The Central Cariboo and Chilcotin regions are economically dependent on the natural resource sector, which has traditionally been dominated by the forest industry; however, other dominant industries include mining, agriculture, and tourism. The region’s economy and its communities are facing a significant challenge due to many factors including increasing frequency of natural disturbances and the continued volatility in the global market for natural resources.
These factors have the ability to cause wide scale impacts to individuals and communities of the Central Cariboo and Chilcotin as they will impact jobs, businesses, and services in the community.

To support the community in working toward a long-term goal of building a more diverse economy and resilient community for Williams Lake and Central Cariboo and Chilcotin regions, the Community Development Institute (CDI) at University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) partnered with the City of Williams Lake and Cariboo Regional District (CRD) to deliver an economic development project that would engage the community to identify and build on community and regional assets and strengths to diversify the economy that would result in economic change and transformation.

To build an understanding of the assets, opportunities, and challenges in the community, the first step that needs to be taken is completing research to compile a community profile to provide useful insights on the residents and local economy, as well as on the opportunities and challenges for the community moving forward.

The data that has been collected for this Community Profile is the most recent that can be found for the region. However, due to schedules and methodologies for data collection, such as suppression of data sets due to low response, some of the data presented may appear outdated.

The Community Profile: Williams Lake/Central Cariboo and Chilcotin Regions provides a snapshot of the community that can be used as a baseline and reference point for future planning and actions.