many mountain lakes, woodlands and glacier fed rivers, abounds in a vast assortment of wildlife. The upper Elk Valley is often referred to as the "Serengeti of North America".5 First Nations No First Nations reside directly within the Sparwood area. Two groups of First Nations populated the East Kootenay region prior to European contact: the Kootenai, evidence of whom can be traced back to early post-glacial times, about 10,000 years ago; and the Shuswap, who occasionally traveled from the north into the Columbia Valley to fish. The Shuswap settled permanently in the area as recently as the early 1800s. The Ktunaxa-Kinbasket Tribal Council includes five Bands in the East and West Kootenay. Four Bands are from the Kootenai Nation and one from the Shuswap Nation. The bands are: St. Mary near Cranbrook, Tobacco Plains near Grasmere, Lower Kootenay near Creston, Columbia Lake at Columbia Lake and Shuswap north of Invermere. Two additional Bands are located in the United States.6 Wildlife7 Sparwood is well known for its wildlife. Sport fishing and hunting are well served experiences to be found in the area. Sports fish include Char, Dolly Varden, Rocky Mountain Whitefish, Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, and Cutthroat Trout. Big game animals include Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Deer (Whitetail and Mule), Moose, Mountain Goat, Black Bear, Grizzly Bear, Cougar, and Wolf. Game birds are abundant consisting of Ptarmigan, Blue Grouse, Franklin's Grouse, Ruffled Grouse, Morning Grouse, migratory geese and ducks. 4 http://www.sparwood.bc.ca/facts/index.htm 5 http://www.sparwoodchamber.bc.ca/Community%20Profile%20(Updated%202005).htm 6 ftp://ftp.rdek.bc.ca/PDF/RDEKPROFILE_Issue5.pdf 7 http://www.sparwoodchamber.bc.ca/Community%20Profile%20(Updated%202005).htm 4 Climate In the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK), summers are generally described as hot and dry, while winters vary from mild to severe.. Sparwood has an alpine climate; with precipitation predictably higher and average temperatures lower than other regions of the East Kootenay. There is an average of 182 frost-free days per year. April 19th is usually the first frost free day and the first frost usually arrives on October 17th.8 Sparwood Climate Station Data – 2005 and 2006 2005 2006 Month Mean Total Rain Total Total Mean Total Rain Total Total Temp Snow Precip Temp Snow Precip Jan -7.9 40.3 43.6 61.4 -0.6 35.6 71.1 78.1 Feb -3.9 3.4 38.1 20.6 -5.9 23.8 59.0 52.0 March 1.3 11.9 25.1 24.0 -0.7 5.5 15.7 16.9 April 5.2 16.6 3.0 18.5 5.7 43.3 6.1 48.8 May 9.8 48.2 trace 48.2 10.1 47.4 Trace 47.4 June 11.7 160.7 12.8 170.5 14.4 62.5 0.0 62.5 July 16.0 28.4 0.0 28.4 18.8 33.7 0.0 33.7 Aug 14.9 65.6 0.0 65.6 15.2 30.4 0.0 30.4 Sept 9.3 102.2 47.6 145.0 12.1 39.2 0.0 39.2 Oct 5.8 66.2 2.5 67.3 4.5 15.5 21.0 30.2 Nov -1.1 4.0 66.1 44.3 -3.7 111.9 123.5 174.9 Dec -7.8 10.4 26.0 24.8 -5.0 2.7 71.9 33.3 Sum 557.9 264.8 718.6 451.5 368.3 647.4 Avg 4.4 5.4 Latitude:49° 43’ 58” Longitude:114° 53’ 2” Elevation:1139.70 m Source: http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climateData/monthlydata_e.html 8 http://www.sparwoodchamber.bc.ca/Community%20Profile%20(Updated%202005).htm 5 Demographics Sparwood’s population experienced a slight decline through 2003 to 2005. However it has since started to increase on a steady basis with the current population estimated at 3,863 (2007). Population Estimates Year Sparwood % Change Prev. Year BC 2003 3,926 - 4,155,370 2004 3,877 -1.2 4,203,807 2005 3,812 -1.7 4,260,246 2006 3,819 0.2 4,230,255 2007 3,863 1.2 4,380256 Source: BC Stats Sparwood Age Distribution Population Counts Sparwood BC % Distribution Total Male Female Male Female Spar BC All Ages 3,615 1,850 1,765 2,013,990 2,099,495 100 100 0 to 14 years 700 355 345 348,745 330,865 19.4 16.5 15 to 24 years 420 210 210 274,420 265,045 11.6 13.1 25 to 44 years 1,025 515 510 546,325 579,015 28.4 27.4 45 to 64 years 1,065 585 480 573,025 596,250 29.5 28.4 65 + years 405 190 215 271,480 328,340 11.2 14.6 Median age of the population 39.9 40 39.8 40 41.5 % of the population aged 15 and over 80.6 80.6 80.7 82.7 84.2 Source: Statistics Canada, Census 2006 NOTE: Differences may be noted between population estimates sourced from BC Stats versus Statistics Canada. Municipal estimates are calculated by the Population Section of BC Stats through a regional estimation model that has been developed and refined over the past 25 years. This model, which uses indicators of population change such as residential electrical connections and Health records information, has enabled BC Stats to produce relatively accurate population estimates without the high cost of conducting a census. Sparwood’s age distribution has shifted since the last census in 2001. Individuals aged under 25 have decreased in percentage from 34.7% (2001 census) of the population to 31% (2006 census). The largest increase is seen in the age 65+ years with an increase to 11.2 % of the population from 9.1%. Compared to the province however, Sparwood still has a younger population base with a larger percentage in the working demographic of 25 to 64 years.