by Darren Davidson
The buzz kicks this instalment with a big picture issue. Really big.
From Wall Street to Baker Street, 2024 is touted as the break-out year for artificial intelligence. For some, AI seems more like ET.
“Is artificial intelligence the biggest help to humanity since electricity,” asks Selkirk business instructor Stephen Harris, “or the plot of The Terminator — the potential end of us all?”
Harris is betting on the former. A former communications insider during the BC Liberals’ reign under Premier Gordon Campbell, he’s launched a new company called the Kootenay AI Collective, which is helping organizations learn how to use AI to improve efficiency, effectiveness and quality.
Harris started integrating AI into his classes last year, his 10th at the college. He’s since created www.ai-launchpad.ca and delivered training to groups including the Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce, local governments and non-profits.
“People are blown away when they see how powerful AI is,” Harris said. “Data analytics, content generation, policy creation — there’s not much that AI can’t do. For small businesses, having AI handle that work allows entrepreneurs to spend their time on more important parts of their business: sales, mentorship, relationships.”
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There’s a dark side, says Harris, especially when it comes to the potential for significant job displacement.
“History has shown that every technological advance comes with a re-do of the labour market. The difference here is that it’s hitting white collar knowledge workers first, and hitting really fast,” he says. “If you work with your hands — trades, healthcare and the like — you’ll probably be fine. Everyone else? ‘Work’ is going to change overnight in ways that we’ve never seen before.”
Along with an intro to Destination BC’s newest marketing project — dubbed Rainforest to Rockies — AI was on the agenda for Kootenay Rockies Tourism’s professional development day last week, held at the Prestige Lakeside Resort.
The event also gave Nelson Kootenay Lake’s new Executive Director a chance to say hello to the region’s tourism ranks.
Peter Moynes officially took over the position at the start of the month. The longtime local and former publisher of Kootenay Mountain Culture magazine says he’s “thrilled and honoured” with the new job, adding “there’s a lot of learning to be done.”
After almost 25 years for Kootenay Mountain Culture, and for eight or so years its partner publication Coast Mountain Culture (shuttered at the start of the pandemic), the company announced in February it was ceasing publication of the coveted magazine. KMC Productions is instead aiming to build its digital properties and marketing services, with plans to get back to print at a later date.
Board chair Joel Jackson says Moynes brings a wealth of marketing experience from his years as both a publisher and NKLT board member for six years.
“What really set Peter apart was his knowledge of Nelson and Kootenay Lake,” says Jackson, “and the number of connections he had within the local community.”
Moynes takes over eight months after former executive director Dianna Ducs retired following 12 years at the helm.
“We had applications from all over Canada,” says Jackson, “and several strong candidates who were already living in Nelson.”
Jackson too has a robust resumé in the tourism industry. He cut his hospitality teeth pouring pints at pubs in his hometown of Hebden Bridge between Leeds and Manchester, UK. Over 20 years Jackson has made career stops at tourism hot sports in France, Italy, Norway, plus Canada’s west and east coast.
“Nelson is by far the best place to live and work we’ve experienced,” he says.
It’s been a busy three years at the Prestige. The property has seen over $3-million in improvements, with revenues increasing every year.
“The demographic of the travellers choosing our location has changed slightly over the last three years,” says Jackson. “Older travellers with higher budgets is now the norm.”
A couple of quick notes…
Ciraj and Martina Premanantham are moving their popular KTK Masala store off Baker Street to the former longtime Hall Street home of Boomtown Sports Emporium. … Freestyle Burrito Co. has closed its doors … Uber Eats is reportedly eyeing Nelson as a new market. That’s a concern to local restaurants, as most of that money goes to the app with little left over for delivery drivers and the businesses themselves … B.C.’s minimum wage heads upwards as of June 1, from $16.75 to $17.40 per hour.
“That’s one more addition to the steadily increasing costs of doing business we’ve seen over the past three years,” says Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce boss Tom Thompson. “A few per cent here, a few per cent there, everything begins to stack up.”
For local businesses looking to make a difference in less fortunate parts of the world, there’ll be an informative presentation to sit in on at the Nelson United Church on Wednesday, May 8. Oso Negro will be presenting Guatemalan social and environmental justice expert Neydi Juracan. She represents the Campesino Committee of the Highlands (CCDA) organization — an Indigenous peasant project started in 1982 in response to rising human rights problems in the Latin American country. Oso has been supporting the CCDA in a big way for a number of years.
The event runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. More info on the organization’s remarkable efforts can be found at cafejusticia.ca.
After 15 years in business, realtor Paula Owen’s local brokerage WK Real Estate Co. is expanding. Industry veterans Sylvia and Derrick Stevens were recently added to the team, joining Owen, realtor Cassidy Tutsch plus property managers Crissie Hrynew and Leslie Farrell.
Owen started out in property management in 2009 with her company West Kootenay Rentals, which eventually took care of over 100 units in Nelson and Castlegar. In 2020, she added real estate trading services to the mix and changed the company’s name to WK Real Estate Co.
What lead to the business’s success?
“The growth happened through positive word of mouth, repeat clients and local referrals,” says Owen.
“Understanding homes, potential issues, the connections with trades people, knowing who to call, problem solving and client relations” made for a seamless transition into the real estate sector, she says.
That’s it for this month everyone, see you in May.