Business Walk held earlier in the week, findings will be released at a later date

The annual Business Walk was held Tuesday, but it will still be a few months until there is a clear picture on the state of the local economy.

The Business Walk saw representatives from the City of Vernon, Downtown Vernon Association, Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce, Community Futures North Okanagan and Okanagan College visit local businesses across Vernon.

The visits between the representatives and business owners and managers provides an opportunity for face-to-face conversations about the current economic environment, employment, businesses successes and challenges, and opportunities for growth. 

Business representatives were also given an opportunity to fill in a questionnaire focused on business confidence, employment, operational challenges and opportunities to strengthen the local business environment. The results of those questionnaires were provided to the city’s Economic Development team, who will compile the data to identify common themes, emerging opportunities, priorities for future economic development, and ways to strengthen business retention and expansion efforts.