Selkirk Innovates

17/10/2026

Students and recent graduates, apply today! We are hiring a research intern to support the Courageous Dialogues for Classroom, Campus and Community project.

The ideal candidate is looking to gain valuable work experience in the social sector or continue to graduate school. This internship is a great opportunity to develop skills in collaboration, communication and leadership.

Apply by October 30, 2026. Get more information and apply here: https://selkirk.ca/research-innovation/skills-training-internships/intern-postings

is the applied research department of Selkirk College.

16/10/2026

Share your feedback on how the Columbia Basin Climate Source should evolve to meet the needs of the region. Each submission is entered into a draw for one of two $50 prizes.

Fill out the survey: https://tinyurl.com/4drm4eu8

Learn more about the Columbia Basin Climate Source: https://basinclimatesource.ca/

Columbia Basin Climate Source, a project of Columbia Basin Trust, is developed and managed in partnership with Selkirk Innovates. is the applied research arm of Selkirk College.

16/10/2026

New posting alert! Students and recent graduates, come work with us.

Research Intern: Emergency Response & Economic Resilience

Support Community Futures East Kootenay with a project that aims to improve capacity for economic responses to disasters in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia. This is an opportunity to gain in-depth and applied experience with the delivery of economic development activities.

If you’re organized and self-motivated, with interests in community development and emergency response in rural BC, we hope you’ll apply. Bonus points if you live in or have knowledge of communities in the Regional District of East Kootenay!

Apply by November 16, 2026. Get more information and apply here: https://selkirk.ca/research-innovation/skills-training-internships/intern-postings

is the applied research department of Selkirk College.

15/10/2026

Our communities are increasingly impacted by different types of shocks, from wildfires to industry closures. To assist communities that have faced or are at risk of facing these challenges, it's important to understand what responses are most effective in supporting recovery and adaptation. Selkirk College and College of the Rockies are tackling this question through an applied research project in British Columbia’s Kootenay region.

Research interns Cicely Frears and Piper French took to the road this summer to visit Kootenay communities and learn about their experiences. Collectively, they interviewed 35 community members across Nelson, Slocan, Cranbrook, and Canal Flats, including elected officials, regional representatives, and local business leaders.

Thank you to the interview participants for sharing your time and insights. The research team is now in analysis mode and hope to share next steps at the end of the fall.

To learn more about the project, visit https://selkirk.ca/research-innovation/regional-innovation-chair/economic-resilience/how-disruptions-shape-rural-development

We gratefully acknowledge the funding support of the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC).

29/09/2026

It’s going to be a busy autumn for elections! This October, British Columbians will head to the polls twice, for local government and provincial government elections. With the potential for election fatigue, analysts will be watching voter turnout statistics carefully, particularly because participation in elections is viewed as an indicator of democratic health and civic engagement.

Read more in the latest State of the Basin feature article: https://stateofthebasin.ca/feature/fall-into-voting

Get regional data insights to your inbox. Sign up for the State of the Basin newsletter: https://www.selkirk.ca/focus-newsletter

research is conducted by Selkirk College faculty and students, with funding support from Columbia Basin Trust.

24/09/2026

The Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORCBC), with support from Selkirk Innovates, invites rural BC communities and regions to take part in a new project.

The project is looking for four to five case study regions that already have outdoor recreation assets and activity, along with some level of community collaboration and a shared interest in using outdoor recreation as a way to support their local economy.

Rather than focusing primarily on building more trails, campsites or other recreation infrastructure, the project will look at the economy around those assets. What businesses could grow? Where are the gaps? What skills or workforce are needed? Which opportunities are realistic, and what would it take to move them forward?

ORCBC and Selkirk Innovates will work with participating regions to better understand their existing outdoor recreation economy, identify promising opportunities, assess their feasibility and potential benefits, and develop practical next steps.

“Outdoor recreation has great potential to be an economic engine in rural areas,” says Lauren Rethoret, faculty researcher at Selkirk Innovates. “We’re looking forward to working with a diverse group of regions to help them identify opportunities that fit their communities and to share those lessons with other rural communities across BC.”

The case studies will help build a stronger understanding of what rural communities need to turn their recreation assets and local strengths into lasting economic opportunities. Lessons from the project will also be shared more broadly so other communities can apply them.

This project is funded through the Province of BC’s Rural Economic Development and Infrastructure Program (REDIP).

Rural BC communities and regions interested in participating are invited to learn more and submit an expression of interest: https://www.orcbc.ca/blog/trails-towns-talent-expressions-of-interest

is the applied research arm of Selkirk College.

22/09/2026

We are delighted to be welcoming researchers, engineers and innovators from around the world to the 10th International Symposium on Negative Ions, Beams and Sources (NIBS 2026), hosted by Selkirk College's Selkirk Ion-source Research Centre (SIRC), together with D-Pace and TRIUMF.

“Bringing global innovators together can really accelerate the development of emerging technologies,” says Dr. Morgan Dehnel, symposium chairperson and chair of the SIRC at Selkirk College. “Hosting the symposium here in the Kootenays is an opportunity to showcase the cutting-edge work happening at Selkirk College’s SIRC and the Selkirk Technology Access Centre and engage with research at the forefront of the sector.”

Learn more about the symposium and research happening through Selkirk College's Selkirk Ion-source Research Centre: https://selkirk.ca/news/international-science-conference-brings-global-ion-research-kootenays

This week, Nelson is welcoming more than 100 scientists, researchers, engineers and innovators from around the world for the 10th International Symposium on Negative Ions, Beams and Sources (NIBS '26).

Hosted by Selkirk College’s Ion-source Research Centre, alongside D-Pace and TRIUMF, the symposium brings together global expertise to showcase the latest developments in negative-ion research, supporting advances in fields ranging from technology and health care to clean energy and machine learning.

For Selkirk College, it’s an opportunity to showcase what’s possible when students, researchers, industry and community partners come together to turn ideas into innovation. From advanced research and applied technology, Selkirk College is helping demonstrate that rural regions and community colleges can be leaders in world-class research and innovation.

Learn more about the symposium and the work happening through Selkirk College’s Selkirk Ion-source Research Centre at selkirk.ca/news/international-science-conference-brings-global-ion-research-kootenays

Selkirk Innovates

03/09/2026

Climate action can feel like one more thing on a to-do list that is already full. For businesses and non-profit organizations juggling budgets, staffing, customers, programs and other competing priorities, knowing where to start can be a challenge. The new Business and Non-Profit Hub on the Columbia Basin Climate Source is designed to make that first step easier.

Learn more: https://basinclimatesource.ca/august-2026-newsletter

Explore the Business and Non-Profit Hub: https://basinclimatesource.ca/hub



Columbia Basin Climate Source, a project of Columbia Basin Trust, is developed and managed in partnership with Selkirk Innovates. is the applied research arm of Selkirk College.

01/09/2026