POW Canada and Revelstoke businesses chat climate impacts on local economy

Revelstoke business owners, a local author and representatives from the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce joined Protect Our Winters (POW) Canada representatives Wednesday, April 9 at the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre to talk about the impacts of the climate crisis on Revelstoke’s tourism and outdoor industries.

“We’re trying to coalesce the outdoor industry to speak up for the environment and protect and preserve everything we have out here in the mountains,” Greg Hill, POW Canada athlete and local author told audiences. Hill spoke to his own experiences with the world’s changing climate, noting the growing levels of wildfire smoke that restrict summer outdoor activities and the shortening snow seasons that hinder winter tourism locations.

“No matter what party you’re with, it’s the economics that’s going to impact this the most.”

Those economics include local businesses like Steven Cross’ Revy Outdoors, which supplies summer and winter outdoor recreation gear. On a panel at the POW Canada town hall, Cross talked about the economic impact the last few years have had on the store, as well as the personal impact of climate change.

“I noticed the mental health decline when the warm front moved in Feb. 25 this year,” he said. “There was a change in the attitude then. When we had big forest fires and smoke a couple years ago, that was a big change in attitude. That’s a direct impact on people and myself, and we’re not alone. When I talk to other people, other retailers in town and other businesses in town it’s pretty much a universal reaction.”

Through her research for the POW Canada Outdoor Recreation and Economic Report, Nat Knowles, climate scientist said over 1,000,000 jobs and $101.6 billion annual economic contributions from outdoor recreation is a lowball number, missing out on smaller outdoor recreation activities and other ways residents and tourists alike enjoy the outdoors. 

“It doesn’t represent all of the activities out there,” Knowles said, noting that statistics didn’t account for other indirect impacts the outdoor recreation industry has on other businesses such as ones catering to outdoor recreation tourism.

One of those categories of businesses connected to the outdoor recreation industry is having an oversized impact on the industry’s climate impact, Knowles said.

“When we look at outdoor recreation communities, 75 per cent of the emissions comes from transportation, people coming either to the community to recreate or travel within the community. The next highest percentage is 20 per cent for our infrastructure, our buildings and facilities like this. About five per cent of emissions comes from the activities themselves.”

That 75 per cent means that the outdoor recreation industry needs to explore who to cater to and how to get them to location, Knowles said. That might even mean focusing tourism advertising closer to home instead of larger overseas campaigns.

Still, POW Canada’s report wants more support provided to tourism-heavy municipalities to help reduce emissions.

“A lot of outdoor recreation communities have small resident populations – 7,000 people on average. But we’re servicing over 10 times that in terms of visitors to the community. It’s really difficult, especially for a municipality often given the resources based on our resident population to then provide the services or the emissions reductions or the waste management that’s sustainable for this massive population.”

It’s that sort of advocacy work for municipalities and local businesses that Revelstoke’s Chamber of Commerce is spearheading, Maggie Spizzirri, chamber president shared on the panel.

“How can we prepare our communities for [climate change impacts], instead of being so reactive to what happens with wildfires or the lessening of the snowpack, what actual impact can we do? What changes can we make here, and how can we move that forward?”
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