Regional District launches campaign to promote Blue River
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) has launched a new video and web page promoting Blue River in an effort to get more families to move to the area. The Blue River Elementary School currently has four students enrolled, and the Regional District has been working with School District 73 on efforts to boost enrolment.
Funded by a grant from the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior, the “Where Community Meets Adventure” webpage and accompanying video feature cinematic shots of mountain landscapes and waterfront properties, along with local organizations like Sled Blue River and Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing.
The idea behind the initiative is that employers and residents will have accessible material to send to people looking to move to Blue River, says Electoral Area B Director Lee Onslow.
“This video is now being advertised down in the Lower Mainland and in the Okanagan, with the intention of showing people that living in a rural and remote community can be a really cool opportunity for families,” Onslow told The Goat. “I hope that the exposure of it really does draw a couple of families to move to our town with some kids.”
Shortly before moving her own family to Blue River in 2017, Onslow worried about sending her son – who was about to enter Grade 1 at the time – to a one-room elementary school. She spent a week as a parent helper in the classroom and came away confident that her son could thrive in the school, she said, and she hopes to impart that same confidence to prospective families.
“The school is a huge part of this community,” Onslow said. “I hope the right eyes see this video and some families say, ‘Maybe we should call that Lee Onslow and have a conversation, and check out some job opportunities and see what it really is [like] to raise your kids in the community of Blue River.’”
Beyond just being a way to encourage young families to move to Blue River, the video can be used to recruit staff for local services like the B.C. Ambulance Service, Onslow added. Employers can send the video to potential hirees who are on the fence about moving to a small, rural community.
“The community rallied around creating this video,” Onslow said. “I just love it. I love all of the people that participated in it.”
