Comox (Comox Valley)

The Town of Comox or Village by the Sea (12,833) is a lovely seaside community with a quaint downtown that captures its surroundings with proud sail banners, nautical colours and seating.

Comox surrounds the Fisherman's Wharf which features a marina with a large fishing fleet and a stunning boardwalk that looks over Comox Harbour. Comox is home to Canadian Forces Base 19 Wing Comox, Canada's only Airforce base in British Columbia. The town is also the site of the Filberg Festival, one of the most renowned arts and crafts festivals in the Province.

Comox Valley Economic Development Strategic Plan

Although the Comox Valley has several distinct communities and areas, it takes a regional approach in its economic development strategies.

In 2005 the Comox Valley Economic Development Society together with the municipalities and Regional District developed a comprehensive plan which saw key sectors and opportunities targeted as having the best economic growth potential for the region. They include:

  • Food and Beverage Processing Cluster
  • Air Transportation Cluster
  • Knowledge-based and Environmental Technologies Cluster
  • Resort Development
  • 2010 Olympic Opportunities
  • Value-added Wood Products

Food and Beverage Processing Cluster

Extensive agrifood research and a full-scale marketing campaign has been launched targeting agrifood producers and processors to relocated or expand their businesses to the Comox Valley. This opportunity is ideally suited to the rural areas as there is a critical mass of agricultural and processing activity already taking place and large amounts of agriculturally designated land is selling for less than other growing regions like the Fraser Valley.

Air Transportation Cluster

The Comox Valley has an unprecedented competitive advantage in developing an air transportation cluster because of the scale of the civil aviation services that have developed at the Comox Valley Airport (YQQ). The airport resides on Canadian Forces Base CFB 19 Wing Comox, and thereby boasts the second largest runway (10,000 ft. long) after Vancouver International. The region has attracted such airlines as WestJet, Air Canada, Central Mountain Air and Pacific Coastal.

2010 Olympic Opportunities

The Comox Valley is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the 2010 Games due in part to its proximity to Vancouver and the region being home to Mount Washington Alpine Resort.

The Comox Valley Spirit of BC Community Committee was the only Vancouver Island Community to send a delegation to the 2006 Torino Winter Games, and has aggressively pursued team training attraction based on Mount Washington's comparable training conditions to Whistler and Callahan Valley. To date the Swiss Nordic Ski Team and the Canadian National Nordic Ski Team have named the Valley as their 2010 training destination.