Municipality of North Cowichan, British Columbia

building already went up and there are tentative plans for a few more in that area. We’re trying to do the same thing in Chemainus. The challenge when you do that is filling the commercial space, more so than the residential.” Another challenge facing North Cowichan is a lack of accommodations for visitors. Last year, when the municipality hosted the B.C. Summer Games, every Bed & Breakfast was full, people were camping, and the athletes slept on the floor of local high school gyms. Siebring admits, “We made it work but we would love to see a major hotel development here. It could be profitable just because there isn’t enough of that available now.” Tourism Cowichan and Tourism Vancouver Island are great advocates for marketing the region under Destination B.C. And they are all operating with the knowledge that, on the hotel side, North Cowichan is at capacity and needing more. So, increasing available hospitality rooms is a top priority, going forward. The municipality is also doing its best to MUNI C I PAL I TY OF NORTH COWI CHAN, BR I T I SH COLUMB I A