Meet possibility
In Lytton the rivers meet, people meet, and opportunities meet. For Lytton, the rivers symbolize people, ideas and investment coming together to create a stronger future. In this sense the rivers don’t just meet, they move forward together.
The Village of Lytton is undertaking an Economic Development Strategy with funding from the Province’s Wildfire Response Recovery Grant.
Purpose
The purpose of this initiative is to identify specific and actionable economic diversification and job creation opportunities for Lytton and area, while considering community development enablers, such as housing affordability and basic services, recreation, and culture infrastructure. The final Economic Development Strategy will guide the development and implementation of economic development initiatives for the community.
Community engagement
This initiative will be shaped by consultation with community members and other contributors to identify key economic and community development opportunities. This will include the following:
- A community survey available in mid-October 2026
- Interviewing economic development interests
- Gathering a Community Leaders Group, who will participate in two workshops in November 2026
Timeline
This project will take place over the next three months. A final Economic Development Strategy is anticipated to be complete in late December 2026.
Background
The Village of Lytton is creating an Economic Development Strategy that aims to answer fundamental questions that will shape next generation job creation and prosperity. For example:
- What does our future economy look like?
- What are realistic economic opportunities for Lytton and area?
- What kind of community do we want to leave behind for our children and grandchildren?
This Economic Development Strategy is intended to bring fresh eyes to economic opportunity identification, investment attraction, and community building by bringing community voices with common interests together in pursuit of a shared economic vision.
Lytton stands at the heart of the Nlaka’pamux homeland, where Indigenous people have lived, travelled and traded along the Fraser and Thompson rivers for thousands of years. The community that became Lytton was established in the 19th century at this historic crossroads, later evolving around transportation, forestry, and resource industries. The closure of the forestry mill in 2007 and the 2021 wildfire have created both uncertainty and a rare opportunity to re-imagine the future. A strategic location three hours from the Port of Vancouver, significant industrial land base, broadband connectivity, and housing affordability, create new possibilities.
Economic development strategies are about job creation, but also community development and the joy we seek in life well-lived. Emerging industries in BC and region. Recreation and culture. Housing affordability. Entrepreneurship. “Beautiful” community (called placemaking).
When we connect these dots, the Village of Lytton's Economic Development Strategy can be the ONE plan that answers a question at the soul of community pride, sense of belonging, and belief in a positive future:
What makes Lytton and area distinctive in a way that attracts business, new residents, and visitors?
Economic Development Strategies specifically focus on new ways forward for the following:
- Investment attraction (industry development – e.g., what kind of future activity may exist on industrial land)
- Business retention and expansion (supporting existing business in their recovery/growth plans)
- Destination development (enabling tourism infrastructure, product development, and entrepreneurship opportunities)
- Workforce attraction and retention development (skills matching with employment opportunities, community development foundations like housing, etc.)
- Resident attraction (attracting quality of life/affordability seekers & entrepreneurs)
- Marketing (investment attraction)
We can embrace big ideas about the future in an Economic Development Strategy. We also need to focus on identification of pragmatic actions (small village with limited resources) that generate progress toward our vision of the future.
Contact
For any questions or comments, contact Chris Fields, Principal of Rynic (hired by Village to complete Economic Development Strategy) at chris@rynic.org.